Natrun Valley Attractions
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).
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).
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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.
Kelya - Hermitages and Monasteries
Scattered about in the desert some 30mi/50km northwest of the Wadi Natrun, on the road to the City of St Menas, are about 700 hermitages and monasteries of the fifth-seventh C., abandoned at various times down to the 15th C. and now covered by sand. The area, known as Kelya (from Latin cella, "cell"), was rediscovered and partly excavated in 1964 during the construction of irrigation works. Of particular interest are the ruins of a seventh C. monastery with fine frescos.
River without Water
2mi/3km west of the Deir Amba Baramus is the end of the Bahr Belama ("River without Water"), an old river bed, perhaps a former arm of the Nile but now filled with sand, which runs north from the Dakhla and Bahriya oases into the Wadi Natrun. At this point it is 7.5mi/12km wide. Evidence of the erstwhile fertility of the valley is provided by petrified tree trunks 26-33ft/8-10m long.
Wadi Natrun - Deir Amba Baramus
6mi/10km northwest of the Deir el-Suryan, in a totally isolated situation, is the Deir Amba Baramus, said to have been founded by Maximus and Domitius, sons of the Emperor Valentinian (364-375). The monks in this monastery observe a very strict rule. Within the walls (built in the ninth C. after a devastating Berber raid) are four churches. The large Church of the Virgin has a fine painted iconostasis. The smaller Church of St Macarius has a 13th C. pulpit. The monastery also has a qasr, the usual monks' cells and offices and a garden.
Wadi Natrun - Deir Amba Bshoi
0.75/1km southeast of the Deir el-Suryan is the Deir Amba Bshoi, the only one of the four monasteries to admit visitors. It was founded at the end of the fourth C. by a hermit named Bshoi who had withdrawn to the solitude of the desert at an early age. Like the other monasteries, it is surrounded by a high and massive wall and has a church, monks' cells, various offices and a garden. It is occupied by some two dozen monks.
