 House ruins in the settlement A of es-Sumeira | ||
| Es-Sumeira · السميرة | ||
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Es-Sumeira (also (Qasr) el-Sumeira, (Qasr) el-Sumayra, (Qasr) el-Sumeria, Arabic:السميرة, as-Sumaira) is an archaeological site in the far north of the egyptian Sink el-Chārga in the Western desert. The settlement from Roman times is located about 43 kilometers north of the city el-Chārga and 2.5 kilometers south of the fort of Qaṣr el-Gibb. The area is likely to be of particular interest to archaeologists.
background
Es-Sumeira is a broad one Settlement area, to which the castle of Qaṣr el-Gibb probably belonged. The area occupied by Qaṣr el-Gibb and es-Sumeira together is 8.5 kilometers long and 3 kilometers wide. The area is about 4 kilometers west of the trunk road to Asyūṭ away.
The northernmost structure of the settlement is that Es-Sumeira Castle, Qaṣr es-Sumeira, which is about 2 kilometers south-southeast of Qaṣr el-Gibb. About 2 kilometers south of the fort is the so-called. Settlement A with the best preserved structures. Another 3 kilometers south-southwest of the aforementioned settlement is the Settlement B. There are grave fields to a lesser extent between the fort and settlement A and to a greater extent between settlements A and B. About 700 meters south of settlement A is the most important grave, the so-called. Owl grave (English Owl Tomb), because an owl used to live here. About 3 kilometers southwest of settlement A is the die western group of tombs.
Between Qaṣr el-Gibb and es-Sumeira became underground Aqueducts (Arabic Qanat) laid out in three main lines, which extend from Qaṣr el-Gibb to es-Sumeira. There are other similar systems in ʿAin Manāwir, Qaṣr el-Labacha and ʿAin Umm ed-Dabādīb. The water comes from aquiferous layers and is collected in underground tunnels. The 7 to 12 kilometer long tunnel has a gradient of a few millimeters per meter. The cleaning shafts are a visible sign of the tunnels. There are three main lines here, each with over 200 shafts 15 to 20 meters apart. The diameter of the shafts is about 0.5 to 2 meters. The openings were protected with stone blocks to prevent material from entering.
Extensive irrigation agriculture was thus possible in the settlement. Mud brick buildings, graves, ovens, kilns, wells and ceramics were found in the area of the settlement. On the basis of the ceramics it could be determined that the settlement was built around the 4th century AD, but was abandoned again in the 5th century. The establishment of the settlement is certainly closely related to the forts of Qaṣr el-Gibb and es-Sumeira, which were used to monitor the ancient caravan routes Darb ʿAin Amūr to the west of the fort, which is about Qaṣr el-Labacha led to ed-Dāchla, and Darb el-Arbaʿīn served in the area of the modern trunk road. The forts were part of the border fortifications under the emperor Diocletian (Reigns 284-305) and his successors was created.
The Burials took place in different ways. These could be simple shallow grave pits, shaft graves in the sandstone hills, rock graves and simple rock caves with adobe construction in front of them. The latter type was used very often. The pure rock graves in the south of settlement A and in the area of the western graves are rarer. The rock chambers are 2.5 to 4.5 meters wide and 2.5 to 4 meters deep. In some cases, the ceiling has collapsed. There is no decoration (anymore). The tombs were dug between the Ptolemaic and Roman times.
The settlement is only owned by a few Traveler mentioned or described, for example in 1978 by Jean Gascou. The archaeological site has been investigated since 2000 as part of the “North Kharga Oasis Survey” project headed by Salima Ikram and Corinna Rossi.
getting there
The site can be tackled with a motorcycle, a pickup or an all-terrain vehicle. About 20 kilometers north of el-Munīra one joins 1 25 ° 45 ′ 24 ″ N.30 ° 39 '52 "E from the trunk road to the northwest onto a dirt road that is partially silted up. The driver should be familiar with the area. After visiting es-Sumeira you can go to about 2.5 kilometers to the south Qaṣr el-Gibb go on.
Tourist Attractions
The Es-Sumeira Castle is smaller than that of Qaṣr el-Gibb, but has numerous common structural features with it and was therefore built around the same time. It was built from air-dried adobe bricks directly on the flat plain and measures 14 by 14 meters. The 7 to 8 meter high walls are about 1.5 meters thick at the bottom. The only entrance is on the south side. A staircase to the west behind the entrance leads to the rooms, which were probably only laid out on two levels. The fort was certainly used for military purposes.
In the 1 Settlement A(25 ° 47 '45 "N.30 ° 37 '25 "E) there are the best preserved adobe structures. The settlement is located about 2 kilometers south of the fortress. The largest building was about ten meters long, facing east to west, and had two floors. On the first floor there were five rooms with barrel vault ceilings. The pottery found in the area of the settlement dates from the 4th century.
This is located about 700 meters south of settlement A. 2 Owl grave(25 ° 47 ′ 22 ″ N.30 ° 37 ′ 27 ″ E), engl. Owl Tombthat was laid out in an isolated hill. The name is modern. The entrance is on the east side. In front of the grave there was a small courtyard, which was bordered with adobe walls. The entrance is unadorned, with a horizontal indentation above it. Behind the entrance you get to the rectangular burial chamber, which is partly silted up. The chamber is about 3 meters wide, 4 meters long and two meters high. It tapers towards the top. On the right and left side walls there is a flat niche in the middle.
kitchen
There are restaurants in town el-Chārga. There is also a bakery and café in el-Munīra.
accommodation
Accommodation is usually in the city el-Chārga elected.
trips
The visit to es-Sumeira can be compared to that of Qaṣr el-Gibb connect.
literature
- : Deux voyages archéologiques dans l’oasis de Khargeh. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), vol.79 (1979), Pp. 1-20, panels I-VI, in particular pp. 19 f.
- : Sites militaires romains de l’oasis de Kharga. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), vol.99 (1999), Pp. 377-396, especially p. 379.
- : North Kharga Oasis Survey 2001-2002 Preliminary Report: Ain Gib and Qasr el-Sumayra. In:Communications from the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo Department (MDAIK), vol.60 (2004), Pp. 69–92, panels 8 f., In particular pp. 70–73, 76–84, panels 8.b, 9.a.
- : A Preliminary Survey of the Ancient Qanat Systems of the Northern Kharga Oasis. In:Communications from the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo Department (MDAIK), vol.59 (2003), Pp. 411-423.
Web links
- North Kharga Oasis Survey (NKOS)
