| Northeast of the El-Baḥrīya depression | |
 Gebel el-Maghrafa and Gebel ed-Dist |
Without spending a lot of time and money, you can be in the northeast of the egyptian Sink el-Baḥrīya (el-Bahariya), which is part of the Western desert is to go on smaller excursions where you can study a number of different landscapes such as springs, mountains and sand dunes, life in the villages and some archaeological remains. Due to the volcanic activity 70 ... 30 million years ago, a unique landscape was created here for which there is hardly anything comparable in other depressions. And there is still a bit of British military history at the time of the First World War.
preparation
The preparation effort is low. All-terrain 4 × 4 jeeps are required for the trip, but there are enough of them on site. The cost is around 120 euros per person per day if there are four of you traveling. It is best to contact the reception of your hotel or the non-governmental organization "Bahariya Oasis' Desert Lover" "(see below el-Bāwīṭī).
The springs naturally invite you to take a bath, so here are two tips: The water pumped by the pumping stations is sometimes very hot, around 45 ° C. And while men can get into the water in their bathing trunks, this is taboo for women. If women want to bathe, they can only do so at night and when they are fully clothed.
Note on the height information: In many cases only the height above sea level is known. Since the terrain is at a height of around 130 to 200 meters, the height above ground is of course significantly lower. The height of the hills hardly exceeds 50 to 75 meters.
mobility
As already said, you need off-road vehicles for the journey. In some places, however, you have to be able to rely on your feet.
Routes
Two route suggestions are described below that can be carried out in this way, with minor deviations or in combination.
Route 1
The first route is the shorter and can be done in around four hours.
We start in the northeast of el-Bāwīṭī. One begins between the International Hot Spring Hotel and the Oasis Panorama Hotel 1 piste(28 ° 21 '15 "N.28 ° 53 ′ 20 ″ E) to the northeast, which leads us to the first two destinations. Our main destination, the English House, can also be reached on foot, for which you have to plan around three quarters of an hour in each direction. We are on the way to 2 Black Mountain(28 ° 21 ′ 41 ″ N.28 ° 53 ′ 33 ″ E), also Black Mountain or English Mountain, Arabic:جبل الإنجليز, Ǧabal al-Inǧlīz, „Mountain of the English"Orجبل ويليام, Ǧabal Wīliyām called. As the name suggests, this is a table mountain made of dark dolerite and basalt, on which the ruins of a former British observation post from the First World War are at a height of about 50 meters. From this point you have a good view of the terrain to the east of the depression. The 3 building(28 ° 21 '26 "N.28 ° 54 '9 "E), بيت الإنجليز, Bait al-Inǧlīz, was built from stone and had three rooms and a bathroom. From here, Captain Claud H. Williams (around 1876–?) Observed the movements of the Sanūsī troops. Captain Claud Williams was also a member of the British from 1916 to 1919 Light Car Patrolswho also mapped the desert.[1]
After returning from the Black Mountain, we leave el-Bāwīṭī in an easterly direction and cross the 4 Receipt sheet(28 ° 20 ′ 55 ″ N.28 ° 53 ′ 15 ″ E). About two kilometers east of el-Bāwīṭī and southeast of the Black Mountain, roughly in the area of Camel Camp, you now turn north (5 28 ° 20 ′ 39 ″ N.28 ° 54 '26 "E).
The next destination is the village 6 el-ʿAgūz(28 ° 20 '57 "N.28 ° 54 ′ 28 ″ E), العجوز. The village was built on the site of an ancient settlement. The name is said to come from an old man who is said to be 200 years old. A special feature are their residents, who are from Siwa originate, so are "foreigners". It is reported that these Siwans were exiled here because of criminal offenses, which the local residents deny, of course. In the north-east of the otherwise "modern" settlement is the old, beautiful hamlet.
A little further north is the 7 Gebel Maʿsara(28 ° 21 '58 "N.28 ° 54 ′ 27 ″ E), also Gebel Mayisra, which is also about 50 meters high (211 meters NN), about 3 kilometers long and also covered by volcanic rock (basalt).
If you go further north, you will reach the source 8 Biʾr el-Maṭār(28 ° 23 ′ 5 ″ N.28 ° 54 ′ 45 ″ E), بئر المطار, „Airport source“Which is located on an old caravan route (Darb el-Asas). In British times (First World War) a runway for aircraft was used here Siwa laid out and the tents erected next to it. The old spring has dried up, the water now comes from a modern deep well.
In the north of the Black Mountain you can drive back west towards Lake Mārūn. It is near Biʾr el-Maṭār 9 Tomb of Sheikh Ahmad, who is venerated here(28 ° 22 ′ 7 ″ N.28 ° 52 ′ 55 ″ E), مقام الشيخ أحمد, Maqām al-Sheikh Aadmad.
The next goal is that 10 Lake Marun(28 ° 24 '35 "N.28 ° 52 '8 "E), a bitter lake, too Lake Marun, بركة المارون, Birkat al-Marun west of Gebel ed-Dist. The locals are not entirely at ease with the area, it is said to be haunted here. The former Minamar Hotel has at least ceased operations.
Another significant source is 11 Biʾr el-Ghāba(28 ° 25 ′ 51 ″ N.28 ° 56 ′ 30 ″ E), بئر الغابة, „the forest spring". Here, too, the old spring has dried up and the water is now provided from a hot water source. This place is used as a campsite (Nature Camp) popular. The place is also suitable for bird watching.
