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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 28 January 1999 Issue No. 413 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 21 - 28 January 1999 Issue No. 413
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Special Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Exploring Sadmant Al-Gabal
By Samir NaoumSadmant Al-Gabal has a long history as the gateway to the fertile Fayoum depression, what used to be the "breadbasket of Egypt" in Greek and Roman times. But despite its rich history, Sadmant Al-Gabal, or Ahnasya as it used to be called in ancient times, is often overlooked by tourists because there is little left of the ancient town.
Nevertheless, as one of the most important and continuously inhabited areas of Egypt, it is well worth the visit, not only to walk beside the verdant fields or experience the simple village life along the canal. Through successive Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Ayyubid, Mameluke and Ottoman periods, Sadmant was the main town of an important province.
It was also the site of the famous early 19th century Battle of Sadmant between the French army, led by commander Desiré, and Mameluke troops, led by Murad Bey. The fact that such an important battle was fought here highlights the strategic importance of the town, which lay immediately to the south of the point where the Bahr El-Youssef canal flows into the Fayoum depression.
The name Sadmant comes from the Coptic word Bassatomat, which is a corruption of the Pharaonic word for cemetery, or "the holy place of the Mont".
Sadmant's rich history and Coptic influence paint a colourful picture
photo: Samir Naoum
Excavations carried out there in the early 1920s by the British archaeologist Flinders Petrie uncovered a number of early tombs, including one belonging to a high priest and bearing the legend: "keeper of the sacred garden". Inside the tomb were three ebony statues representing the deceased during the three stages of his life -- youth, maturity and old age, which are now in the British Museum, the Museum of Calsberg, Austria, and the Cairo Museum, respectively.
In the sixth century AD, the area was predominantly Christian, with 1,300 monks making up the Fayoum diocese. Beyond the fertile land, towards the desert, lies the Monastery of St George, damaged, rebuilt, destroyed, restored and expanded over the ages.
The newly restored monastery compound is a testament to an active Coptic community; it is divided into five areas: a restored church, living quarters and retreat for the monks, a housing and sports area, garden and farm, and a market. The monastery was restored in 1990, was badly damaged in the 1992 earthquake and was re-restored in 1993, with as many of the original architectural elements being incorporated into the structure as possible.
This area is not a tourist destination, it is an area to be explored, armed with curiosity, a camera and comfortable walking shoes.
