Kharga Oasis Research Articles

Late Quaternary evolution, geomorphology, and prehistory of Umm Dabadib area, Kharga Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

Late Quaternary evolution, geomorphology, and prehistory of Umm Dabadib area, Kharga Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

A long-snouted dyrosaurid (Crocodyliformes, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Campanian Quseir Formation of Egypt

Dyrosauridae, a clade of neosuchian crocodyliforms, was a significant component of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems across the latest Cretaceous to Paleogene of North Africa. Here, we report a dyrosaurid mandibular symphysis recovered from the middle–upper Campanian Quseir Formation near Kharga Oasis in the southern Western Desert of Egypt.This is a partial mandible (MUVP 635), including dentaries and splenials, assigned to Dyrosauridae based on its dental pattern, size, and the shape of the splenial in the symphysis. MUVP 635 exhibits alveolar diameters shorter than the interalveolar distances within the same row. Moreover, the seventh dentary alveolus is significantly large, comparable in size to the fourth dentary alveolus, while the sixth dentary alveolus is positioned close to the seventh dentary alveolus and is as small as the eighth dentary alveolus, which is adjacent to the ninth dentary alveolus. Phylogenetic analysis places MUVP 635 as an early-diverging member of Dyrosauridae, consistent with its middle–late Campanian age. It aligns with a polytomy with Chenanisuchus lateroculi and Anthracosuchus balrogus identified as the most basal members of Dyrosauridae. The discovery of new dyrosaurid material in the Quseir Formation extends the range of Dyrosauridae to the middle Campanian, highlighting the taxonomic richness of the dyrosaurid clade across North Africa and supporting hypotheses of the African origin for this family.

Facing death: a multidisciplinary analysis of a Romano-Egyptian mummy mask at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen

Funerary masks played a crucial role in ancient Egyptian burial practices, as part of the rituals to ensure a successful afterlife. This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of a gilded mummy mask from the Roman period in Egypt from the collections of The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. Portraying a young female, the mask belongs to a distinctive group of mummy masks, whose origins can be identified to be coming from the Dakhlah and Kharga oases. The construction of the mask (plaster, textiles) and the constituents of its polychromy (pigments, binding media) was analysed using various non- and micro-destructive methods: imaging, cross-section analysis, optical microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Additionally, samples were taken for palaeoproteomic analysis with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. A wide range of pigments such as yellow and red ochre, carbon-based black, and Egyptian blue were identified, reflecting common materials in polychromy in Egypt during the Roman period. Notably, indigo was detected, suggesting its usage in mixtures to render purple hues. Analysis of adhesives and media identified plant gum and collagen-based animal glue. Proteomic analysis identified Equus asinus (donkey) as the predominant protein source for the collagen-based glue. The results shed light on the materials and techniques employed in ancient polychromy in Egypt in the Roman period, further enriching our understanding of artistic practices at the time.

A new Late Cretaceous reptiles bearing locality: Qarn Ganah, Kharga Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

A new Late Cretaceous reptiles bearing locality: Qarn Ganah, Kharga Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

Quaternary Fossilized - Spring Calcareous Tufa at Kharga Oasis (Western Desert, Egypt): Sedimentary Records of Past Humidity in the Eastern Sahara

Quaternary Fossilized - Spring Calcareous Tufa at Kharga Oasis (Western Desert, Egypt): Sedimentary Records of Past Humidity in the Eastern Sahara

Late Mesozoic–Cenozoic geoheritage resources of the Kharga Oasis (Egypt): Novel assessment, exploitation perspectives, and policy implications

Geoheritage resources are valuable to countries and regions, which make urgent their exploration. Particularly, Egyptian geoheritage has been examined only partly, and it has not been reported from many areas. New field investigations in the Kharga Oasis in the southern Western Desert of Egypt permit to report a new portion of geoheritage resources. The collected materials are used to propose six geosites, describe them (particularly, standardized geoheritage types are established), and assess semi-quantitatively. The approach is the same as already used for some other areas of Egypt, and the semi-quantitative assessment is based on scoring of various geosite properties with the different weight. It is established that these geosites exhibit lithologies and depositional environments of Upper Cretaceous–Eocene terrestrial and marine sedimentary rocks, Quaternary terrestrial carbonates (tufa deposits), and residual desert landforms. The geosites are attributed to the sedimentary, palaeogeographical, stratigraphical, palaeontological, and geomorphological geoheritage types. Scoring them by several criteria implies that two geosites (Naqb El-Rufuf and Naqb Bulaq) are national and four geosites (Naqb Assiut, Wadi El-Midawara, Gebel Taref, and Kharga Stadium) are regional in rank. The accessibility of some geosites is limited, and the Kharga Stadium geosite demonstrates significant vulnerability due to its location in the urban area. Generally, the analyses imply the presence of a valuable geoheritage resource in the Kharga Oasis. The outcomes of the present study also indicate the perspectives of scientific, educational, and touristic exploitation of the established geoheritage resources and the need in the development of the optimal policy for their effective management. Geopark creation seems to be a plausible instrument for the implementation of this policy, and its proposal requires further investigations of geological and cultural heritage of the Kharga Oasis.

