Ain Umm el Dabadib
About 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) west of Qasr al-Labeka, 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Ain Amur, and about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Qasr Kharga sits a most spectacular site. It nestles at the base of an escarpment that is 380 meters (1216 feet) above sea level and 225 meters (720 feet) above the desert floor. Dabadib stretches its ancient arms over more than 60,000 acres, and three major desert tracks converge on the plain in front of it, all offshoots of the Darb Ain Amur. Called the Abbas Oasis by M. de S. Abargues, it was an important settlement for thousands of years. Geologically, Dabadib is also very interesting.
Dry river channels are evident as they fall from the escarpment onto the plain below, leading one to suspect that waterfallsmay have existed here. The plain is a playa, a dried-up lake. This is all Neolithic. The river channels are probably Acheulean. Here, in the lake bed, we see the action of the wind, which has, as Beadnell says, "truncated and diluted" every "cobble and boulder."
Someone, probably the Romans, had a major settlement at Ain Umm Dabadib and the complicated aqueduct system makes one believe it was inhabited and functional long before the Romans. With the escarpment as dramatic backdrop and the entire oasis lying to the south, Dabadib must have been a paradise. It was an excellent location, far less remote when garrisoned and when the tracks meeting in the area were maintained.
The Fortress
The towering mudbrick fortress at Ain Umm Dabadib is located 0.5 kilometers (0.3 miles) southeast of the ruins of the town. The enclosure wall measures 90 to 100 meters (288 to 320 feet). The entrance, flanked by two square towers, is on the south. This fortress does not have the rounded towers of al-Deir and Qasr al-Labeka. Here the towers are square. It' is more in keeping with the Monastery of Mustafa Kashif. Like other fortresses at Kharga, it is made of mud brick, each 35xI7x9 cm in size. All the forts have very thick walls, not only good for defense, but for keeping cool in summer and warm in winter. Here at Dabadib the interior, now a ruin, was once ftlled with cells with vaulted ceilings.
The Church
The ruins of a church, complete with several arches, abut the east side of the fortress. The apse contained Greek, Coptic, and Arabic graffiti. Although a portion of the western external wall had collapsed, most of the structure was still standing in 1997. The interior contained various rooms. But no more. The church has recently been damaged by a local person looking for treasure. He came, not on a motorbike, not in a 4x4, not even in a truck. This clever fellow came to Dabadib in a forklift with caterpillar tracks. He drove that gigantic monster all the way from Qasr Kharga in the belief that he would be a rich man on his return journey. He did not get lost. He did not run out of petrol. He found his way. And when he got here he pushed that forklift against this church again and again until he had destroyed an important piece of history.
We have discussed the quest for buried treasure before. It is a mania in the desert. Some of the local people find it hard to believe that someone would work hard for several months only to look at and record broken buildings. They are sure riches are being looted and taken away. This type of belief has caused the death of more than one explorer through the years. (See Alexine Tinne.)
Western village
Lying to the west of the fortress, along the channel of the more westerly aqueduct as it makes its way toward the mountain are the substantial remains of a village. Along its western side are a number of sunt trees, a good place to have lunch.
Aqueducts
Despite the grandeur of the fortress, the most spectacular ruins at Ain Umm Dabadib are the aqueducts. Obviously such huge settlements needed a constant water supply. During antiquity, an extensive 14.3 kilometer (9 mile) twisting and turning underground system of galleries was created. There are four main aqueducts that run parallel to each other with man holes for maintenance along each of them. The longest is the westerly one at 4.6 kilometers (2.8 miles). The one to the north is 53.5 meters (175 feet) deep, runs for 2.9 kilometers (1.5 miles), and has 150 shafts spaced at 19 to 20 meters (64 feet) apart. It falls at a rate of 1 meter (3.1 feet) per 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles). Altogether, the builders excavated 4,875 cubic meters (15,595 cubic feet), 600 to 700 vertical shafts, and cut and moved over 20,000 meters (64,690 feet) of solid rock. It is an amazing feat of construction.
Although the design and manner of the aqueduct system is probably Persian, the construction of this and similar aqueducts in the Western Desert is still a mystery. CatonThompson, in the 1930S, suggests a Libyan, possible Garamantian, connection at a much earlier date. Her observation is a valid one, especially in light of Ahmed Fakhry's discovery in Bahariya that the aqueduct there was in place before a Twenty-sixth Dynasty tomb was dug.
