Ain Umm Dabadib, Kharga Oasis, New Valley Governorate, Egypti

Regional Level Types
Ain Umm Dabadib	National Monument (Historical)
Kharga Oasis	Oasis
New Valley Governorate	Governorate
Egypt	Country

Ain Umm Dabadib is a Roman Settlement that lies at about 38 km North of Kharga Oasis, Egyptian Western Desert. The Settlement is close to the escarpment of the plateau that represents the North Western boundary of the Kharga Oasis Area.

This Roman Settlement was built during the Third Century AD and was probably inhabited since the Late Ptolemaic Period; the site is composed by a Fort and a Fortified Settlement to the south, Five Aqueducts, the Northern Settlement and the Necropolis to the north.
All the constructions were built with mud bricks and their walls were aligned towards the four cardinal points.

The Fortified Settlement includes the five floors Fort and several houses and magazines that surrounds the Fort, close to the SE corner of the settlement a Chapel is also present.

The aqueduct consists of five parallel subterranean tunnels long about 4 km, which were cut in the rock in order to catch the circulating water; the tunnels were draining the aquifer stratum, vertical shafts were excavated every 5-10 meters. These shafts served for two purposes: as means of ventilation during the work and to check periodically the status of the tunnel after completion of the work; the maximum depth of these shafts is exceeding 50 m when approaching the steep escarpment.
Four of the aqueducts are emerging at the surface. Traces of former cultivation can be seen on both side of the canal, while at the northern limit of the settlement several dead palm trees can be seen probably indicating that since decades the aqueduct are not working anymore.

The Northern settlement is about 500 m north of the Fort and is gathered around the third branch of the aqueduct, immediately after the point where it emerges to the surface.
The Necropolis consists of an undetermined number of rock-cut tombs carved in the eastern hill.

The Desert Roses site is immediately north of the Northern settlement, while, close to the escarpment and to the eastern hill, chert nodules can be found; Neolithic chert manufact are quite common.

The area is protected by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and is subject of an ongoing research project named Living In a Fringe Environment (LIFE), sponsored by a European Research Council Consolidator Grant.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References