الواحات البحرية Bahariya Oasis

Bahariya: Sunday, September 30, I left on the 8:00 AM bus from Turgoman station for Bawati (216 miles southwest of Cairo), which is the largest of the towns in the Bahariyya Oasis area. Other major ones are Al-Qasr and Al-Haiz. Numerous springs feed the oasis; and this has allowed it to be inhabited more or less continuously from prehistoric times. The road to Bawati was not paved until 1978, and before that time few tourists visited the oasis. It has been slow to move into the modern world, an aspect that is changing. However, even now Bahariya offers the visitor a step back in time. I stayed at the International Hot Spring Hotel, run by Peter, a German who speaks English and Japanese in addition to his native German, and his Japanese wife. The hotel advertises its hot spring pool, which is known for the medicinal properties of its iron content. An analysis of the water's mineral composition is on a nearby wall (in German). Glass bottles of iron residue collected from the water sit on the reception desk, along with multi-formed rocks representing various geological configurations. In addition to agriculture and tourism, iron ore mining is a major economic sector. The bus ride took longer than the 4 hours claimed; so I was more than happy to arrive at the hotel before setting out to see some of the cultural features of the area. Many Japanese young people were on the bus with me and would spend the night in the desert.

Golden Mummies, Tombs, and Alexander the Great: First visit was the mummy museum. This picture is not mine, since no pictures were allowed in the museum. In 1996, a vast necropolis of mummies of the Graeco-Roman era, some wearing spectacular golden facemasks was discovered. Only six of the mummies have been taken from their tombs and displayed in the museum. Dr. Zahi Hawass, Minister of Antiquities at the time, believed that the rest should remain in their chosen burial place. I visited two 26th Dynasty tombs. The Twenty-sixth Dynasty (685-525 BC) of Egypt was the last native dynasty to rule Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC. Its capital was Sais. The first tomb I entered was that of Zed Amun Ef Ankh, which has the unique feature of painted papyrus columns, an element normally found only in temples. Next, I went to the grander Tomb of Bannantiu, his son.

In the days when Bahariya's wine was well known throughout Egypt, particularly during and around the 26th Dynasty prior to the Persian occupation, many businessmen in the oasis became wealthy. Bannantiu was probably either a trader or wealthy land owner, considering his elaborate and large tomb. To enter the set of three adjoining tombs, I climbed down a shaft into a cave-like cluster of rooms with rounded walls. I had to crawl through a small rock-hewn space to enter the final crypt.

Eventually, I saw the temple said to be built by Alexander the Great. Not much remains today. The temple was built during Alexander's lifetime in 332 BC and dedicated to Amun and Horus. Alexander visited the Oracle of Amun in Siwa in 331 BC, when he was seeking confirmation that he was the son of Zeus. It is thought that he came to Bahariya either on the way to or from visiting the oracle at Siwa. The distance between Biwati and Siwa was part of an important caravan route. Libyan and Egyptian culture intersect in Bahariya.

Black and White Deserts:The Bahariya Depression is an oval shaped depression trending from the northeast to southwest and has a lot of basalt seen on high surrounding escarpments, the result of magma from ancient volcanos, hence the name Black Desert (Sahara as-Soda). It was during the Cretaceous Era (145 till 65 million years ago) that volcanic upsurges formed the basalt columns that dominate the landscape. Although Bahariya has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years, strangely no human traces have been found dating from earlier than ancient Egypt's Middle Kingdom (2055-1770 BC).

The White Desert (Sahara al-Beida) lies in the Farafra Depression. Parts of it are covered with chalk and limestone also from the Cretaceous Period. Since all of the earth was once covered by a vast sea, fossils of now extinct marine life can be found in some rock fragments. Wind and sand acting as saw and razor have created massive chalk rock formations. The landscape visible today was formed by a plateau breaking down, leaving harder rock shapes standing while the softer parts are eroded away by wind and sand.

Agriculture and Qanats:The water table varies throughout the oasis. At the hotel, a 60 meter-deep hole with a very tall palm tree growing from the bottom near the restaurant shows where the Romans had constructed a qanat. A qanat is a water management system used to provide a dependable supply of water for human settlements and irrigation in hot, arid and semi-arid climates. Iranians developed qanat technology sometime in the early 1st millennium BC; and it spread slowly from there. Qanats are constructed as a series of well-like vertical shafts, connected by gently sloping tunnels. They tap into subterranean water in a manner that resourcefully delivers large quantities of water to the surface without the need for pumping. The water drains relying on gravity, with the destination lower than the source, which is typically an upland aquifer. The hotel which is today in the area of the formerly active Roman qanat has had to drill several hundred meters down to find water.

However, at lunch time, I did get see a farmer creating a present-day qanat, with funding from a Norwegian woman. Ellen was there with her daughter and plans to build a house on the property. Currently, Abduh, her guide and friend whenever she comes, is building a small hostel and growing crops on it to feed his large extended family. Eating a freshly-picked unripe pomegranate stained my shirt. Oh well! Abduh is outgoing and friendly, always quick to offer tea with fresh mint, cooked over propane gas. The picture at the top (right) of the blog is of me sitting on the source of the qanat. Ellen and Abduh were so delighted they didn't have to buy a pump but could rely on this traditional irrigation method and save money. The surrounding land is watered through small canals or by flooding. Cruising by the Pyramids: The bus for the return was more dilapidated. Tepid air conditioning only began half way through the trip. A family of seven (4 adults, 3 children) shared four seats and the same water bottles. However, I saw the three great pyramids in the distance as the bus approached Cairo, announcing my return to Al-Qahira (the City Victorious). Note: I don't think my cell phone service operates outside the Cairo area. In Biwati, I kept getting calls asking me to choose a carrier; but all attempts to select one failed. New long brass (looking) rails on the apartment building entry steps today. They still have the plastic packaging wrapped around them. Maybe the proprietors are gussying up the building, because they know Mike is coming.

Vivid Tomb paintings. Not my photo.

A 38-inch tall mummy that belonged to a woman or girl who died in the Greco-Roman period about 2,300 years ago. Not my photo.

From the White Desert.

Me in the White Desert.

Chicken and mushroom–in shade.

Abduh tending his small farm.

Cow on farm. I did see a lone cow staked here and there throughout the oasis. But people there don't drink much milk or eat much meat.

Aquifer (large pond) for qanat system in background. The water drains relying on gravity, with the destination lower than the source, which is generally an upland aquifer.

Watering by flooding. Picture above showed watering by canal.

Away from the main street. Not many vehicles on town streets. Horses often pulled carts; donkeys carried produce in large side baskets. A few large trucks sped by on the only paved road carrying supplies destined for Cairo.