El-Wahat el-Bahariya or el-Bahariya ( ar, الواحات البحرية "''El-Wāḥāt El-Baḥrīya''", "the Northern Oases"); is a depression and a naturally rich

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentWestern Desert of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

. It is approximately 370 km away from

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo met ...

. The roughly oval valley extends from northeast to southwest, has a length of 94 km, a maximum width of 42 km and covers an area of about 2000 km². The valley is surrounded by mountains and has numerous springs. Located in

Giza Governorate Giza Governorate ( ar, محافظة الجيزة ') is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is in the center of the country, situated on the west bank of the Nile River opposite Cairo. Its capital is the city of Giza. It includes a stretch of ...

, the main

economic sector One classical breakdown of economic activity distinguishes three sectors: * Primary: involves the retrieval and production of raw-material commodities, such as corn, coal, wood or iron. Miners, farmers and fishermen are all workers in the p ...

s are agriculture,

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the ...

mining, and tourism. The main agricultural products are

guava Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava '' Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, ...

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...

s, dates, and

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

Etymology

The Western Oasis was known as ''Diwah Ēmbemdje'', "Oasis of Bemdje",

Old Coptic Old Coptic is the earliest stage of Coptic writing, a form of late Egyptian written in Coptic script, a variant of the Greek alphabet. It "is an analytical category … utilised by scholars to refer to a particular group of sources" and not a lan ...

: ⲧⲁⲥⲧ(ⲥ), from Egyptian ''ḏsḏs''.

Towns

Bahariya consists of many villages, of which El Bawiti is the largest and the administrative center. Qasr is el-Bawiti's neighboring/twin village. To the east, about ten kilometers away are the villages of Mandishah and el-Zabu. A smaller village called el-'Aguz lies between El Bawiti and Mandishah. Harrah, the easternmost village, is a few kilometers east of Mandishah and el-Zabu. El Hayz, also called El-Hayez, is the southernmost village, but it may not always be considered as part of Bahariya because it is so far from the rest of the villages, about fifty kilometers south of El Bawiti. There is an oasis at El-Hayez where mummies have been found on which genetic studies have been conducted.

People and culture

The people of the oasis, or the ''Waḥātī'' people (meaning "of the oasis" in Arabic), are the descendants of the ancient people who inhabited the oasis, ancient tribes with connection to western Egypt and eastern Libya, and the north coast, and other people from the Nile Valley who came to settle in the oasis. The majority of Waḥātī people in Bahariya are Muslims. There are some mosques in Bahariya. The nature of social settings in the oasis is highly influenced by Islam. Also, traditional music is very important to the Waḥātī people. Flutes, drums, and the simsimeyya (a harp-like instrument) are played at social gatherings, particularly at weddings. Traditional songs sung in rural style are passed down from generation to generation, and new songs are invented as well. Music from

, the greater

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, and other parts of the world are now easily accessible to the people of the oasis.

Names

In Ancient Egypt the depression was known under two names. The form ''Djesdjes'' is first mentioned on a scarab dating back to the Middle Kingdom. In the

New Kingdom New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, however, this name is rarely found, but does appear for example in the Temple of

Luxor Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''. Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-ai ...

or in the account of King

Kamose Kamose was the last Pharaoh of the Theban Seventeenth Dynasty. He was possibly the son of Seqenenre Tao and Ahhotep I and the uncle of Ahmose I, founder of the Eighteenth Dynasty. His reign fell at the very end of the Second Intermediate Peri ...

, who occupied the oasis during the war against the

Hyksos Hyksos (; Egyptian '' ḥqꜣ(w)- ḫꜣswt'', Egyptological pronunciation: ''hekau khasut'', "ruler(s) of foreign lands") is a term which, in modern Egyptology, designates the kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt (fl. c. 1650–1550 BC). ...

. From the 25th Dynasty it was almost the only name used. The other name ''wḥꜣt mḥtt'' ("the Northern Oasis") was almost exclusively used in the New Kingdom, it appears for instance on the local grave of

Amenhotep Amenhotep (''Ỉmn-ḥtp''; "Amun is pleased" or "Amun is satisfied") is an ancient Egyptian name. Its Greek version is Amenophis (). Its notable bearers were: __NOTOC__ Pharaohs of the 18th dynasty *Amenhotep I *Amenhotep II * Amenhotep III *A ...

