Deir el-Munīra - Deir el-Munīra

Deir el-Munira (Arabic:دير المنيرة‎, Dair al-Munīra, „Al-Munīra monastery“), Briefly too ed-Deir (also el-Deir, Arabic:الدير‎, ad dair, „the monastery“), Denotes a Roman fortress in the north of the egyptian Sink el-Chārga. It is located about 23 km north of the city el-Chārga and 3 kilometers east of the village el-Munīra. There is also a Roman adobe temple not far from the fortress.

background

The place east of the village of el-Munīra served the Romans as a site for a huge fortress. She probably became under emperor Diocletian (Reigns 284–305) or his successors. It is entirely possible that the information contained in the Roman State Handbook Notitia dignitatum called cavalry unit Ala prima Abasgorum (Not. Dign. Or. 31:55) with the location mentioned there Hibeos was stationed here.

After the Roman retreat, the fortress may have served as a monastery; the name ed-Deir would suggest it. During the First World War the fortress and the surrounding area were used by British troops fighting against the troops of the Sanūsī-Brotherhood used. They are also responsible for the modern graffiti in the fortress.

Because of its size, the fortress has been popular with many travelers since the British Archibald Edmonstone (1795–1871)^[1] described. Reports about the temple complex to the north of the fortress do not come from the German Afraka researcher until 1874 Georg Schweinfurth (1836–1925),^[2] and in the 1930s by the German archaeologist Rudolf Naumann (1910–1996).

Since 2002, research in the area of ​​Deir el-Munīra has been carried out by the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale under the direction of Françoise Dunand. The focus is on graves from different epochs. The most important finds include Coptic Christian tombs,^[3] painted shrouds^[4] and dog mummies^[5]. The dog mummies suggest that there could have been a cult here in Ptolemaic times for the gods of the dead Anubis or Upuat (Wepwawet). We already knew something similar Qaṣr eḍ-Ḍabāschīya.

getting there

The village 25.61805630.64751 el-Munīra(25 ° 37 ′ 5 ″ N.30 ° 38 ′ 51 ″ E) is located about 20 kilometers north of the city el-Chārga on the east side of the street Asyūṭ–el-Chārga. From the village you can reach the after about 3 kilometers in an east-southeast direction 25.59638930.7308331 roman fortress(25 ° 35 '47 "N.30 ° 43 '51 "E.). The sites can be reached with an all-terrain vehicle or motorcycle on a slope that is partially silted up.

mobility

Only short distances have to be covered on foot.

Tourist Attractions

The Roman fortress Deir el-Munira, is one of the most important monuments in the valley el-Chārga, it is about 20 km northeast of the Hībis temple and 9 km east of the village of el-Munīra, and it is also the largest such facility. It is located north of the Gebel Umm el-Ghanayim and certainly served to protect the connection to the Nile Valley. The fortress is roughly square and measures around 74 to 75 meters on the sides. The mud brick walls rise up to 12.5 meters, at the top of the wall they are still 3.6 meters wide. At the corners of the walls there are towers (diameter 6.7 to 7.4 meters) and on all sides two further semicircular towers approx. 5 m wide. Probably the only entrance to the fortress was on the west side. On the inner south side two stairs lead, on the inner north side a staircase led to the battlement on the top of the wall. In the southwest corner you can still see significant remains of buildings, on the walls of which there are numerous graffiti from the time of the First World War, which came from the Turkish soldiers stationed here. There were a well or two inside the fortress. Due to its size, the fortress has certainly served as a garrison.

About 600 meters north of the Roman fortress is an elongated one that was once 28 meters long Adobe temple25.601430.7281782 Adobe temple(25 ° 36 ′ 5 ″ N.30 ° 43 '42 "E) from the 2nd / 3rd Century with the entrance in the west and four partly one behind the other rooms. The two rearmost are still preserved. In the penultimate room on the right, a staircase leads to the roof. The deity worshiped here is unknown. The temple was surrounded by a settlement.

There are others 300 meters west of the temple 25.6011930.7250343 Mud brick ruins(25 ° 36 '4 "N.30 ° 43 '30 "E).

kitchen

There are restaurants in town el-Chārga. There is also a bakery, cafe and restaurant in el-Munīra.

accommodation

Accommodation is usually in the city el-Chārga elected.

trips

The visit to Deir el-Munīra can be combined with a visit to Qasr el-Gibb, es-Sumeira, Qasr ed-Dabaschiya and or Qasr el-Labacha connect. About 2800 meters south of the fortress is the 375 meter high mountain Ǧabal (Umm) el-Ghanāʾim.

literature

• Naumann, Rudolf: Buildings of the Khargeh oasis. In:Announcements from the German Institute for Egyptian Antiquity in Cairo, Vol.8 (1939), Pp. 1-16, panels 1-11; especially p. 10 f, 13, fig. 5, plate 9.
• Reddé, Michel: Sites militaires romains de l’oasis de Kharga. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), vol.99 (1999), Pp. 377-396, in particular pp. 379 f, 386-389.
• Hölbl, Günther: Ancient Egypt in the Roman Empire; 3: Sanctuaries and religious life in the Egyptian deserts and oases. Mainz on the Rhine: Babble, 2005, Zabern's illustrated books on archeology, ISBN 978-3-8053-3512-6 , Pp. 43, 56, 51.
• Dunand, Françoise; Lichtenberg, Roger: Dix ans d’exploration des nécropoles d’El-Deir (oasis de Kharga): un premier bilan. In:Chronique d'Égypte; bulletin périodique de la Fondation Egyptologique Reine Elisabeth (CdE), vol.83 (2008), Pp. 258-288.

Individual evidence