 El-Wādī el-Ḥamrāʾ | ||
| el-Wādī el-Ḥamrāʾ · الوادي الحمراء | ||
| Governorate | New valley | |
|---|---|---|
| height | 668 m | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
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The el-Wadi el-Hamra, (also Wadi Hamra, Wadi Ramra arabic:الوادي الحمراء, al-Wādī al-Ḥamrāʾ, „the red valley“) Is a valley about 35 kilometers long in the north of the Abu-Ras plateau, the north-western part of the Gilf Kebir Plateaus, in the egyptianWestern desert. It is known for its vegetation and rock engravings.
background
The approximately 20 kilometers long el-Wādī el-Ḥamrāʾ belongs to a group of three valleys in the north of the Abu-Ras plateau, consisting of the Wādī Ṭalḥ in the west, the Wādī ʿAbd el-Mālik in the middle and el-Wādī el-Ḥamrāʾ in the east. The name of the valley is derived from the color of the sand, which appears almost bright red due to its high iron oxide content.
The valley was discovered in 1933 by the British surveyor Patrick Andrew Clayton (1896–1962). He reported about acacias and sheep in this valley. The German desert explorer László Almásy (1895–1951) believed the legendary in these three valleys Zarzūra Oasis to recognize.
The German ethnologist Hans Rhotert (1900–1991) discovered the first group of rock carvings in this valley in 1935. Three years later, the Briton Ralph Alger Bagnold (1896–1990) led an expedition through this valley to the Gebel el-ʿUweināt by. Two other rock art groups were discovered in the 1990s by Giancarlo Negro (born 1945) and Ute and Friedrich Berger. In all cases it is about animal representations, which are executed as rock engravings, so-called petroglyphs. In March and April 2000, another survey was carried out under the direction of Heiko Riemer from Cologne University.
Nowadays there is no longer a spring in the valley. Nevertheless, the valley has vegetation in the form of acacias and some shrubs and bushes.
getting there
Visiting the valley is sometimes part of a desert excursion in the Gilf Kebir National Park. An all-terrain four-wheel drive vehicle is required to travel through the desert.
The easiest way to reach the valley is from the north through his 1 Valley entrance(24 ° 0 ′ 22 ″ N.25 ° 31 '52 "E).
It is advisable to take a local guide with you to find the rock carvings.
Tourist Attractions
There are groups with at three places in the valley Rock engravings, so-called petroglyphs. The animals most represented are giraffes. Gazelles, antelopes, cattle and canines were also immortalized.
To vegetation include umbrella acacias (Acacia tortilis raddiana), which are mostly on the east side of the wadi, and several shrubs and bushes. The latter include caper bushes (Maerua crassifolia ), Fagonia and the cruciferous family Zilla spinosa.
After one of the rare rains, such as in March 2009, the valley turns into a savannah.
Hans Rhotert, Giancarlo Negro as well as Uta and Friedrich Berger have documented rock carvings, so-called petroglyphs, from three different places, on the one hand at the southern end of the northern third at 2 23 ° 54 ′ 6 ″ N.25 ° 27 '54 "E and at the south end of the wadi 3 23 ° 45 ′ 2 ″ N.25 ° 27 '37 "E on the west side of the wadi.
kitchen
You can take a break in various parts of the valley. Food and drinks must be brought along. Rubbish must be taken with you and must not be left lying around.
accommodation
Tents must be carried for overnight stays at some distance.
literature
- : An Expedition to the Gilf Kebir and ʿUweinat, 1938. In:The Geographical Journal (GJ), ISSN1475-4959, Vol.93,4 (1939), Pp. 281-313, JSTOR1787767.
- : Libyan rock art: Results of the 11th and 12th German inner-African research expedition (Diafe) 1933/1934/1935. Darmstadt: Wittich, 1952.
- : Due nuove stazioni d’arte rupestre di probable età epipaleolithica nell’area dell’Uadi Hamra, Gilf Kebir (Sudovest dell’Egitto). In:Sahara: preistoria e storia del Sahara, ISSN1120-5679, Vol.7 (1995), Pp. 51-68.
- : A new rock art find in Wadi Hamra (Gilf Kebir, Egypt). In:Almogaren / Institutum Canarium, Vol.30 (1999), Pp. 203-220, PDF.
- : Archaeological Survey of Wadi Hamra, Gilf Kebir, Egypt. In:Kabaciński, Jacek; Chłodnicki, Marek; Kobusiewicz, Michał (Ed.): Prehistory of Northeastern Africa: new ideas and discoveries. Poznan: Poznan Archaeological Museum, 2012, Studies in African Archeology; 11, ISBN 978-83-60109-27-4 , ISSN0866-9244, Pp. 323-348; PDF.
