David Sims and Timothy Mitchell
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9789774166686
- eISBN:
- 9781617976544
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774166686.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Urban and Rural Studies
This chapter quickly looks at desert exploration and covers the history of Egypt’s deserts from prehistoric times to the present, its pre-1950 attempts at development, and the main geographical ...
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This chapter quickly looks at desert exploration and covers the history of Egypt’s deserts from prehistoric times to the present, its pre-1950 attempts at development, and the main geographical features of the three components: the Western Desert, the Eastern Desert, and the Sinai Peninsula.Less
This chapter quickly looks at desert exploration and covers the history of Egypt’s deserts from prehistoric times to the present, its pre-1950 attempts at development, and the main geographical features of the three components: the Western Desert, the Eastern Desert, and the Sinai Peninsula.
Gawdat Gabra
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774248924
- eISBN:
- 9781617970443
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774248924.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Christianity began in the large and fertile Fayoum Oasis of Egypt's Western Desert as early as the third century, and its presence has endured to the present day. This book, which constitutes a ...
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Christianity began in the large and fertile Fayoum Oasis of Egypt's Western Desert as early as the third century, and its presence has endured to the present day. This book, which constitutes a tribute to the scholarly work of the father of modern Coptology, Martin Krause, contains contributions on various aspects of Coptic civilization in Egypt's largest oasis over the past 1,800 years. The contributors are specialists in Coptology from Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and the United States. A number of the studies included in the book deal with recent archaeological discoveries at Deir al-Banat, the early Christian graves in the necropolis at the eastern edge of the Fayoum, and the monastic settlements and medieval Coptic cemetery at Naqlun. Others provide thorough examinations of archaeological sites at Karanis, Tebtunis, and Naqlun. Chapters cover the rich Christian literary heritage in Greek, Coptic, and Arabic, and they touch on the famous Fayoum portraits and their influence on the production of Coptic icons, as well as on the medieval wall paintings at Naqlun and in textiles, metal objects, and basketry from the region.Less
Christianity began in the large and fertile Fayoum Oasis of Egypt's Western Desert as early as the third century, and its presence has endured to the present day. This book, which constitutes a tribute to the scholarly work of the father of modern Coptology, Martin Krause, contains contributions on various aspects of Coptic civilization in Egypt's largest oasis over the past 1,800 years. The contributors are specialists in Coptology from Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, and the United States. A number of the studies included in the book deal with recent archaeological discoveries at Deir al-Banat, the early Christian graves in the necropolis at the eastern edge of the Fayoum, and the monastic settlements and medieval Coptic cemetery at Naqlun. Others provide thorough examinations of archaeological sites at Karanis, Tebtunis, and Naqlun. Chapters cover the rich Christian literary heritage in Greek, Coptic, and Arabic, and they touch on the famous Fayoum portraits and their influence on the production of Coptic icons, as well as on the medieval wall paintings at Naqlun and in textiles, metal objects, and basketry from the region.
Maged S.A. Mikhail and Mark Moussa (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774162602
- eISBN:
- 9781617970474
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774162602.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Wadi al-Natrun, a depression in the Western Desert of Egypt, is one of the most important centers for the development and continued thriving of the Coptic monastic tradition. Christianity and ...
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Wadi al-Natrun, a depression in the Western Desert of Egypt, is one of the most important centers for the development and continued thriving of the Coptic monastic tradition. Christianity and monasticism have prospered there from as early as the fourth century until the present day, when four major monasteries still flourish. In this book international specialists in Coptology examine various aspects of Coptic civilization in Wadi al-Natrun over the past 1,700 years. The studies center on aspects of the history and development of monasticism in Wadi al-Natrun, as well as the art, architecture, and archaeology of the four existing and numerous former monasteries of the region.Less
Wadi al-Natrun, a depression in the Western Desert of Egypt, is one of the most important centers for the development and continued thriving of the Coptic monastic tradition. Christianity and monasticism have prospered there from as early as the fourth century until the present day, when four major monasteries still flourish. In this book international specialists in Coptology examine various aspects of Coptic civilization in Wadi al-Natrun over the past 1,700 years. The studies center on aspects of the history and development of monasticism in Wadi al-Natrun, as well as the art, architecture, and archaeology of the four existing and numerous former monasteries of the region.
