Deir Abū Mattā - Deir Abū Mattā

South side of the Basilica of Deir Abū Mattā
Deir Abū Mattā · ‏دير أبو متى‎
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Deir Abū Mattā

The archaeological site Deir Abu Matta (also Deir Abu Metta, Arabic:دير أبو متى‎, Dair Abū Mattā, „Monastery of the Father of Matthew“) In the north of the egyptian Sink ed-Dāchla is the site of an early Christian monastery and represents one of the most important monuments from this period in this valley.

background

The site was first made in 1819 by Italians Bernardino Drovetti (1776–1852) named as an adobe sanctuary[1] and in 1908 by the American Egyptologist Herbert Eustis Winlock (1884–1950) visited and described again.[2] In 1979/1980 she was employed by employees of Dakhleh Oasis Project (DOP) uncovered under the direction of the Canadian archaeologist Anthony J. Mills. A renewed investigation of the area with the focus on Christian burials in the area of ​​the monastery church took place in December 2007 and January 2008 under the direction of Gillian E. Bowen.[3]

Finds of ceramic and broken glass (4th – 5th centuries), of coins from the time of the Roman emperors Constans (320 / 323-350) and Theodosius I. (347–395) and a list of names written in Greek on an ostracon (stone shard, 4th – 5th century) indicate that there must have been a church since at least the middle of the 4th century and that the area also existed in the 5th century was used. At least three construction phases have been verified so far. Grossmann dated today's ruins well before the Arab conquest, around the late 6th century.

In the immediate vicinity of the church, structures were found like them to one monastery belonged. To the west of the church are e.g. the foundations of the defense tower. The finds also include several Christian burials.

getting there

The archaeological site is on the west side of the road from courage to Qasr ed-Dachla, about two kilometers south of Budchulu or about three kilometers northwest of er-Rāschda (Arabic:الراشدة) And 20 kilometers north of Mut.

The site can be reached by normal car, taxi or minibus.

mobility

The site is about 100 meters from the road and can easily be explored on foot.

Tourist Attractions

Looking east inside the Basilica of Deir Abū Mattā
Northern part of the Basilica of Deir Abū Mattā with northern conche

The is located on a small, sandy hill church by Deir Abū Mattā. The three-aisled pillar basilica is oriented from east to west, about 26 × 12 meters in size and was built from air-dried mud bricks. The approximately 1 meter thick walls are still up to a height of 6.5 meters and had windows about 3 meters high.

So far only an approximately 85 centimeter wide entrance has been found on the basis of the still existing threshold, which is located in the far west of the north wall. It is not clear whether this was the main entrance, another entrance may have been on the west side.

The church did not have a narthex (vestibule), so in the west one got straight into the west gallery, which connected the two aisles with one another. The central nave, which is around 4.5 meters wide, was once separated from the side aisles by seven pillars each, and two further pillars separated the central nave from the western aisle. Today only remnants of the western pillars can be seen.

The Holy of Holies is laid out in the form of a three-icon choir, i.e. an approximately square room was bordered by an apse in the east, north and south. On both sides of the sanctuary there are narrow L-shaped side rooms that protrude around the side apses.

The ceiling certainly consisted of (palm) trunks, the supports of which are still visible in the masonry.

accommodation

Accommodation is available in courage, ed-Duhūs and in Qasr ed-Dachla.

trips

This site can be shared with other villages or sites in the northwest of the valley like Budchulū, Qaṣr ed-Dāchla and Deir el-Ḥagar visit.

literature

  • Mills, A.J.: Dakhleh Oasis Project: Report on the Third Season of Survey, September – December, 1980. In:Journal of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities (JSSEA), ISSN0383-9753, Vol.11 (1981), Pp. 175–192, especially p. 185, plate 11. However, the church was imprecisely described as a building with nine rooms.
  • Grossmann, Peter: Christian architecture in Egypt. Suffering: Brill, 2002, Handbook of Oriental Studies; Dept. 1: The Near and Middle East; 62, ISBN 978-90-04-12128-7 , P. 565 f., Fig. 180, panel XVI.a.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑Drovetti, [Bernardino]: Journal d’un voyage à la vallée de Dakel. In:Cailliaud, Frédéric; Jomard, M. (Ed.): Voyage à l’Oasis de Thèbes et dans les déserts situés à l’Orient et à l’Occident de la Thébaïde fait pendant les années 1815, 1816, 1817 et 1818. Paris: Imprimerie royale, 1821, Pp. 99-105, especially p. 104.
  2. ↑Winlock, H [erbert] E [ustis]: Ed Dākhleh Oasis: Journal of a camel trip made in 1908. new York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1936, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dept. of Egyptian Art; 5, P. 24, panels XII below, XIII above.
  3. ↑Bowen, Gillian E.: Report to the Supreme Council of Antiquities on the Survey and Testing at Deir Abu Metta and a Christian cemetery at Muzawwaqa in 2008, Center for Archeology and Ancient History, Monash University Fieldwork in Dakhleh Oasis.

Web links

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