, and is found again in the list of oasis in the Temple at

Edfu Edfu ( egy, bḥdt, ar, إدفو , ; also spelt Idfu, or in modern French as Edfou) is an Egyptian city, located on the west bank of the Nile River between Esna and Aswan, with a population of approximately sixty thousand people. Edfu is the sit ...

. From 45 CE the depression is known in Latin as ''Oasis parva'' (Small Oasis). The Greek historian Strabo (63 BCE – 23 CE) calls it the ‘Second Oasis’; the historian

Olympiodorus of Thebes Olympiodorus of Thebes ( grc-gre, Ὀλυμπιόδωρος ὁ Θηβαῖος; born c. 380, fl. c. 412–425 AD) was a Roman historian, poet, philosopher and diplomat of the early fifth century. He produced a ''History'' in twenty-two volumes, wr ...

(5th century CE: Byzantine Era) calls it ‘the Third Oasis. In Coptic times it was known as the Oasis of ''Bemdje'' (the ancient

Oxyrhynchos Oxyrhynchus (; grc-gre, Ὀξύρρυγχος, Oxýrrhynchos, sharp-nosed; ancient Egyptian ''Pr-Medjed''; cop, or , ''Pemdje''; ar, البهنسا, ''Al-Bahnasa'') is a city in Middle Egypt located about 160 km south-southwest of Cair ...

, nowadays known as al-Bahnasa) and in Islamic times it was called the Oasis of ''Bahnasa''. The modern name is , ''al-Wāḥāt al-Baḥriyya'' meaning "the Northern Oasis”. The southern part of the depression around El Heiz apparently never had a separate name.

Agriculture

Agriculture is still an important source of income, though now the iron ore industry close to Bahariya provides jobs for many Wahati people. Recently there has also been an increase in tourism to the oasis because of antiquities (tombs, mummies and other artifacts have been discovered there), and because of the beautiful surrounding deserts. Wahati and foreign guides lead adventure desert tours based out of Bahariya to the surrounding

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

and

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

deserts, and sometimes to Siwa or the southern oases. Tourism is a new and important source of income for locals, and it has brought an international presence to the oasis.

Fossils

Carcharodontosaurus ''Carcharodontosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of large carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed during the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous in Northern Africa. The genus ''Carcharodontosaurus'' is named after the shark genus '' Car ...

'' and '' Bahariasaurus'' (meaning "Bahariya lizard") dinosaurs have been found in the

Bahariya Formation The Bahariya Formation (also transcribed as Baharija Formation) is a fossiliferous geologic formation dating back to the early Cenomanian, which outcrops within the Bahariya depression in Egypt, and is known from oil exploration drilling across ...

, which date to about 95 million years ago. ''Bahariasaurus'' was a huge theropod, it was described by

Ernst Stromer Ernst Freiherr Stromer von Reichenbach (12 June 1871 in Nürnberg – 18 December 1952 in Erlangen) was a German paleontologist. He is best remembered for his expedition to Egypt, during which the first known remains of ''Spinosaurus'' w ...

in 1934,Stromer, E.: ''Ergebnisse der Forschungsreisen Prof. E. Stromers in den Wüsten Ägyptens : II. Wirbeltierreste der Baharîje-Stufe (unterstes Cenoman). 13. Dinosauria'', in: ''Abhandlungen der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Abteilung, Neue Folge'', vol. 22 (1934), pp. 1–79. though the type specimen was destroyed during World War II in 1944. In 2000, an American scientific team conducted by Joshua Smith found the remains of

sauropod Sauropoda (), whose members are known as sauropods (; from '' sauro-'' + '' -pod'', 'lizard-footed'), is a clade of saurischian ('lizard-hipped') dinosaurs. Sauropods had very long necks, long tails, small heads (relative to the rest of their ...

dinosaur, the '' Paralititan stromeri''.Smith, Joshua et al.: ''A Giant sauropod dinosaur from an Upper Cretaceous mangrove deposit in Egypt'', in: ''Science'', vol. 292,5522 (2001), pp. 1704–1706. The region between the Bahariya and Farafra depressions used to have volcanic activity during the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