Diagnosis of nutrient imbalance and interactions in wheat and faba bean in Kharga Oasis, Egypt

Imbalanced nutrition has a major impact on crop productivity, particularly in hyper-arid environments, and precise interpretation is essential for designing appropriate nutrient management strategies. Compositional nutrient diagnosis (CND) was used to identify nutritional imbalances of multiple nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu) in wheat and faba bean cultivated in Kharga Oasis, Egypt. Significant nutrient interactions were also assessed using principal component analysis. Due to large differences in water and soil characteristics, wheat and faba bean yields from the surveyed area varied greatly, ranging from 2118 to 8211 and 1373 to 4962 kg ha-1, respectively. The CND indexes for the low-yield subpopulation of wheat were negative for P, Ca, and Zn, with average values of -0.82, -2.66, and -1.26, but positive for K, Mg, Fe, and Mn with average values of 4.80, 4.92, 1.70, and 0.57, respectively. In faba bean, N, P, Ca, and Zn were negative, with average values of -1.73, -0.67, -8.19, and -1.41, but K, Mg, Fe, Mn, and Cu were positive with average values of 2.62, 0.50, 1.32, 1.10, and 0.40, respectively. Synergistic interactions P-Zn and Mg-Fe, as well as antagonistic interactions P-Mg, P-Fe, Zn-Fe, Zn-Mg, Ca-Cu, N-Mn, Mn-Cu, and P-Ca, were evident from the principal component analysis of the data. This investigation reveals that the decline in crop yields in the study area is due to nutritional imbalance induced by a deficiency of Ca, Zn, and P and a surplus of Mg, K, Fe, and Mn, in addition to nutrient antagonism.

Parasitoid wasps (Ichneumonoidea) collected from faba bean fields, Kharga Oasis, New Valley, Egypt, with new records and the description of a new species.

A faunistic inventory of ichneumonoid wasps collected from faba bean fields (Vicia faba L.) in Kharga Oasis, New Valley, Egypt is presented. Fourteen species of Braconidae in 11 genera and five subfamilies (Aphidiinae, Braconinae, Euphorinae, Microgastrinae, and Opiinae); and six ichneumonid species in five genera and three subfamilies (Campopleginae, Diplazontinae, and Ichneumoninae) were collected and identified. Among those, three genera Barichneumon Thomson, and Virgichneumon Heinrich (Ichneumoninae, Ichneumonidae), and Centistes Haliday (Euphorinae, Braconidae), and five species: Cotesia icipe Fernndez & Fiaboe, 2017 (Microgastrinae) (Braconidae), Diadegma trochanteratum (Thomson, 1887), and Sinophorus tibialis Sanborne, 1984 (Campopleginae), Barichneumon bilunulatus (Gravenhorst, 1829), and Virgichneumon callicerus (Gravenhorst, 1820) (Ichneumoninae, Ichneumonidae) are new records to the Egyptian fauna. A new species, Trioxys khargaiensis Gadallah & Edmardash (Aphidiinae: Braconidae) is described and illustrated. A faunistic list comprising diagnostic characters and distribution in the Middle East and North Africa is provided. Illustrations of species characters are also provided.

Echoes of the Past: Unveiling the Kharga Oasis’ Cultural Heritage and Climate Vulnerability through Millennia

