The ʿElba sanctuary or ʿIlba Conservation Area, Arabic:محميات علبة الطبيعي, Maḥmīyāt ʿIlba aṭ-Ṭabīʿī, is a 35,600 km², Egyptian Nature reserve south of Ḥamāṭa, which extends to the Egyptian-Sudanese border and includes the eastern part of the Ḥalāʾib triangle. It includes both marine regions and desert areas. It is named after the Gebel ʿElba,جبل علبة, Ǧabal ʿIlba.
Numerous traces of human activity can be found in this reserve, which are most clearly manifested in the petroglyphs found along ancient trade routes. There are settlements, fortresses and even a water sanctuary nearby. The area is not yet fully explored. There are still places that are so far only known to the ʿAbabda or Bisharin Bedouins.
background
location
history
landscape
Flora and fauna
climate
getting there
A trip to the protected area is an elaborate desert expedition. It is usually carried out with experienced local drivers and guides from the administration of the Wādī-el-Gimāl-Ḥamāṭa National Park. You need several all-wheel drive all-terrain vehicles, sufficient fuel, water and provisions and a satellite phone.
Sufficient spare parts and spare tires must be carried with you. It should be possible to repair the vehicles without the aid of special tools and electronic test equipment.
mobility
Tourist Attractions
mountains
- 1 Gebel ʿElba. The 1435 meter high, name-giving mountain is located in the Ḥalāʾib triangle and is therefore extremely difficult to access.(22 ° 11 '18 "N.36 ° 22 ′ 13 ″ E)
- 2 Gebel Abū Ṣuleiʿ (جبل أبو صليع, Gabal Silāʿī,جبل سلاعي). About 737 meters high.(23 ° 57 ′ 12 ″ N.34 ° 52 ′ 18 ″ E)
Valleys and springs
- 4 Biʾr as-Sunṭa (بئر السنطة) (23 ° 25 ′ 51 ″ N.34 ° 47 ′ 20 ″ E)
5 Biʾr Abraq (بئر أبرق). An important spring with rock carvings and a Greco-Roman fortress.(23 ° 24 '58 "N.34 ° 47 '48 "E.)
- 6 Wādī Abū Saʿfa (وادي أبو سعفة). With rock carvings and the Ptolemaic fountain sanctuary Biʾr Abū Saʿfa.(23 ° 18 ′ 6 ″ N.34 ° 47 '47 "E.)
- 7 Biʾr Amrīt (بئر عمريت, Biʾr Amreit). Deepest well, which is the last to fall dry.(23 ° 13 '36 "N.34 ° 35 ′ 7 ″ E)
- 8 Wādī Diff (وادي دف, Wādī Daff). Rock paintings near the source of Biʾr Diff.(23 ° 12 '4 "N.34 ° 49 ′ 56 "E)
- 12 Wādī el-Gāhilīya (وادي الجاهلية). With an old village 10 Biʾr el-Gāhilīya and a new spring 250 meters south of it and an unnamed one 11 Rock formationreminiscent of a collection of menhirs.(23 ° 29 '57 "N.35 ° 10 ′ 8 ″ E)
Ancient settlements
Mines
- 14 El-Gāhilīya gold mine. Abandoned mine, less than two kilometers from the paved road through the Wādī el-Gāhilīya.(23 ° 27 '27 "N.35 ° 11 '34 "E.)
Red Sea
- 17 Rocky Island(23 ° 33 '48 "N.36 ° 14 '44 "E.)
Tour suggestion
activities
- Animal and bird watching
- Water sports, diving
kitchen
All food and drinks, but also dishes and stoves, must be carried with you during the entire expedition. Since there is not too much space in and on the vehicles, you have to limit yourself to the bare minimum. In any case, there must be enough water. It is needed for drinking (mineral water), for limited personal hygiene, for cooking and for washing dishes.
All food must be durable during the expedition even without a refrigerator. These are e.g. bread, cheese, jam, pasta, tins of sausage and meat, but also fruit such as apples and bananas and vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes. Egyptian flatbread is durable, but hardens after just a few days. You can count yourself lucky when there is someone who can bake bread.
Organic waste can be buried. All other waste must be taken back.
accommodation
There are no campsites. You can sleep in a tent or on a mat in the open air.
It's always windy in the desert. That is why setting up a tent is not so trivial. Of course, the tent entrance must face the leeward side. However, the wind load can sometimes be so great that the tent is carried away. The pegs used must be suitable for use in sandy ground. It is also sensible to weigh down the tent with luggage, water bags or the like. The tents should be impermeable to sand and the zippers should be suitable for sand. When choosing the tents, you can fall back on the usual outdoor tents.
The vehicles are placed next to each other at a distance of about three meters. A windbreak is then stretched between the vehicles on at least one side.
security
A permit from the Egyptian military is required to visit the protected area. You can hardly get a permit for the Ḥalā kaumib triangle. During the trip you will be accompanied by a military officer.
Communication is essential for survival. On such expeditions have to Satellite phones are carried.
trips
The expedition can begin with a visit to the neighboring one to the north 
Wādī-el-Gimāl-Ḥamāṭa National Parks get connected. At the beginning and at the end of the trip you can spend your vacation in one of the resorts on Red sea continue.
literature
- Popular scientific presentations:
- : The Red Land: the illustrated archeology of Egypt’s Eastern desert. Cairo: American University at Cairo Press, 2008, ISBN 978-977-416-094-3 .
- : Desert plants of Egypt's Wadi El Gemal National Park. Cairo: The American Univ. in Cairo Press, 2010, ISBN 978-977-416-350-0 .
- cards
- There are few good maps that may be accessible in academic libraries.
- U.S. Army Map, Scale 1: 250,000, map NF-36-04 (W. Ḥoḍein), 1952.