In the plain west of the source of Biʾr el-Ghāba there are two prominent hills:
On the one hand, this is the easternmost and most distinctive hill in the valley, the 12 Gebel ed-Dist(28 ° 25 '52 "N.28 ° 55 ′ 30 ″ E), also Pyramid Mountain (Pyramid Mountain),جبل الدست, „Topfberg“, With a radius of 250 meters, which is smaller than the aforementioned hill. Due to its conspicuously pointed shape and the fact that it is easily visible from a distance, it can be used as a landmark. In 1912, the German palaeontologist found himself in his environment Ernst Stromer the fossils of several prehistoric creatures, including the bones of several dinosaurs.
To the west of it is located 13 Gebel el-Maghrafa(28 ° 26 ′ 7 ″ N.28 ° 54 '58 "E.), جبل المغرفة, „Spoonberg, Schöpfkellenberg“, With a radius of 320 meters and a height of 199 meters above sea level.
On the way back to ez-Zabū and Mandīscha you pass the 4.5 kilometer long 14 Gebel Mandisha(28 ° 23 '24 "N.28 ° 55 ′ 54 ″ E), جبل منديشة. It is about 25 meters high and also of volcanic origin.
It goes on to the village 15 ez-zabū(28 ° 22 ′ 10 ″ N.28 ° 56 '12 "E), الزبو. Of course, the old village center is also worth seeing here. About 2.5 kilometers north of the village there is a remarkable archaeological site, 16 Qaṣr ez-zabū(28 ° 23 ′ 3 ″ N.28 ° 56 ′ 35 ″ E), Called "Castle of ez-Zabu". There are numerous Libyan inscriptions (“graffiti”) on the sandstone rock, which were affixed here by Bedouins or Berbers who passed through, probably in the 11th or 12th century AD. In addition to characters, they also show images of animals and people.
We are now going further south 17 Mandisha(28 ° 21 ′ 5 ″ N.28 ° 55 ′ 54 ″ E), منديشة, Back. It is one of the oldest villages and that after el-Bāwīṭī second largest in the valley. In the village and its neighboring villages there are still some quarters with the original adobe houses. The much larger part is made up of “modern” buildings made of concrete or limestone blocks.
The shifting dune is located 800 meters west of Mandīsha 18 Ghurūd Mandishah(28 ° 20 ′ 51 ″ N.28 ° 55 ′ 32 ″ E), غرود منديشة. This is a small, flat dune about 500 meters long, in which there is a palm tree.
Route 2
The second route begins east of Mandīsha and could also be used as a continuation of the first route. The route takes about a day.
We start in the hamlet 1 el-Qabāla(28 ° 21 ′ 10 ″ N.28 ° 57 ′ 59 ″ E), also el-Gabala, Arabic:القبالة. The most striking building is the mosque, behind it is the 2 Qārat el-Maghrabīya(28 ° 21 '9 "N.28 ° 58 ′ 1 ″ E)which was used as a cemetery in the Late Period and Roman Period.
The archaeological site is located near the trunk road 3 Quṣūr Muḥārib(28 ° 20 '49 "N.28 ° 58 ′ 30 ″ E), قصور محارب. Here are the remains of a Roman settlement and about 450 meters to the west of a basilica.
It continues now on the road to the east to one 4 Branch to the north(28 ° 20 ′ 51 ″ N.28 ° 59 ′ 4 ″ E). First you reach the hamlet 5 ʿAin Tūnī(28 ° 22 ′ 30 ″ N.28 ° 59 ′ 40 ″ E), عين توني. While the village hardly offers anything worth seeing, the landscapes in its north are much more attractive.
This is reached after a good ten kilometers in a north-northeastern direction 6 Tomb of Sheikh Muhammad el-Qaddafi(28 ° 28 ′ 9 ″ N.29 ° 1 ′ 51 ″ E), مقام الشيج محمد القذافي, Maqam al-Sheikh Muḥammad al-Qaḏḏāfīwho died here in 1974 during a pilgrimage to Mecca and a family member of the former Libyan revolutionary leader Muammar el-Gaddafi was.
North of the aforementioned grave is the 7 Gebel el-Ghurābī(28 ° 29 ′ 9 ″ N.29 ° 2 ′ 11 ″ E), جبل الغرابي, „the raven rock“, 316 meters above sea level. The rock got its name because it was once the shelter for a raven colony.
After about three kilometers in an easterly direction you will reach the shifting dune 8 Ghurūd el-Ghurābī(28 ° 29 '49 "N.29 ° 4 ′ 17 ″ E), غرود الغرابي, „the raven dune". This is an extension of the huge shifting dune Ghurd Abū Muḥarrik and the most impressive shifting dune in the vicinity of el-Bāwīṭī. This is how you imagine a sand dune: sand as far as the eye can see.
If time permits, you can now take a detour to the village 9 el-Ḥārra(28 ° 20 ′ 37 ″ N.29 ° 4 ′ 46 ″ E), الحارة, On the south side of the trunk road. The village is surrounded on all sides by mountains. The wind, which otherwise cools the whole valley down, blows over the village. So the village is one of the hottest spots in the desert. The village invites you to take a walk.
Back towards el-Bāwīṭī there are other destinations on the south side of the road. These are the source 10 ʿAin Guffāra(28 ° 18 ′ 3 ″ N.28 ° 56 ′ 22 ″ E), عين جفارة, And the one further to the west 11 Gebel el-Hafhuf(28 ° 18 '26 "N.28 ° 54 ′ 15 ″ E), also Gebel el-Hafuf, جبل الحفحوف). Gebel el-Hafhuf is a limestone rock about 15 kilometers long and 72 meters (290 m NN) high, the top of which is also covered with volcanic rock (basalt, dolerite).
health
Headgear, sunscreen, sunglasses and water should be carried on the excursion.
When bathing, you should take into account that the water from modern deep wells can have a temperature of around 45 ° C.
Individual evidence
- ↑Harold, Jim: Deserts, Cars, Maps and Names, in: eSharp, Issue 4, Summer 2005.
