Mysteries of the Libyan Desert

by W. J. Harding King

The families in the oases are usually large, seven to eight children being, I was told, about the average. A childless woman, as is usual throughout the East, is much looked down on by her more fortunate sisters, and many expedients and charms are in use in order to remove the disgrace. It is only possible to mention one of them. Near Mut in Dakhla Oasis is a well, known as ’Ain el Masim, which runs into a small pool. A childless woman will repair there on Friday afternoon, taking with her a gula—earthenware bottle used for cooling drinking water—filled with water taken from seven different wells. She throws small pieces of bread, grain, etc., into the pool and then bathes in it. On her emerging from her bath, a second woman, who accompanies her, smashes the gula over her head. This is said to be a sovereign remedy.

Women also sometimes go to a disused cemetery to pray for children, or to a tomb of one of the local sheykhs and vow bakhshish to the sheykh in the event of their prayers taking effect.

During five visits to the western oasis, I never remember to have seen a single case of baldness. Perhaps this is due to the frequent shaving of the head having a strengthening effect upon the hair. But cases of premature greyness due perhaps to dirt and the excessive dryness and heat of the climate, seemed to be unusually common. It is possible that these may be racial characteristics.

There are some curious superstitions about the sand dunes in the oases. In both Kharga and Dakhla they say that there were no sand belts in the oases in Roman times, but that they have come down since from the north. In this they are probably correct, for remains—apparently of Roman origin—are to be seen in several places underneath the dune belt to the west of Kharga. A native, too, told me that he had once ridden for a long half-day on a hagin (riding camel) to the west from Dakhla Oasis, when, after passing extensive ruins among the dunes at several places on the way, he found some rock-cut tombs. I have heard reports of ruins in this direction from several people, and, though the size of them may have been exaggerated, have little doubt that they exist.

On the plateau to the north of Qasr Dakhl, there is said to be a place where the sand gives out a loud “bur-r-r-r-”ing sound when stroked, which can be heard for a long distance to the south. I have also heard that it gives out a musical sound when struck, so apparently it is a case of the ordinary “musical sands” that have been found in many parts of the world.

It is said that there used to be a Roman tulsim (talisman) here that stopped the dunes from entering the Dakhla depression. The talisman in question may very possibly have been a wall, intended to stop the drifting of the sand, as remains of one, built of unmortared stone, are said to be still visible here.

In Kharga Oasis they say that the Romans had another talisman in the shape of a brass cow on the top of the scarp to the north of the depression that—until it was removed—swallowed up all the sand that was blowing into the oasis and kept the Kharga depression free from dunes.

In the neighbourhood of the village of Rashida in Dakhla Oasis, there is a large dead tree—a sunt, or acacia, apparently—which is known as the “tree of Sheykh Adam,” and is supposed to possess a soul. The wood is reported to be uninflammable.

There is another sunt tree in Dakhla that has curious attributes attached to it, and possibly the superstitious views of the natives with regard to these trees may be a relic of some very old form of tree worship, such as exists at the present day, I believe, among the Bedayat of the south of the Libyan Desert.

This second tree is at Belat, and is known as the “Sunt ’Abd en Nebi.” When a man in the oasis hears that an enemy of his has died, he exclaims “Kabrit wa Sunt el Belat”—“a match and the acacia of Belat”—meaning that he wishes he had a match and the sunt tree of Belat to burn him with. Sometimes he will also say “Wa Jerid el Wa”—“and the palm leaves of the oasis”—meaning that he would like to add them to the fuel as well.