Period. In addition, the landscape contains some hills made of

barite Baryte, barite or barytes ( or ) is a mineral consisting of barium sulfate ( Ba S O4). Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element barium. The ''baryte group'' consists of baryte, celestine (strontium sulfate), ...

calcite Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, based on scra ...

crystals, and also golden limestone

boulders In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...

which became a sanctuary for species, such as white foxes, gazelles and rams. In June 2022, paleontologists reported the discovery of a 98-million-year-old type of ''

Spinosaurus ''Spinosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what now is North Africa during the Cenomanian to upper Turonian stages of the Late Cretaceous period, about 99 to 93.5 million years ago. The genus was known first ...

'' in Bahariya Oasis, which was around in length and initially found in 2016.

History

The depression was populated since the

neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...

, even if there is no archaeological evidence to all times. In el-Haiz, a prehistoric settlement site of hunter-gatherers was found with remains of grindstones, arrowheads, scrapers, chisels, and ostrich eggshells. In Qārat el-Abyaḍ, a Czech team led by

Miroslav Bárta Miroslav may refer to: * Miroslav (given name), a Slavic masculine given name * ''Young America'' (clipper) or ''Miroslav'', an Austrian clipper ship in the Transatlantic case oil trade * Miroslav (Znojmo District), a town in the Czech Republic ...

discovered a settlement of the Old Kingdom.Nevine El-Aref:
The tale of a city
', report of the Al-Ahram Weekly of August 9, 2007. Rock inscriptions in el-Harrah and other records date to the Middle Kingdom and upwards.Giddy, Lisa L.: ''Egyptian Oases : Bahariya, Dakhla, Farafra and Kharga During Pharaonic Times'', Warminster: Aris & Phillips Ltd., 1987, pp. 15 sq., 40–44, 62–64, 66, 95, 146–149, 161–163.Castel, Georges ; Tallet, Pierre: ''Les inscriptions d’El-Harra, oasis de Bahareya'', in: ''Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO)'', vol. 101 (2001), pp. 99–136, 612 sq. The tomb of Amenhotep called Huy was erected in Qarat Hilwah at the end of the 18th dynasty.Siclen III, Charles Cornell van: ''Wall scenes from the tomb of Amenhotep (Huy) governor of Bahria Oasis'', San Antonio, Texas: VanSiclen, 1981. In the 26th dynasty, the depression was culturally and economically flourishing. This can be learned from the chapels in 'Ain el-Muftilla, the tombs in Qārat Qasr Salim and Qarat esh-Sheikh Subi,Fakhry, ''op. cit.'' and the site of Qasr 'Allam.Colin, Frédéric: ''Qasr Allam : a Twenty-Sixth Dynasty settlement'', in: ''Egyptian archaeology : the bulletin of the Egypt Exploration Society'', , vol. 24 (2004), pp. 30–33. A newly flourishing time occurs at the Greek-Roman time. There is the ruin of a temple to

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

located in Qasr el-Miqisba ('Ain et-Tibniya).Fakhry, Ahmed: ''Baḥria Oasis'', vol. II. Cairo: Government Press, 1950, pp. 41–47, 85, figs. 29 ap 30, 71, plates XXIV–XXXV, XLIV.B. It is believed by some Egyptologists that the Greek conqueror passed through Bahariya while returning from the

oracle of Ammon Amun (; also ''Amon'', ''Ammon'', ''Amen''; egy, jmn, reconstructed as ( Old Egyptian and early Middle Egyptian) → (later Middle Egyptian) → ( Late Egyptian), cop, Ⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ, Amoun) romanized: ʾmn) was a major ancient Egypt ...

Siwa Oasis The Siwa Oasis ( ar, واحة سيوة, ''Wāḥat Sīwah,'' ) is an urban oasis in Egypt; between the Qattara Depression and the Great Sand Sea in the Western Desert, 50 km (30 mi) east of the Libyan border, and 560 km (348&n ...

