Darb eṭ-Ṭawīl - Darb eṭ-Ṭawīl

Prehistoric rock carvings at Ḥalfat el-Biʾr
Ed-Darb eṭ-Ṭawīl · ‏الدرب الطويل‎
length250 km

The ed-Darb et-Tawil (Arabic:الدرب الطويل‎, ad-Darb aṭ-Ṭawīl, „the long slope“) Is an ancient caravan route in Egyptwho have favourited the sink ed-Dāchla in the Western desert with the city Asyūṭ or the village of Banī ʿAdī. The route is 250 kilometers long and could be done with camels in about four to six days.

background

The ed-Darb eṭ-Ṭawīl is the only direct route between the Nile Valley and the depression ed-Dāchla. This old route has probably been used since the Old Kingdom, which is evident from the settlement in the area around Balāṭ can read. This direct route also bypasses the depression el-Chārga.

An early description of the route is from the British Archibald Edmonstone (1795–1871) who traveled to Balāṭ on this route in 1819.[1]Gerhard Rohlfs (1831–1896) had the route used in 1874 recorded on a map.[2] Even at the beginning of the 20th century, the route was used by various researchers, for example in 1900 by the German orientalist Bernhard Moritz (1859–1939)[3] and in 1912 by the British William Joseph Harding King (1869–1933).[4] The latter also reported that at the beginning of the 20th century the route was still being used every autumn to bring the freshly harvested dates to the Nile Valley.[5]

preparation

The route is not easy. For example, the Abu Muharrik sand dune must be crossed. It makes sense to bring sand sheets with you and to cover the route in a group with several vehicles. There are no water points on the way, so you have to bring enough water with you.

mobility

The journey along this route can only be done with all-terrain four-wheel drive vehicles or camels. One is dependent on local guides.

route

Route from Banī ʿAdī to Balāṭ

The approximately 250-kilometer route is marked on good maps such as the Russian General Staff maps. There are no water points on the way. Sporadic fragments prove that you are not the first to use the route. Camel and donkey bones warn that the desert does not forgive mistakes.

Slopes from Daschlūṭ or near the town of Asyūṭ led Meir to 1 Banī ʿAdī(27 ° 14 '57 "N.30 ° 55 '47 "E), Arabic:بني عدي. The village of Banī ʿAdī is located 28 kilometers west-northwest of Asyūṭ.

The route leads to the southwest, namely over 1 el-Bassara(27 ° 0 ′ 0 ″ N.30 ° 39 ′ 0 ″ E) and 2 Qārat es-Saba(26 ° 39 ′ 0 ″ N.30 ° 20 ′ 0 ″ E).

Then comes the hardest part, crossing the Abu Muharrik sand dune at 1 Crossing the Abu Muharrik sand dune(26 ° 27 ′ 0 ″ N.30 ° 9 ′ 0 ″ E).

In the further course three more passes are crossed. These are the first 3 Naqb Shushina(26 ° 0 ′ 0 ″ N.29 ° 56 ′ 0 ″ E), also Naqb Schischini, east of Abū Gerara and the 4 Naqb er-Rūmī(25 ° 55 ′ 0 ″ N.29 ° 47 ′ 0 ″ E).

The last pass, the Balāṭ pass or Naqb Balāṭ, is already in the northeast of the ed-Dāchla depression. It cuts through the limestone plateau from east to west. The narrow pass with its steep walls begins in the east at 2 East side of the Balat Pass(25 ° 38 ′ 30 ″ N.29 ° 31 ′ 0 ″ E) and ends in the west at 3 West side of the Balat Pass(25 ° 37 ′ 30 ″ N.29 ° 25 ′ 0 ″ E).

To the southwest of the end of the pass, one encounters the rocks of Ḥalfat el-Biʾr, on which various inscriptions from prehistoric to Coptic times were attached by travelers.

Usually the slope ends in Balāṭwhich is about 15 kilometers from the end of the pass. An onward journey is also after Tineida possible.

Connecting routes

Already about 40 kilometers northeast of the east side of the Balāṭ Pass one branches off to the Darb el-Chaschabī 4 Branch on the Darb el-Chaschabi(25 ° 55 ′ 0 ″ N.29 ° 47 ′ 0 ″ E) to the west, on which you can ride a camel after two days or about 60 kilometers Qaṣr ed-Dāchla over the el-Qaṣr pass, 5 Naqb el-Qaṣr(25 ° 41 ′ 0 ″ N.29 ° 2 ′ 0 ″ E), reached.

security

To get there, you need several all-terrain vehicles (4 × 4), sufficient water and provisions and a satellite phone.

behaviour rules

Do not make any changes to the legacies! The history of North Africa is extensive unwritten history! One would possibly destroy irretrievably important testimonies or tear them out of their context.

literature

  • Russian General Staff maps, scale 1: 200,000, maps G-36-VII (Манфалут [Manfalut]), G-36-XIII (Карет-Эс-Саба [Karet es-Saba]), G-35-XVIII (Накб-Эль- Хашаби [Nakb el'-Chaschabi]) and G-35-XXIV (Балат [Balat]). For the way to Qaṣr ed-Dāchla also the card G-35-XXIII (Мут [courage]).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑Edmonstone, Archibald: A journey to two of oases of upper Egypt, London: Murray, 1822, pp.19–28.
  2. ↑Rohlfs, Gerhard: Three months in the Libyan desert. Cassel: Fisherman, 1875. Reprint Cologne: Heinrich Barth Institute, 1996, ISBN 978-3-927688-10-0 . Enclosed card. — Communications from Justus Perthes ’geographical institute about important new researches in the entire field of geography by Dr. A. Petermann, Vol. 21 (1875), plate 11 (map).
  3. ↑Moritz, B [ernhard]: Excursion aux oasis du desert libyque, in: Bulletin de la Société Sultanieh de Géographie (BSGE), Vol. 5 (1898-1902), pp. 429-475, especially pp. 472-475.
  4. ↑Harding King, W [illiam] J [oseph]: Mysteries of the Libyan Desert. London: Seeley, 1925, ISBN 978-1850779575 , Pp. 201-205, 305.
  5. ↑Harding-King, W [illiam] J [oseph]: The Farafra Depression and Bu Mungar Hattia, in: The Geographical Journal, Volume 42,5 (1913), pp. 455-461, especially p. 455, map p. 516.
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