Al-Qusayr, Egypt

Al - Quseir (Arabic القصير, DMG al - Quseir, small castle ', also Al Qusayr, El Quseir, Qseir, Kosseir; ancient Egyptian Tjaou, Tjau, Tschaou, Chow ) is a 5,000 year old Egyptian city on the Red Sea.

It is located 130 km south of Hurghada and 103 km North of Marsa Alam, 73 km north of the international airport there which opened in 2003. The city and its surrounding desert like today have roughly 50,000 inhabitants, including being moved Ababda.

History

In ancient Egypt Quseir was known as Tjaou and was in the 16th nome of Upper Egypt Mahedj. The place was at the end of the ancient caravan route that linked the Nile Valley Located in Koptos on the route through the Wadi Hammamat to the Red Sea. The Ptolemaic name Thaghos has long been controversial, mostly Quseir was as WBC or WBC Limen ("white / r port / city ", Latin Portus Albus ) identified. However, in 1994, French researchers found during excavations in Zerqa on the road from al - Quseir by Kuft in the Nile Valley ostraca ( potsherds ) named Myos Hormos.

The ancient and medieval port located in the Old Quseir ( Quseir al - qadim ), about 6 km north of modern Quseir. Excavations began here in 1999. A papyrus from March 25, 93 AD calls " Myos Hormos the Erythraean Sea" and thus probably the locality itself A children's book tells the story of the Roman and medieval Quseir. In antiquity Tjaou or Myos Hormos was an important port from which came from the ancient Egyptians, among others to the land of Punt to buy ivory, myrrh and frankincense ( Punt is locates by historians in the Horn of Africa in present-day Eritrea or Somalia).

In the Islamic era the city was given its present name, which " little palace " or " small fortress / castle " means. One other interpretation by the name of al - Quseir means " in the middle lying ", which is meant to refer to the center between al- Schalatim and Sue. Once the ancient port of Myos Hormos had been abandoned in the 3rd century, Quseir won especially in the 13th and 14th century under the Ayyubids and Mamluks important again and come to one of the most important ports for the embarkation of Mecca pilgrims and the booming trade in India. When the Ottomans conquered Egypt, Old - Quseir was, however, left again so that the new rulers a little further south founded today's Quseir. The port is used as the starting point of the pilgrimage to Mecca and during the French occupation it was a meeting place for Arabs and Muslims from the Hijaz to fight with the Mamluks against the French. It was also re- Quseir the only port, was imported into the coffee from Yemen.

1978 was found during excavations in a intensively used in the 12th and 13th centuries the port of al - Quseir 69 cotton fragments, all of which were obviously of Indian origin because they stained with punches in the reserve method.

An oral history project of Quseir Heritage Preservation Society could hold as much of Quseir al - qadim and its surroundings had been destroyed by undocumented hotel buildings.

Economy

Many Ababdas from the surrounding areas come here to buy and sell. In addition to tourism, which is fed by visitors from southern or northern hotels ( in al - Quseir itself, there is no significant tourist accommodation ), is an important source of income in the mining, processing and export of phosphate.

1916 rose Italian investors in a big way in the phosphate business one, apparently pays off again today, because it returns mainly their compatriots back as tourists. In the past, al - Quseir was a major port city, but with the completion of the Suez Canal they lost this position gradually.

Attractions

The main attraction is the location on the main thoroughfare Ottoman Sultan Selim's Fort (16th century ) and its worth seeing water reservoir. 100 years ago, it turned even the only drinking water environment to which had to be imported from Aden. The allocation of water rations was performed by an officially appointed overseers. For Egyptian standards can be an exceptionally well-documented tour company and gets a beautiful view of the bay and the town from the observation tower.

Also worth seeing are the old mosques Al Farran, Al- Qinawi and as- Sanusi. Also worth a walk along the harbor promenade with a few restaurants and old houses. Even the police station here is a historic building. Especially in the sea near town roads still shows a largely unbiased picture of Egyptian life with customary local bakeries, food stalls, fruit stalls and many old houses, some with Holzvorbauten that remind a little of Yemeni architecture.

North of the city, under the grounds of the hotel Mövenpick, was the Roman port. Hundreds of amphoras and other pottery were recovered, now the area is sealed by the hotel building for posterity.

The road connection to the Nile Valley Rohano was called, meaning " street of the gods". In their path was dug in ancient Egyptian times for gold, broken stones for temples and sarcophagi. Accordingly, many hieroglyphs find ( partially graffiti -like) in the rocks. The road is opened to tourists as a connection to Luxor in the near future.

Again and again we met on the way to slim tapered dovecotes, not really intended for domestic pigeons, but to attract the wild. The animals are on the one hand as a delicacy, on the other hand the manure as fertilizer is being used.

Gallery

On the streets of al - Quseir

The fortress of al - Quseir (1968 )