Natrun Valley Attractions
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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.
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.
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Monastery of the Syrians
The Monastery of the Syrians was originally constructed in the 6th C and was purchased for Syrian monks in the 8th C. It was abandoned in the 16th C and eventually became the property of Coptic monks.
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