Paul Carter
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824832469
- eISBN:
- 9780824868949
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824832469.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Pacific Studies
This chapter examines the beginnings of the Western Desert Painting movement at Papunya in central Australia in 1971–1972. The paintings that came out of that place and time—as well as a number of ...
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This chapter examines the beginnings of the Western Desert Painting movement at Papunya in central Australia in 1971–1972. The paintings that came out of that place and time—as well as a number of the artists—are world-famous now, but the role played by Geoffrey Bardon, the white teacher who facilitated this extraordinary event, is little known. Far from standing outside the creative situation, Bardon cast himself in the role of instigator, play-actor, provocateur, and collector. He realized that the so-called dot-and-circle style of painting embodied a profoundly non-linearist conception of the environment and of human obligations to it, and that these were rooted in a conviction that the human and non-human worlds were unified through movement forms that were at once mythological, participatory, creative, and recreative. Ultimately, the key point of the Papunya drawings was that they were both plans, or maps of place, and traces of passage.Less
This chapter examines the beginnings of the Western Desert Painting movement at Papunya in central Australia in 1971–1972. The paintings that came out of that place and time—as well as a number of the artists—are world-famous now, but the role played by Geoffrey Bardon, the white teacher who facilitated this extraordinary event, is little known. Far from standing outside the creative situation, Bardon cast himself in the role of instigator, play-actor, provocateur, and collector. He realized that the so-called dot-and-circle style of painting embodied a profoundly non-linearist conception of the environment and of human obligations to it, and that these were rooted in a conviction that the human and non-human worlds were unified through movement forms that were at once mythological, participatory, creative, and recreative. Ultimately, the key point of the Papunya drawings was that they were both plans, or maps of place, and traces of passage.
Maged S.A. Mikhail and Mark Moussa
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774162602
- eISBN:
- 9781617970474
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774162602.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter looks at the geological environment of Wadi Natrun that made it possible to establish and sustain such a vibrant community in that part of the Western Desert of Egypt. The geological ...
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This chapter looks at the geological environment of Wadi Natrun that made it possible to establish and sustain such a vibrant community in that part of the Western Desert of Egypt. The geological history of Wadi Natrun is written in its rocks. It can be read by examining these rocks, putting them in chronological order and attempting to decipher the environment in which they were formed. The survey of the geological history of Wadi Natrun shows that the wadi lies at the confluence of two great groundwater reservoirs: the older Moghra reservoir of non-renewable fossil water and the more recent present-day Nile reservoir of renewable source of water. A table of the major events is presented, which led to the evolution of the present-day Wadi Natrun. The years are marked in the millions.Less
This chapter looks at the geological environment of Wadi Natrun that made it possible to establish and sustain such a vibrant community in that part of the Western Desert of Egypt. The geological history of Wadi Natrun is written in its rocks. It can be read by examining these rocks, putting them in chronological order and attempting to decipher the environment in which they were formed. The survey of the geological history of Wadi Natrun shows that the wadi lies at the confluence of two great groundwater reservoirs: the older Moghra reservoir of non-renewable fossil water and the more recent present-day Nile reservoir of renewable source of water. A table of the major events is presented, which led to the evolution of the present-day Wadi Natrun. The years are marked in the millions.
James Jacobs
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789774165818
- eISBN:
- 9781617971297
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774165818.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Military History
In comparison to other countries, the South African contribution to the war in North Africa was small, making the country's role to be part of a larger team. But during the most crucial battle of ...
