Bahariya Oasis

[
Egypt: Site of Bahariya oasis (center).] El-Waha el-Bahariya or Bahariya (Arabic: الواحة البحرية meaning the "northern oasis") is an oasis in Egypt. It is approximately 300 km away from Cairo and the least technologically advanced Oasis in the country. Located in Sixth of October City Governorate, it has an art museum and the main agricultural products are guavas, mangos, dates, and olives.

ettlement

Bahariya consists of many villages of which Bawiti is the largest and the administrative center. Qasr is Bawiti's neighboring/twin village. To the east, about ten kilometers away are the villages of Mandishah and el Zabu. A smaller village called Aguz lies between Bawiti and Mandishah. Harrah, the eastern most village, is a few kilometers east of Mandishah and el Zabu. Hiez is the last 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 Bawiti.

People and culture

The people of the oasis, or the "Wahati" people ( meaning "of the oasis" in Arabic), are the descendants of the ancient people who inhabited the oasis, Bedouin tribes from Libiya and the north coast, and other people from the Nile Valley who came to settle in the oasis.

The majority of Wahati people in Bahariya are of the Islamic faith. There are many mosques in Bahariya. The nature of social settings in the oasis is highly influenced by Islam.

Also, traditional music is very important to the Wahati 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 Cairo, the greater Middle East, and other parts of the world are now easily accessible to the people of the oasis.

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 and black 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.

History

There is also the ruin of a temple to Alexander the Great located within the Bahariya Oasis. It is believed by some Egyptologists that the Greek conqueror passed through Bahariya while returning from the oracle of Ammon at Siwa Oasis. Excavations of the Greco-Roman necropolis, known as the Valley of the Golden Mummies began in 1996. Approximately thirty-four tombs have been excavated from this area. [Zahi Hawass, "The Valley of the Golden Mummies", New York 2000.]

Modernity

The oasis has changed drastically in the past 30 years after an asphalt road connecting Bahariya to Cairo was finished in the early 70s. With the new road came electricity, cars, television, phonelines, and a more accessible route to Cairo. The spread of people and ideas between Bahariya and Cairo has increased dramatically since the road was constructed. Also, the language of the Wahati people has been changed and influenced in new ways as the Cairene dialect is heard on television and in music.

Notes

References

* Fakhry, Ahmed. "Bahariya and Farafra", AUC Press, reprinted 2003.

External links

* [http://www.touregypt.net/historicalessays/golden.htm Dr. Zahi Hawass, "The Discovery of the Valley of the Mummies"]
* [http://ventureintoegypt.blogspot.com/2008/09/desert-trip-was-out-of-this-world.html Ali's Description of Bahariya Area, "A 3-day adventure in and around the Bahariya Oasis area"]