Wadi El-Natrun in Egypt

• 16 / 5 / 2023

Details about Wadi El-Natrun in Egypt

During the Pharaonic era, this area was considered sacred because of the presence of sodium salt composed of carbonate, bicarbonate, sodium sulphate and chlorine, which was the salt used for the purification of mummies. From the first centuries of the Christian era, this region became an important place of churches and monasteries whose founder was Saint Markus the great who lived there in 330.

Travelers looking for peace and stunning scenery can find a hidden gem that provides a unique experience deep within the Egyptian desert, far from the bustle of large towns. Greetings from Wadi El Natron, a magical valley that promises to charm you and provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This post will discuss the wonders of Wadi El Natron and show you why it should be a top priority on your vacation schedule. 

The name "Wadi El-Natrun" means "Valley of the Natrun" in reference to mineral salts found in the area, including natron, a mineral salt used in embalming and body preservation practices in ancient Egypt. The old natron quarries were exploited for various uses, including the manufacture of cosmetics and medicinal products. These monasteries played a crucial role in the development of Coptic Christianity and served as centres for teaching and preserving religious traditions. They are also places of pilgrimage for Coptic Christians from around the world.

Another popular spot for bird viewing is Wadi Naturn. It has nine minor lakes spread out along its main axis, with a combined size of about 200 km . Typha wetlands are found when there is an abundant supply of freshwater, usually along lakeshores. The moist salt marshes on the flooded eastern coast are dominated by Juncus and Cyperus. 

The Wadi's history and significance to Coptic Christians go all the way back to the fourth century AD. When monastery life had not yet evolved, Christianity first made its way to the region through St. Macarius the Great, who withdrew there in c. 330. Holy men lived as hermits outside of society at this time. But St. Macarius's fame quickly drew admirers, who erected cells close by and so established a loose union of monastic communities. In neighboring regions like Nitria, many of these early inhabitants had already adopted a Christian hermit lifestyle. As a result, Scetis served as a center of consolidation rather than innovation. 

The informal grouping of Christian settlers had become four monastic communities by the end of the fourth century AD. These were the monasteries of John Kolobos (also known as John the Little), Bishoi, Macarius, and Baramus (the ancient). Like Nitria and Kellia, Scetis was occasionally the target of raids by nomadic desert dwellers, so at first these monasteries were just groups of individual cells and dwellings centered around particular churches and communal facilities. However, over time, they evolved into enclosures with walls and watchtowers for protection. 

The monasteries of Wadi al-Naturn were looted and destroyed in 407, 434, and 444 by the nomads of the Libyan desert. Raids toward the end of the sixth century did, in fact, nearly wipe out the local population. Thus, the monks constructed towers for their residences and walls to secure their monasteries in the ninth century, perhaps in response to another siege in or around 817. In the years that followed, the monks started to move from their dispersed cells into the fortified monasteries. Initially, many of them lived outside the walls of the walled monasteries, only withdrawing to them in times of need. As the monks congregated behind the enclosure walls for security, monastic life seemed to be becoming increasingly cenobitic by the fourteenth century. When the plague wiped out a large portion of the monastic community throughout the middle times, walls did not help.