The civilization and tangible cultural heritage of the Kharga Oasis has a historical precedence over that of the old Nile Valley civilization. Approximately 12,000 years ago, a significant prehistoric migration occurred from the Kharga Oasis to the Nile Valley. This event was motivated by climate change and the southward shift of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which caused a shift in Egypt’s savannah forests from abundant vegetation to an extremely dry desert. The present study investigates the progressive deterioration of the tangible cultural and civilized legacy of the Kharga Oasis over the course of several millennia, positing that this phenomenon can be attributed to the area’s vulnerability to paleoclimatic fluctuations. The evaluation of the Kharga Oasis’ susceptibility to climate change was predicated on the scrutiny of petroglyphs that were unearthed at different sites within the Oasis. This analysis was reinforced by paleoclimate information and radiocarbon dating (C14). The utilization of an interdisciplinary approach yielded significant insights into the dynamic climate patterns and their effects on the Kharga Oasis across temporal scales. The results illustrated a noteworthy alteration in climate, which caused the conversion of the Oasis terrain from being heavily wooded to becoming arid, mainly due to extended periods of drought. The present research postulates a novel and alternate hypothesis concerning the archaeological chronology of human habitation in the Kharga Oasis from ancient eras, predicated on the analysis of pictorial depictions on rock surfaces. The findings of this study made a noteworthy contribution to the current corpus of knowledge regarding the vulnerability of the ancient Egyptian society to the impacts of climate variability. Moreover, the petroglyphs’ depictions provided a distinctive viewpoint on the climatic fluctuations that occurred in the Sahara and North Africa throughout the Holocene epoch, as well as the fundamental causative factors.

Petrography, mineralogy, and geochemistry of nitrogenous shale in the Western Desert of Egypt: implications for paleoenvironment

Besides nitrate deposits located in the Atacama Desert of Chile and the Mojave Desert of California, the present work documents, for the first time, the occurrence of potassium nitrate as oval-suboval-shaped aggregations associated with the Late Maastrichtian-Early Paleocene Dakhla Shale and the Paleocene-Early Eocene Esna Shale encountered in the northeastern part of the Kharga Oasis, particularly at G. Um El-Ghanayem and G. Ghaneima. Consequently, integrated petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical investigations were carried out for shale deposits and nitrate salts to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental conditions of shale, reveal the extent to which nitrate salts are genetically related to the paleoenvironment of shale deposits, and build up a complete scenario about the source and the formation mechanism of nitrate salts. The overall results showed that the studied shale deposits were sourced from mafic igneous and quartzose sedimentary provenances where humid climatic conditions were dominant; the transported detrital particles were then settled down under oxidizing bottom water and shallow depositional conditions. Moreover, the nitrate salts are of an epigenetic origin and sourced from the microbial nitrification of organic matter and the wet atmospheric deposition that is believed to be triggered by the active volcanic eruptions during the Late Eocene/Early Oligocene transition where warm climatic conditions prevailed.

Groundwater Quality and Health Risk Assessment Using Indexing Approaches, Multivariate Statistical Analysis, Artificial Neural Networks, and GIS Techniques in El Kharga Oasis, Egypt

The assessment and prediction of water quality are important aspects of water resource management. Therefore, the groundwater (GW) quality of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer (NSSA) in El Kharga Oasis was evaluated using indexing approaches, such as the drinking water quality index (DWQI) and health index (HI), supported with multivariate analysis, artificial neural network (ANN) models, and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. For this, physical and chemical parameters were measured for 140 GW wells, which indicated Ca–Mg–SO4, mixed Ca–Mg–Cl–SO4, Na–Cl, Ca–Mg–HCO3, and mixed Na–Ca–HCO3 water facies under the influence of silicate weathering, rock–water interactions, and ion exchange processes. The GW in El Kharga Oasis had high levels of heavy metals, particularly iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn), with average concentrations above the limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for drinking water. The DWQI categorized most of the samples as not suitable for drinking (poor to very poor class), while some samples fell in the good water class. The results of the HI indicated a potential health risk due to the ingestion of water, with the risk being higher for children in only one location. However, for both children and adults, there was a low risk of dermal and ingestion exposure to the water in all locations. The contaminants could be from natural sources, such as minerals leaching from rocks and soil, or from human activities. Based on the results of ANN modeling, ANN-SC-13 was the most accurate prediction model, since it demonstrated the strongest correlation between the best characteristics and the DWQI. For example, this model’s thirteen characteristics were extremely important for predicting DWQI. The R2 value for the training, cross-validation (CV), and test data was 0.99. The ANN-SC-2 model was the best in measuring HI ingestion in adults. The R2 value for the training, CV, and test data was 1.00 for all models. The ANN-SC-2 model was the most accurate at detecting HI dermal in adults (R2 = 0.99, 0.99, and 0.99 for the training, CV, and test data sets, respectively). Finally, the integration of physicochemical parameters, water quality indices (WQIs), and ANN models can help us to understand the quality of GW and its controlling factors, and to implement the necessary measures that prevent outbreaks of various water-borne diseases that are detrimental to human health.

