An Egyptian oasis

by H. J. L. Beadnell

The actual grave is below the centre of the floor of each tomb. The bodies, which mostly appear to have been embalmed and wrapped in cloth, have in many cases been plundered of ornaments and thrown out. Even at the time of Hoskins’ visit in 1837 the majority of the tombs had been ransacked, and at the present day there are probably few left intact. With regard to the practice of embalming, Hoskins writes: “It is highly satisfactory that we have such indubitable evidence to enable us to establish the fact, that the custom of embalming the dead was continued by the first professors of the Gospel in Eastern Africa. The introduction of Christianity produced great and sudden changes in the minds, habits, and customs of believers; but a length of time was no doubt often necessary to root out many of the prejudices of the people; and it is very possible, that the practice of embalming may have been continued as a necessary mark of respect to the dead, long after the doctrine had been entirely exploded, in accordance with which the custom had been originally established. This practice, however, even in the most ancient times, was not confined to the worshippers of Amun. The physicians of Egypt were forty days in embalming Jacob; and Joseph also was embalmed in Egypt.”

BIBLICAL SCENES IN A TOMB OF THE NECROPOLIS.

We cannot speak with certainty as to the exact period during which this cemetery was in use. In the course of the reign of Constantius (337-361), Athanasius, the champion of the doctrine of the Trinity, was several times expelled from Alexandria and compelled to take refuge in the Libyan Desert, where there were numerous monasteries, which afforded safe asylums from the followers of Arianism and Paganism. Hoskins states that the name of Athanasius occurs in one of the Theban sepulchres, and he believes that “the ruined monasteries in the Oasis Magna were, probably, the abode of the great champion of the Christian religion.”

During the reign of the Emperors Arcadius and Honorius numerous personages, including the general Timasius, were exiled to the Great Oasis, described by a writer (Zosimus) as “a barren place whence no one could escape when once carried thither; for the way being sandy, desert, and uninhabited, no one can find it, the wind covering the traces of people’s feet, nor is there any tree or house to guide them.”

Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople, was excommunicated and banished to the oasis in A.D. 434 by the Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria, and probably the necropolis contains the tombs of a large number of his followers. The Bishop, however, did not die in Kharga, as he was carried thence into captivity by the Blemmyes, the ancestors of the Bisharin and Ababdeh Arabs, and died, after suffering great persecutions, at Panopolis (Akhmîm) about the year 440. It is interesting to note that certain Christian customs and festival days are still observed in the oasis at the present time.

Ruins of columbaria are of frequent occurrence in many parts of Kharga, and judging from the size and shape of the bricks used, belong to the same period as the forts and monasteries. They are generally of considerable size, the inner walls being built so as to provide tiers of cubical niches to serve as nesting-places for the pigeons. Examples may be seen at Ain el Burg and Ain Tabashîr in the Meheriq district; in the Bellaida country, and near Ain Khenâfish; on the slopes of the Gorn el Gennâh; and near the village of Dush at the south end of the oasis. These ancient pigeon-houses are called ‘Burg’ by the natives, the Arabic name for dovecot being ‘Burg Hamâm.’

That the oases were very flourishing under the Roman Empire is shown by Olympiodorus, who lived in the reign of Theodosius II. (A.D. 408-450), and was born in Upper Egypt. Writing of the Great Oasis, he calls attention to its salubriousness, to the abundance of sand everywhere, and to the numerous wells, which, sunk to a depth of 200, 300, or even 500 cubits,[7] pour forth streams of fresh water at the surface, which is used in rotation by the owners for the irrigation of their fields. Barley, he avers, is sometimes sown twice a year, and millet almost always three times. Writing of the irrigation, Olympiodorus remarks that in this region the sky is always cloudless, and that the great fertility of the land is attributable to the fact that the peasants water their little enclosures every third day in summer, and every sixth in winter. The same writer states that dials were made in the oasis.

The presence of marine shells in the rocks of the surrounding deserts led Olympiodorus to conjecture that the oasis was formerly an island, separated by the sea from the rest of Egypt, and he recalls the fact that the place was called by Herodotus ‘the Island of the Blessed.’

Strabo writes of the Libyan Desert thus: “This continent resembles a panther’s skin, as being spotted with inhabited districts, insulated in the midst of a sandy soil and arid deserts; the Egyptians call these cantons ‘Auasis.’” He refers to the Great Oasis as follows: “In a parallel line with Abydus, and distant about three days’ journey across the desert, we find the first of the three Oases of Lybia; it is a spot well inhabited, well supplied with water, and producing wines and other commodities in sufficient abundance.”