The Romans did extensive work on water systems in the Western Desert, constructing huge cisterns along the northern coast and underground galleries and aqueducts in most of the oases. However, none of the Roman work looks like these systems. Instead Dabadib's waterworks are identical to the foggara found in Libya and Algeria. In both countries dozens of such systems exist. As mentioned previously, they are also found in Iran (Persia), Afghanistan, Oman, and China, from where they may have originated. In the Western Desert they are plentiful. (see Water, this chapter)
These aqueducts were explored by Ball (1898) and Beadnell (1898, 1905). They were also visited by Ahmed Fakhry in the 1930s. Today they are still intact, snaking north from the town to the source in the escarpment. Along the route, every few meters, is an air vent and access hole which permitted maintenance of the underground galleries. This is very important as the aqueducts are labor intensive. They were always filling with sand and it was necessary to clearthem out.
Ball and Beadnell, when examining the northern scarp near Ain Umm Dabadib, questioned whether another depression lay to the north of Kharga. Although they did not explore the area, they noted several factors to support their hypothesis. There was enough sand to suggest a depression beyond the escarpment and ample evidence of caravan routes headed north to an unknown destination. (Could Cambyses' army be on one of them?) Sala Abdulla, a Khargian, told Beadnell that an old, well-traveled road leading to a place called Ain Hamur moved northwest over the escarpment.
Although Sala had heard about it, he tried to find it and failed. (Could this be Ain Amur?) Even more compelling is the story told by the inhabitants of Kharga of travelers from Asyut who discovered an unknown oasis while heading for Kharga. They maintained it was nine hours away from Ain Umm Dabadib (by camel) and completely surrounded by escarpment and high mountains. Could the tunnel penetrating the escarpment have been a conduit for water to this second depression?
One of the aqueducts was cleared of debris by eighty men from the oases directed by Sheikh Hassan Hanadi, brother of the umda (mayor) of Kharga. Water began to flow once again through the tunnel. Immediately a small community of farmers moved to Dabadib.
In 1905, Beadnell explored the tunnel. Thirty to 35 gallons a minute were flowing and land was under cultivation. He found the 1.5 meter by 0.75 meter (4.7 feet by 2.3 feet) shaft well cut through solid sandstone rock to a depth of 40.3 meters (132 feet). It led to a tunnel approximately 1.5 meters (4.8 feet) high and 60 cm (24 inches) wide at the top. It was hot and sultry but after a few anempts Beadnell traced it to its end hoping to find an inscription that would date the construction and name the builders. He found nothing.
He leaves us a record: "On more than one occasion I sank exhausted into the water, the huge gasps of breath which I took seeming powerless to relieve the horrible sensation of stifling, and with the unpleasant prospect of getting drowned if I escaped suffocation. Yet there seemed to be ten thousand devils tempting me onwards, and although I did not know how long life could be supported under such conditions, a mad desire possessed me to see the thing through; so that whenever I was able to progress a few yards it was toward the head of the tunnel."
There are three more systems lying close together over the ridge to the east of the fortress. Two are easily found, the fourth is elusive. These shafts are dangerous to the visitor. Snakes and scorpions, not to mention bats live there. Use your brains.
Eastern Village
Almost directly behind the fortress and mudbrick buildings at its base are the ruins of another section of the town. Beyond, toward the escarpment is the temple, very small in comparison to the fortress and easily recognizable as the exterior walls do not rise in a straight line but slant inward from the base. Beside the temple is the second aqueduct. To the east of it, past some vegetation, which makes getting to it a little bit tricky, is the third aqueduct, sitting at the base of a spur of the escarpment.
Rock Tombs
To the east of the third aqueduct, all along the spur, are tombs. Some have been mutilated, the mummies desecrated and their remains scattered about. These tombs are not to the west of the town as in the Nile Valley.
The richness of Ain Umm Dabadib, although it has failed to lure archaeologists, has lured farmers throughout the centuries. In the 1910s, when Harding King visited the area two families were living at Ain Umm Dabadib and in recent years a small number of men cleared one of the springs, which began to yield sufficient water to cultivate the area. Unfortunately, the projects have always been abandoned.
Excavations are finally underway at Ain Umm Dabadib. The first season was in 1998.
Dunes
Dunes dominate the route to Ain Umm Dabadib. They form three 30 to 40 kilometer (18 to 25 mile) parallel lines of tall mounds following one another in a seemingly never ending parade south. Most are barchan, or crescent dunes, but there are whale dunes, where the smaller dunes have crashed together to form a mountain of sand with many facets, as formidable as any granite or limestone barricade. They are impressive.
