Natrun Valley

(Local Name: Wadi el-Natrun) The Wadi Natrun, the Greek region of Nitria and the Roman Scythiaca, is a 20mi/32km long depression in the Western Desert between Cairo and Alexandria, some 50-55mi/80-90km from each city. Strung along the valley are 12 salt lakes, linked with the Nile by underground channels, which dry up almost completely in summer. The deposits in the lake basins and the surrounding area yield salt and natron, used for bleaching cloth and in the manufacture of soap and glass.

The Wadi Natrun is famous for the hermitages and monasteries which were established here from the fourth C. onwards and, together with the other desert monasteries (St Antony's, St Paul's and St Catherine's), had great influence on the development of Christianity. They were repeatedly raided, plundered and destroyed by Berber hordes, particularly in the ninth C., so that out of more than 50 monasteries which once flourished here there now remain only four houses occupied by Coptic monks. None of these monasteries have preserved their original aspect, and only a few scanty remains survive from the period of their foundation. They are all surrounded by defensive walls and have a watch tower or keep (qasr), entered by a drawbridge, in which the monks could take shelter in case of attack. In order to protect the monks' seclusion only one monastery, the Deir Amba Bshoi, is open to visitors. For admission to the other monasteries it is necessary to obtain a permit from the Patriarch of Alexandria, granted only to visitors who can show a special reason for going (e.g. for purposes of study).