The First Side-Necked Turtle (Pleurodira, Bothremydidae) from the Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of Egypt

The Quseir Formation is an Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) deposit in the Kharga oasis of the Southwestern Desert (Egypt). This formation comprises a clastic sequence of bioturbated mudstone and sandstone intercalations, including rare scattered and fragmented vertebrate remains such as shark teeth, dinosaur remains, and turtle plates. These deposits indicate a supratidal marsh environment. A complete shell of a turtle discovered from the Quseir Formation, at the Kharga oasis, is attributed here to Bothremydini (Pleurodira, Bothremydidae), and determined as a new taxon: Khargachelys caironensis gen. et sp. nov. This form represents the only Bothremydini member currently identified in the Campanian record not only of Egypt but also of North Africa. Therefore, it helps fill the missing evolutionary gap from the Late Cretaceous pleurodires in Egypt and in North Africa.

Evaluation and Prediction of Groundwater Quality for Irrigation Using an Integrated Water Quality Indices, Machine Learning Models and GIS Approaches: A Representative Case Study

Agriculture has significantly aided in meeting the food needs of growing population. In addition, it has boosted economic development in irrigated regions. In this study, an assessment of the groundwater (GW) quality for agricultural land was carried out in El Kharga Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt. Several irrigation water quality indices (IWQIs) and geographic information systems (GIS) were used for the modeling development. Two machine learning (ML) models (i.e., adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and support vector machine (SVM)) were developed for the prediction of eight IWQIs, including the irrigation water quality index (IWQI), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), soluble sodium percentage (SSP), potential salinity (PS), residual sodium carbonate index (RSC), and Kelley index (KI). The physicochemical parameters included T°, pH, EC, TDS, K+, Na+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl−, SO42−, HCO3−, CO32−, and NO3−, and they were measured in 140 GW wells. The hydrochemical facies of the GW resources were of Ca-Mg-SO4, mixed Ca-Mg-Cl-SO4, Na-Cl, Ca-Mg-HCO3, and mixed Na-Ca-HCO3 types, which revealed silicate weathering, dissolution of gypsum/calcite/dolomite/ halite, rock–water interactions, and reverse ion exchange processes. The IWQI, SAR, KI, and PS showed that the majority of the GW samples were categorized for irrigation purposes into no restriction (67.85%), excellent (100%), good (57.85%), and excellent to good (65.71%), respectively. Moreover, the majority of the selected samples were categorized as excellent to good and safe for irrigation according to the SSP and RSC. The performance of the simulation models was evaluated based on several prediction skills criteria, which revealed that the ANFIS model and SVM model were capable of simulating the IWQIs with reasonable accuracy for both training “determination coefficient (R2)” (R2 = 0.99 and 0.97) and testing (R2 = 0.97 and 0.76). The presented models’ promising accuracy illustrates their potential for use in IWQI prediction. The findings indicate the potential for ML methods of geographically dispersed hydrogeochemical data, such as ANFIS and SVM, to be used for assessing the GW quality for irrigation. The proposed methodological approach offers a useful tool for identifying the crucial hydrogeochemical components for GW evolution assessment and mitigation measures related to GW management in arid and semi-arid environments.

Sequence stratigraphy of the Paleocene succession in the Kharga Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt: insights from microplankton biostratigraphy and benthic foraminifer paleoenvironments

The present work provides a comprehensive stratigraphic consideration for the Paleocene (Danian–early Thanetian) succession in the Gebel El-Teir section, Kharga Oasis, Western Desert. The study incorporates calcareous nannofossils, foraminifers (planktic and benthic), and microfacies analyses to deduce fluctuations in the relative sea level and construct a sequence stratigraphic framework. In terms of the microplankton biostratigraphy, five planktic foraminifer (P2, P3a, P4a, P4b, and P4c) and four calcareous nannofossil (NP4–NP6 and NP8) zones have been recognized. Moreover, three biostratigraphic hiatuses were recognized based on the integration between the calcareous nannofossil and planktic foraminifer bioevents. These hiatuses aided in subdividing the studied interval into four 3rd order depositional sequences (D-DS1, S-DS2, S/Th-DS3, and Th-DS4). The paleo-water-depth variations deduced from the foraminiferal and sedimentological proxies facilitate the establishment of a relative sea-level curve and, subsequently, the systems tracts of each depositional sequence were readily recognized. The shallowest water conditions (middle neritic setting) occurred during the deposition of the Danian interval. However, a much deeper paleoenvironment (deep outer neritic-upper bathyal settings) marks the Selandian/Thanetian (S/Th) transition interval. The proposed sequence stratigraphic model and the presence of some extended hiatuses attribute the primary cause for accommodation destruction/creation to the regional tectonic uplift/subsidence. However, once the basin had been formed, the relative sea level within the individual depositional sequence behaved in a manner consistent with the contemporaneous eustatic 3rd-order transgression and regression events.