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In comparison to other countries, the South African contribution to the war in North Africa was small, making the country's role to be part of a larger team. But during the most crucial battle of the campaign, the 1st battle of El Alamein, the South Africans played a vital role. After this, the Axis forces could never again muster enough forces to win the war for possession of the Nile Delta. After July 1942, the South African contribution reverted back to that of a minor role player, albeit one that contributed substantially taken into account the country's small population and industrial base.Less
In comparison to other countries, the South African contribution to the war in North Africa was small, making the country's role to be part of a larger team. But during the most crucial battle of the campaign, the 1st battle of El Alamein, the South Africans played a vital role. After this, the Axis forces could never again muster enough forces to win the war for possession of the Nile Delta. After July 1942, the South African contribution reverted back to that of a minor role player, albeit one that contributed substantially taken into account the country's small population and industrial base.
Kees van der Spek
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164033
- eISBN:
- 9781617970917
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164033.003.0004
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Separating the Western Desert from the Nile River, the natural landscape of the Libyan Plateau's terminal escarpment reminds one of a breaking wave, the rising crest of its Theban Mountain attempting ...
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Separating the Western Desert from the Nile River, the natural landscape of the Libyan Plateau's terminal escarpment reminds one of a breaking wave, the rising crest of its Theban Mountain attempting one final crescendo before rolling ashore. Despite the imagery, the Western Desert's Theban Mountain and its foothills have generally been construed during recorded history more in terms of their cultural qualities than their natural characteristics. This chapter seeks to locate al-Qurna within the intellectual space of academic concerns that has given rise to this ambiguity, to reevaluate al-Qurna toponymically, and to situate al-Qurna both geographically and in real time. Its aim is to clarify and to place on record the spatially dispersed nature of the al-Qurna community. Geographical precision establishes a baseline against which the historical development of larger al-Qurna and the dispersal of smaller community units across the foothills can be charted.Less
Separating the Western Desert from the Nile River, the natural landscape of the Libyan Plateau's terminal escarpment reminds one of a breaking wave, the rising crest of its Theban Mountain attempting one final crescendo before rolling ashore. Despite the imagery, the Western Desert's Theban Mountain and its foothills have generally been construed during recorded history more in terms of their cultural qualities than their natural characteristics. This chapter seeks to locate al-Qurna within the intellectual space of academic concerns that has given rise to this ambiguity, to reevaluate al-Qurna toponymically, and to situate al-Qurna both geographically and in real time. Its aim is to clarify and to place on record the spatially dispersed nature of the al-Qurna community. Geographical precision establishes a baseline against which the historical development of larger al-Qurna and the dispersal of smaller community units across the foothills can be charted.
Jason Thompson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774162879
- eISBN:
- 9781617970214
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774162879.003.0012
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
After the equinox but not until June 23 1827, Hay and Lane, and presumably Kalitza, set sail for Upper Egypt and Nubia. Two day's sailing brought them to Beni Soueif at midmorning, where they left ...
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After the equinox but not until June 23 1827, Hay and Lane, and presumably Kalitza, set sail for Upper Egypt and Nubia. Two day's sailing brought them to Beni Soueif at midmorning, where they left the boat to make an excursion into the Fayyum, the large, intensely fertile area to the west of the Nile. Passing through a break in the western valley escarpment, it then flows down into the Fayyum, one of several large depressions that dot the Western Desert of Egypt. At the other end of the passage through the hills, Lane made a much more careful examination of the Pyramid of Hawara. It had once been cased with limestone and had likewise slumped into ruin when the casing stone was stripped, exposing its mud brick core, yet retaining an impressive appearance.Less
After the equinox but not until June 23 1827, Hay and Lane, and presumably Kalitza, set sail for Upper Egypt and Nubia. Two day's sailing brought them to Beni Soueif at midmorning, where they left the boat to make an excursion into the Fayyum, the large, intensely fertile area to the west of the Nile. Passing through a break in the western valley escarpment, it then flows down into the Fayyum, one of several large depressions that dot the Western Desert of Egypt. At the other end of the passage through the hills, Lane made a much more careful examination of the Pyramid of Hawara. It had once been cased with limestone and had likewise slumped into ruin when the casing stone was stripped, exposing its mud brick core, yet retaining an impressive appearance.
