 Limestone cliffs with the Wādī-el-Ubeiyiḍ cave | ||
| Wādī el-Ubeiyiḍ · وادي الأبيض | ||
| Governorate | New valley | |
|---|---|---|
| height | 89 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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The Wadi el-Ubaiyid (also Wadi Obeiyd, Wadi el-Obeiyd, Wadi al-Ubayyid, Arabic:وادي الأبيض, Wādī al-Ubaiyiḍ, „White valley“) Is a valley running from east to west north of the el-Quss-Abū-Saʿid plateau and an important archaeological site in the area of the depression el-Farafra. It is about 50 kilometers northwest of the city el-Farafra removed and is partly still in the buffer zone of the National parks White Desert.
background
In the area of the wadi there are important archaeological sites that document settlement since the middle and late Holocene (6000-5000 BC). During the humid phases in the Holocene, a shallow lake (Playa Lake) was created here in the wadi, formed from precipitation and thus only temporarily present.
In the south of the lake, in the so-called Hidden Valley (Hidden valley), hunters and gatherers sometimes settled down.
Excavations have been taking place here since 1988/1989 under the direction of Barbara E. Barich from the Roman university "La Sapienza".[1] Stone tools, fireplaces (stoves) and stone foundations of huts, most of which came from the Middle Holocene, were found on about twelve square kilometers.
About 50 to 75 people lived in the settlement found. Even if the wild catch was still important, it was here that they started gardening and raising livestock. Millet was grown and sheep, goats, perhaps rabbits, cattle and ostriches were raised. The finds can be traced back to around 5,800 BC. And are the earliest examples of agriculture in the El-Farāfra depression.
The stone tools such as sickles, knives and chisels were made of brown flint. Pottery was not found. The finds also include shells of ostrich eggs, which were probably also used as vessels. Another important find is that of a clay figure of a woman, as it is typical for the Badārī culture (El-Badārī is a place in the Nile Valley with important prehistoric finds. The place gave the name for this period).
Another important site is the decorated so-called el-Ubeiyiḍ cave, which was probably used for ritual acts.
This archaeological site is arguably the most important of the valley, certainly also because of the fact that it has already been archaeologically explored. Other archaeological sites from the Roman and Coptic times can be found in ʿAin Bisāi and ʿAin Gallaw in the south of the city el-Farāfra.
getting there
There are two ways of getting here. The first leads from the city el-Farāfra to the military checkpoint 1 27 ° 14 '59 "N.28 ° 4 ′ 59 ″ E. From here, a partially paved road leads west, but long stretches of it are silted up.
The second, but worse, slope begins in the western part of the National parks White Desert at the rock formation el-Qabūr on track 3 and also leads to the west. Both slopes meet in the area of the Hidden Valley.
In order to be able to visit the site, you need one Official permit the military administration. It is possible that the journey must be accompanied by a police officer or soldier. At least for the part of the route up to the el-Ubeiyid cave you can get permission from the police in el-Bāwīṭī (el-Baḥrīya) received.
mobility
Away from the slopes, you have to walk.
Tourist Attractions
The 1 Hidden Valley(27 ° 22 '24 "N.27 ° 47 ′ 6 ″ E), Hidden valley, is a valley cut in the northwest of the el-Quss-Abū-Saʿid plateau and thus surrounded by chalk cliffs. As already stated, it is the site of a prehistoric settlement.
About two kilometers northwest of the Hidden Valley is the 2 el-Ubeiyid cave(27 ° 23 '43 "N.27 ° 45 ′ 28 ″ E), Arabic:مغارة الأبيض, Maghārat al-Ubeiyiḍ. The natural cave is to the west of a large circle of limestone cliffs. The cave consists of three chambers, one behind the other, which are covered with several rock carvings. The representations in the front room include geometric and animal representations such as giraffes, antelopes and goats. In the back room there are several depictions of hands. It is conceivable that this was a place for certain rituals, possibly for groups of people from different origins. To the east of the site there are other, undecorated caves.
The entrance to the cave is on the south. If the sun penetrates directly into the front room, it is harder to see the rock drawings. It is therefore best to visit them in the morning (around 9 a.m.) or in the evening around 4 p.m.
The is located about twenty kilometers to the west 3 Infidel skirt(27 ° 18 ′ 9 ″ N.27 ° 37 '47 "E.), Rock of disbelief, a columnar rock.
Another five kilometers to the west is the rock formation 4 Sphinx Valley(27 ° 17 ′ 19 ″ N.27 ° 34 ′ 51 ″ E)whose shape is reminiscent of sphinxes.
Further to the northwest is located ʿAin ed-Dālla, but the slope does not lead directly there.
kitchen
Food must be taken with you. The waste should be taken back and not scattered in the desert. There are only restaurants and food stalls in town Farāfra.
accommodation
Accommodation is only available in the city Farāfra.
literature
- : The Wadi el-Obeiyd Cave, Farafra Oasis: A new pictural complex in the Libyan-Egyptian Sahara. In:Libya Antiqua: annual of the Department of Archeology of Libya, New Series, Vol.4 (1998), Pp. 9-19.
- : Farafra Oasis. In:Bard, Kathryn A. (Ed.): Encyclopedia of the Archeology of Ancient Egypt. London, New York: Routledge, 1999, ISBN 978-0-415-18589-9 , Pp. 298-300.
- : The archeology of Farafra Oasis. In:Egyptian archeology: the bulletin of the Egypt Exploration Society, ISSN0962-2837, Vol.15 (1999), Pp. 37-39.
- : The cave above Wadi el-Obeiyd (Farafra, Egypt). In:Sahara: preistoria e storia del Sahara, ISSN1120-5679, Vol.16 (2004), Pp. 138-142.
- : The Western Desert of Egypt: an explorer’s handbook. Cairo: The American University at Cairo Press, 2008, ISBN 978-977-416-090-5 , Pp. 105-110 (in English).
Individual evidence
- ↑Originally, Ain Della and not Hidden Valley was given as the location.