. Excavations of the Greco-Roman

necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...

found in 1995Associated Press: ''Zweitausend Jahre alte Mumien in ägyptischer Oase entdeckt'', in: ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'', Nr. 132, 1995, Friday, 09.06.1995, p. 11. and known as the Valley of the Golden Mummies began in 1999. Approximately thirty-four tombs have been excavated from this area. In Roman times, a big military fort was erected at Qarat el-Toub.Colin, Frédéric; Laisney, Damien; Marchand, Sylvie: ''Qaret el-Toub : un fort romain et une nécropole pharaonique. Prospection archéologique dans l’oasis de Baḥariya 1999'', in: ''Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO)'', vol. 100 (2000), pp. 145–192. In the spring of 2010, a Roman-era mummy was unearthed in a Bahariya Oasis cemetery in el-Harrah. The 3-foot-tall female mummy was found covered with plaster decorated to resemble Roman dress and jewelry. In addition to the female mummy, archaeologists found clay and glass vessels, coins, anthropoid masks and 14 Greco-Roman tombs. Director of Cairo and Giza Antiquities Mahmoud Affifi, the archaeologist who led the dig, said the tomb has a unique design with stairways and corridors, and could date to 300 BC. This find came as a result of excavation work for the construction of a youth center.Nevine El-Aref:
In the sands of time
', report of

Al-Ahram Weekly ''Al-Ahram Weekly'' is an English-language weekly broadsheet printed by the Al-Ahram Publishing House in Cairo, Egypt. History and profile ''Al Ahram Weekly'' was established in 1991 by the ''Al-Ahram'' newspaper, which also runs a French-lang ...

of April 29, 2010. In 2019, archaeologists discovered 19 structures and a church carved into the bedrock from 5th AD. The church was decorated with religious inscriptions in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

.Ancient Christian ruins discovered in Egypt
/ref> In 2021, archaeologist discovered a complex with the ruins of three churches and monks cells date back to the 5th AD.Forskere fra Norge har gjort oppsiktsvekkende funn i Egypt
(13 March 2021) NRK During the World War I the Baharia Military Railway was built to provide access to the oasis. In the early 1970s, an asphalt road connecting Bahariya to Cairo was finished. With the new road came electricity, cars, television, phone lines, a more accessible route to Cairo, and, latterly, Internet. The spread of people and ideas between Bahariya and Cairo has increased dramatically since the road was constructed. Also, the language of the Waḥātī people has been changed and influenced in new ways as the Cairene dialect is heard on television and in music.Bliss, Frank: ''Oasenleben : die ägyptischen Oasen Bahriya und Farafra in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart'', Bonn: Politischer Arbeitskreis Schulen (PAS), 2006, (Beiträge zur Kulturkunde; 23), .

In popular culture

*In

Rick Riordan Richard Russell Riordan Junior (; born June 5, 1964) is an American author, best known for writing the '' Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series. Riordan's books have been translated into forty-two languages and sold more than thirty million c ...

's ''

The Throne of Fire ''The Throne of Fire'' is a 2011 fantasy adventure novel written by American author Rick Riordan. It is the second novel in ''The Kane Chronicles'' series, which tells of the adventures of modern-day fourteen-year-old Carter Kane and his twelve-y ...

'', protagonists Sadie Kane and Walt Stone search an unexplored part of the catacombs beneath Bahariya for a magic scroll. After retrieving the scroll, the two defeat an army of Roman mummies with the help of

Ptah Ptah ( egy, ptḥ, reconstructed ; grc, Φθά; cop, ⲡⲧⲁϩ; Phoenician: 𐤐𐤕𐤇, romanized: ptḥ) is an ancient Egyptian deity, a creator god and patron deity of craftsmen and architects. In the triad of Memphis, he is the ...

and leave through a portal that the god opens for them.

Notes

References

* Fakhry, Ahmed. ''Bahria Oasis'', Cairo: Government Press, 1942–1950 (2 volumes). * Fakhry, Ahmed. ''The oases of Egypt. Vol. II: Bahrīyah and Farafra Oases'', Cairo: The American Univ. in Cairo Pr., 1974, reprinted 2003. * Hawass, Zahi A. ''Valley of the golden mummies : the greatest Egyptian discovery since Tutankhamen'', London: Virgin, 2000.

External links

Baḥrīya on Wikivoyage
{{Authority control Populated places in Giza Governorate Oases of Egypt Western Desert (Egypt)