Bioerosion traces on the Campanian turtle remains: New data from the lagoonal deposits of the Quseir Formation, Kharga Oasis, Egypt

Bioerosion traces on the Campanian turtle remains: New data from the lagoonal deposits of the Quseir Formation, Kharga Oasis, Egypt

The Symbolism of colors in Exodus Chapel in Al- Bagwat tombs in Kharga Oasis in the New Valley

The Symbolism of colors in Exodus Chapel in Al- Bagwat tombs in Kharga Oasis in the New Valley

Путешествие В. С. Голенищева в Египет осенью и зимой 1890–1891 гг. (новый архивный материал)

The publication presents a document preserved at the Archives of Vladimir Golenishchev in Paris (Centre Wladimir Golénischeff, École Pratique des Hautes Études). This is a report about the travel of the outstanding Russian Egyptologist Vladimir Golenishchev to Egypt that lasted from October 1890 to February 1891. It appears to be a preliminary version of a paper intended for submission to the Zapiski Vostochnogo otdeleniia Imperatorskogo Russkogo arkheologicheskogo obshchestva (Memoirs of the Oriental Department of the Imperial Russian Archaeological Society). The paper is kept in one file of red cardboard with pencil drafts, sketches and plans made by the Egyptologist during his travel. The report had not been published. It contains evidence about Golenishchev’s acquisitions for his collection (now at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow; among the other things he purchased the papyri with the famous texts of Wenamun’s Voyage to Byblos and the Onomasticon of Amenemope), about the survey of archaeological monuments (most importantly, at the Kharga Oasis), about his new interpretations (the correct attribution of the so-called Hyksos sphinxes to Amenemhat III of Dynasty XII). Of special interest is the information about Golenishchev’s participation in the official reception in Egypt of the Russian heir apparent Nicholas Alexandrovich (future Emperor Nicholas II) and about some degree of tension between himself and the British officers in the Egyptian service, due to the contemporary confrontation of the Russian and the British Empire in the Great Game in the East.

The Symbolism of colors in Exodus Chapel in Al- Bagwat tombs in Kharga Oasis in the New Valley

The Symbolism of colors in Exodus Chapel in Al- Bagwat tombs in Kharga Oasis in the New Valley

Evaluation of Date-Moringa Energy Balls Quality to Promote Moringa Consumption and Woman Health Status in Kharga Oasis

Evaluation of Date-Moringa Energy Balls Quality to Promote Moringa Consumption and Woman Health Status in Kharga Oasis

A new titanosaurian (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Quseir Formation of the Kharga Oasis, Egypt

ABSTRACT Dinosaur fossils from the latest Cretaceous (Campanian–Maastrichtian) of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula are rare. Most discoveries to date have consisted of limited fossils that have precluded detailed phylogenetic and paleobiogeographic interpretations. Fortunately, recent discoveries such as the informative Egyptian titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur Mansourasaurus shahinae are beginning to address these long-standing issues. Here we describe an associated partial postcranial skeleton of a new titanosaurian taxon from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Quseir Formation of the Kharga Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt. Consisting of five dorsal vertebrae and 12 appendicular elements, Igai semkhu gen. et sp. nov. constitutes one of the most informative dinosaurs yet recovered from the latest Cretaceous of Afro-Arabia. The relatively gracile limb bones and differences in the coracoid and metatarsal I preclude referral of the new specimen to Mansourasaurus. Both model-based Bayesian tip-dating and parsimony-based phylogenetic analyses support the affinities of Igai semkhu with other Late Cretaceous Afro-Eurasian titanosaurs (e.g., Mansourasaurus, Lirainosaurus astibiae, Opisthocoelicaudia skarzynskii), a conclusion supported by posterior dorsal vertebrae that lack a postzygodiapophyseal lamina, for example. Igai semkhu strengthens the hypothesis that northern Africa and Eurasia shared closely related terrestrial tetrapod faunas at the end of the Cretaceous and further differentiates this fauna from penecontemporaneous assemblages elsewhere in Africa, such as the Galula Formation in Tanzania, that exhibit more traditional Gondwanan assemblages. At present, the specific paleobiogeographic signal appears to vary between different dinosaur groups, suggesting that Afro-Arabian Cretaceous biotas may have experienced evolutionary and paleobiogeographic histories that were more complex than previously appreciated.