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Monuments
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Valley of the mummies:
This is a very recent and astounding find. It is indeed the
largest mummy necropolis
discovered in Egypt so far. It was accidentally found after
a donkey stumbled in the area leading to the marvelous find
in the late 1990s. The cemetery dates to the Greco-Roman
era and is believed to contain as many as tens of thousands
of unimpaired mummies of which only few hundreds are so far
excavated.
The grandeur of the find lies in the big quantity of mummies
discovered in one place and the beauty of much of them. Some
mummies are gold masked, others were wrapped with linens or
lies inside anthropoid terracotta coffins and some are plaster-coated
bearing beautiful mortuary scenes.
Beside the mummies lots of artifacts were found like potteries,
jewelries, vessels, coins and statuettes.
The cemetery is believed to extend about 6 km square under
ground.
Some mummies were moved to a room in the Bahareyya inspectorate
for display to the public.
As the valley is still under excavation, visitors are only allowed
under special permission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities
in Cairo, 4 Fakhry Abdul Nour St. Abbasseyya.Tel. +202 6843627 |
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Oasis heritage museum:
The museum displays history of life in the desert oases with
many of local clothes and tools used in daily activities on
display.
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Gabal El-Ingleez (English Mountain):
This is a small ruined fortification built by Captain William
in the WWI aimed at resisting attacks of Libya's Senussi tribesmen.
The mountain is sometimes called 'the black mountain.'
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| Springs:
Bir
Al-Matar is about 6 Kilometers (3.7 miles) from the English
Mountain. There in the spring, both cold and hot water exist.
Nearby is camping facilities, and swimming there is kind of
pleasure.
Bir Ghaba (the well of the forest) is about 2 kilometers (1.2
miles) further northwest of Bir Matar. There are grass huts
that you can rent all the day. The surroundings of the well
are excellent as offer a good shadowy place in the desert;
trees are everywhere.
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Other attractions:
There are few remains of Pharaonic
era's temples and settlements and a nearby birds burials. |
