Qaṭṭāra Depression - Qaṭṭāra-Senke

The Qattara Depression (English Qattara Depression, Arabic:منخفض القطارة‎, Munchafaḍ al-Qaṭṭāra) is a depression in the northern part of the Western desert in the egyptianGovernorateMaṭrūḥ. With an area of ​​around 20,000 square kilometers, it is the largest depression in Egypt and with a depth of −133 meters after Lake Assal in Djibouti the second lowest point in Africa.

places

Places in the valley

In the depression itself there are almost no towns or places of importance. The valley is only used temporarily for nomads to stay.

• The sink el-Mughra (also Moghra, "Red-brown [oasis]") is located on the eastern edge of the valley.

Places on the northern edge of the valley

From west to east:

• Qārat Umm eṣ-Ṣugheir - Village with an old castle hill
• Talh el-Fawachir
• ʿAin el-Ghazalat
• Talh el-Iskandar
• Hatiyat ʿAbd en-Nabi
• ʿAin el-Qattara
• Minqar Abu Tartur
• Minqar Abu Zarzuq
• Abu Duweis
• Hatiyat el-Lubbuq
• el-Mughra - Depression east of the Qaṭṭāra depression.

Places on the southern edge of the valley

From west to east:

• Tabaghbagh - swampy landscape
• Umm daycare leg
• el-ʿArag - Today uninhabited depression with archaeological remains
• el-Baḥrein - Today uninhabited depression with archaeological remains
• en-Nuweimisa - today uninhabited valley
• Talh Badr ed-Din

background

Location and geology

The Qattara Depression is located roughly in the range from north to south from 30 ° 25 'N to 28 ° 35' N and from west to east from 26 ° 20 'E and 29 ° 02' E.^[1] It measures around 300 kilometers in a west-east direction and around 150 kilometers in a north-east direction. It is an average of 60 meters deep. Almost in the far west it reaches its deepest point at –133 meters. The area data vary between 18,000 and 20,000 square kilometers. This makes the Qattara Depression about the size of the state Rhineland-Palatinate. The shortest distance to the Mediterranean Sea is 38 kilometers.

At its edges, the depression partially reaches a height of 200 meters. The steep drops in the north of the valley are striking, while the valley gradually rises towards the south.

About a quarter of the depression, especially in the northeast, is covered by a layer of salt alumina, sabcha, covered, on which there is a thin crust of salt. In the peripheral areas, especially in the north, there are also salt marshland landscapes. The only vegetation in the vicinity are acacias and some shrubs. This also enables some gazelles, but also kaphases, sand and desert foxes, jackals and cheetahs to survive.

The depression may have originated in the Miocene. At least some fossil finds such as marine animals, reptiles and small mammals date from this period. The most important find in 1918 was that of a primate (monkey), the extinct one Prohylobates tandyifound at Mughara.^[2]

history

The depression was discovered in 1917 when the British John Ball (1872–1941) had height measurements taken by an officer of a military patrol in the area of ​​the steep drop. In 1924 the measurements were made under the direction of G.F. Walpole from the Survey of Egypt, which confirmed the earlier results. Ball also gave the valley its current name, from a source called ʿAin el-Qaṭṭāra was borrowed.^[3] Ball also discussed the possibility of using the depression for a hydropower plant due to its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea.^[4]

In the second half of the 1920s, the British officer undertook Ralph Alger Bagnold (1896–1990) made several exploratory trips into this area.^[5] The surveying work and geological investigations were mainly carried out by the (later) Major Patrick Andrew Clayton (1896–1862) in 1928/1929.

In the Second World War, the Qaṭṭāra depression played a rather subordinate role as a natural barrier. But it was partially mined. This enabled the military movements of the Axis Powers and Allies to the coast of the Mediterranean, e.g. to space el-ʿAlamein, limited. The lines of defense ran between the Qattara Depression and the Mediterranean coast.

getting there

An all-terrain four-wheel drive vehicle is required for the journey to and through the Qaṭṭāra-Depression desert. Suitable drivers and vehicles can be found e.g. in the valley Siwa. The drive along the north side takes place over a solid but desolate plateau. On the south side you have to reckon with partly sandy subsoil.

You need a permit from the military, which must be obtained at least one day in advance (see also under Siwa (city)). The permit costs LE 45 (as of 3/2011).

Tourist Attractions

kitchen

You can have a picnic in various places on the sand lake. Food and drinks must be brought along. Rubbish must be taken with you and must not be left lying around.

accommodation

Tents must be brought along for the overnight stay.

security

The area between the Qattara Depression and the Mediterranean coast and the depression itself are mined from the time of the Second World War!

climate

The local climate is determined by the proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. The mean temperatures are between 6 ° C and 36 ° C in winter and summer. There is also rainfall mainly in winter. This is around 50 or less than 25 millimeters on the north or south edge per year.

literature

Individual evidence