A climb up the escarpment north of Ain Umm Dabadib is well worth the effort, for from this height one can see the various dune fields making their way south.
Dry river channels are evident as they fall from the escarpment onto the plain below, leading one to suspect that waterfallsmay have existed here. The plain is a playa, a dried-up lake. This is all Neolithic. The river channels are probably Acheulean. Here, in the lake bed, we see the action of the wind, which has, as Beadnell says, "truncated and diluted" every "cobble and boulder."
Someone, probably the Romans, had a major settlement at Ain Umm Dabadib and the complicated aqueduct system makes one believe it was inhabited and functional long before the Romans. With the escarpment as dramatic backdrop and the entire oasis lying to the south, Dabadib must have been a paradise. It was an excellent location, far less remote when garrisoned and when the tracks meeting in the area were maintained.
The Fortress
The towering mudbrick fortress at Ain Umm Dabadib is located 0.5 kilometers (0.3 miles) southeast of the ruins of the town. The enclosure wall measures 90 to 100 meters (288 to 320 feet). The entrance, flanked by two square towers, is on the south. This fortress does not have the rounded towers of al-Deir and Qasr al-Labeka. Here the towers are square. It' is more in keeping with the Monastery of Mustafa Kashif. Like other fortresses at Kharga, it is made of mud brick, each 35xI7x9 cm in size. All the forts have very thick walls, not only good for defense, but for keeping cool in summer and warm in winter. Here at Dabadib the interior, now a ruin, was once ftlled with cells with vaulted ceilings.
The Church
The ruins of a church, complete with several arches, abut the east side of the fortress. The apse contained Greek, Coptic, and Arabic graffiti. Although a portion of the western external wall had collapsed, most of the structure was still standing in 1997. The interior contained various rooms. But no more. The church has recently been damaged by a local person looking for treasure. He came, not on a motorbike, not in a 4x4, not even in a truck. This clever fellow came to Dabadib in a forklift with caterpillar tracks. He drove that gigantic monster all the way from Qasr Kharga in the belief that he would be a rich man on his return journey. He did not get lost. He did not run out of petrol. He found his way. And when he got here he pushed that forklift against this church again and again until he had destroyed an important piece of history.
We have discussed the quest for buried treasure before. It is a mania in the desert. Some of the local people find it hard to believe that someone would work hard for several months only to look at and record broken buildings. They are sure riches are being looted and taken away. This type of belief has caused the death of more than one explorer through the years. (See Alexine Tinne.)
Western village
Lying to the west of the fortress, along the channel of the more westerly aqueduct as it makes its way toward the mountain are the substantial remains of a village. Along its western side are a number of sunt trees, a good place to have lunch.
Aqueducts
Despite the grandeur of the fortress, the most spectacular ruins at Ain Umm Dabadib are the aqueducts. Obviously such huge settlements needed a constant water supply. During antiquity, an extensive 14.3 kilometer (9 mile) twisting and turning underground system of galleries was created. There are four main aqueducts that run parallel to each other with man holes for maintenance along each of them. The longest is the westerly one at 4.6 kilometers (2.8 miles). The one to the north is 53.5 meters (175 feet) deep, runs for 2.9 kilometers (1.5 miles), and has 150 shafts spaced at 19 to 20 meters (64 feet) apart. It falls at a rate of 1 meter (3.1 feet) per 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles). Altogether, the builders excavated 4,875 cubic meters (15,595 cubic feet), 600 to 700 vertical shafts, and cut and moved over 20,000 meters (64,690 feet) of solid rock. It is an amazing feat of construction.
Although the design and manner of the aqueduct system is probably Persian, the construction of this and similar aqueducts in the Western Desert is still a mystery. CatonThompson, in the 1930S, suggests a Libyan, possible Garamantian, connection at a much earlier date. Her observation is a valid one, especially in light of Ahmed Fakhry's discovery in Bahariya that the aqueduct there was in place before a Twenty-sixth Dynasty tomb was dug.
The Romans did extensive work on water systems in the Western Desert, constructing huge cisterns along the northern coast and underground galleries and aqueducts in most of the oases. However, none of the Roman work looks like these systems. Instead Dabadib's waterworks are identical to the foggara found in Libya and Algeria. In both countries dozens of such systems exist. As mentioned previously, they are also found in Iran (Persia), Afghanistan, Oman, and China, from where they may have originated. In the Western Desert they are plentiful. (see Water, this chapter)
These aqueducts were explored by Ball (1898) and Beadnell (1898, 1905). They were also visited by Ahmed Fakhry in the 1930s. Today they are still intact, snaking north from the town to the source in the escarpment. Along the route, every few meters, is an air vent and access hole which permitted maintenance of the underground galleries. This is very important as the aqueducts are labor intensive. They were always filling with sand and it was necessary to clearthem out.
Ball and Beadnell, when examining the northern scarp near Ain Umm Dabadib, questioned whether another depression lay to the north of Kharga. Although they did not explore the area, they noted several factors to support their hypothesis. There was enough sand to suggest a depression beyond the escarpment and ample evidence of caravan routes headed north to an unknown destination. (Could Cambyses' army be on one of them?) Sala Abdulla, a Khargian, told Beadnell that an old, well-traveled road leading to a place called Ain Hamur moved northwest over the escarpment.
Although Sala had heard about it, he tried to find it and failed. (Could this be Ain Amur?) Even more compelling is the story told by the inhabitants of Kharga of travelers from Asyut who discovered an unknown oasis while heading for Kharga. They maintained it was nine hours away from Ain Umm Dabadib (by camel) and completely surrounded by escarpment and high mountains. Could the tunnel penetrating the escarpment have been a conduit for water to this second depression?
One of the aqueducts was cleared of debris by eighty men from the oases directed by Sheikh Hassan Hanadi, brother of the umda (mayor) of Kharga. Water began to flow once again through the tunnel. Immediately a small community of farmers moved to Dabadib.
In 1905, Beadnell explored the tunnel. Thirty to 35 gallons a minute were flowing and land was under cultivation. He found the 1.5 meter by 0.75 meter (4.7 feet by 2.3 feet) shaft well cut through solid sandstone rock to a depth of 40.3 meters (132 feet). It led to a tunnel approximately 1.5 meters (4.8 feet) high and 60 cm (24 inches) wide at the top. It was hot and sultry but after a few anempts Beadnell traced it to its end hoping to find an inscription that would date the construction and name the builders. He found nothing.
He leaves us a record: "On more than one occasion I sank exhausted into the water, the huge gasps of breath which I took seeming powerless to relieve the horrible sensation of stifling, and with the unpleasant prospect of getting drowned if I escaped suffocation. Yet there seemed to be ten thousand devils tempting me onwards, and although I did not know how long life could be supported under such conditions, a mad desire possessed me to see the thing through; so that whenever I was able to progress a few yards it was toward the head of the tunnel."
There are three more systems lying close together over the ridge to the east of the fortress. Two are easily found, the fourth is elusive. These shafts are dangerous to the visitor. Snakes and scorpions, not to mention bats live there. Use your brains.
Eastern Village
Almost directly behind the fortress and mudbrick buildings at its base are the ruins of another section of the town. Beyond, toward the escarpment is the temple, very small in comparison to the fortress and easily recognizable as the exterior walls do not rise in a straight line but slant inward from the base. Beside the temple is the second aqueduct. To the east of it, past some vegetation, which makes getting to it a little bit tricky, is the third aqueduct, sitting at the base of a spur of the escarpment.
Rock Tombs
To the east of the third aqueduct, all along the spur, are tombs. Some have been mutilated, the mummies desecrated and their remains scattered about. These tombs are not to the west of the town as in the Nile Valley.
The richness of Ain Umm Dabadib, although it has failed to lure archaeologists, has lured farmers throughout the centuries. In the 1910s, when Harding King visited the area two families were living at Ain Umm Dabadib and in recent years a small number of men cleared one of the springs, which began to yield sufficient water to cultivate the area. Unfortunately, the projects have always been abandoned.
Excavations are finally underway at Ain Umm Dabadib. The first season was in 1998.
Dunes
Dunes dominate the route to Ain Umm Dabadib. They form three 30 to 40 kilometer (18 to 25 mile) parallel lines of tall mounds following one another in a seemingly never ending parade south. Most are barchan, or crescent dunes, but there are whale dunes, where the smaller dunes have crashed together to form a mountain of sand with many facets, as formidable as any granite or limestone barricade. They are impressive.
A climb up the escarpment north of Ain Umm Dabadib is well worth the effort, for from this height one can see the various dune fields making their way south.
Page last updated, 2nd June, 2011