Gebel el-Shams and Rock Drawings
1. View of the southern Citadel slope with mooring site of our Dahabiya "Osiris". To the right the Gebel el-Shams ridges, which marked the southern end of our concession.
2. View of the Gebel el-Shams ridges in the south. Foreground with Dahabiya "Osiris", pottery tent and storage house.
4. Northwest peak above the rock shrines of Paser, Hor and Katha. Beyond the village of Ballana.
7. Enlargement of the southeastern ridge of Gebel el-Shams with cave.
3. Rock shrines of Paser, Hor and Katha. Early 20th century view of Gebel el-Shams taken from a boat: unknown photographer ( collection David N. Edwards ).
5. View of the southwest face of the Gebel el-Shams ridges with the rock drawing of a boat. See Nr. 6 below. Also a cave was noted bellow the eastern peak.
6. Drawing of a large oared boat on the southwestern face of Gebel el-Shams.
( Drawing by Richard Edlund ).
8. Rock drawing of a boat bellow the northwestern ridge of Gebel el-Shams.
9. Group of rock drawings bellow the northwestern ridge of Gebel el-Shams.
Rock drawings in the plain
1. Panorama photo taken in January 1963 from the top of Gebel el-Shams looking north towards the tumuli field of Cemetery 1 and the Citadel. Below it shows the wadi which ran in front of Gebel el-Shams. The photographs of the rock drawings Nr. 3, 4 and Nr. 5 were taken along the northern edge of the wadi. The others were taken on the large sandstone plateau between the river and Cemetery 1.
Some of the photographs made by Horst Jaritz were taken a few meters beyond our concession border in the south of Gebel el-Shams, while others were taken on our site.
2. Photograph in January 1963. The Wadis mouth with the large sandstone plateau and Citadel behind.
4. Spear duel between two stylized human figures. Similar in style to photo 3.
6. Artistic rock drawing of a Gazelle.
8. Cattle.
9. Bull.
11. Rock drawings of cattle and bull. Upper right corner uraeus snake with sun disk.
13. Long horn cattle. ( photo by Horst Jaritz ).
15. Rock drawing of a Bull.
17. Group of cattle. ( photo by Horst Jaritz ).
19. Sailing boat with helmsman. Below long necked animal (Giraffe?)
( photo by Horst Jaritz ).
21. Gazelle hunt, left with human figure. ( photo by Horst Jaritz ).
23. Medieval rock inscriptions.
3. Spear duel between two stylized human figures.
5. Two stylized human figures. One armed with bow and arrows, the other with out-stretched hands above an animal.
7. Group of cattle.
10. Goat with bell.
12. Enlargement of uraeus snake with sun disk.
14. Stylized human figure with outstretched arms.
16. Stylized camel with rider.
18. Group of cattle, left with human figure. ( photo by Horst Jaritz ).
20. Group of cattle, left with human figure.
( photo by Horst Jaritz ).
22. Medieval rock inscriptions. ( photo by Horst Jaritz ).
24. Carved geometric ornament.
25. Meroitic text ( GA 6 -7 ) from near the mouth of Wadi el-Ur. ( photo by Horst Jaritz ).
Paleolithic site WO-2A
1. Looking east: the paleolithic site WO-2A of Charles A. Reed was discovered on the sandstone surface near the hillocks.
3. The mooring site of the Pennsylvania - Yale houseboat at the Wadis mouth near the ridge of Gebel el-Shams. ( photo by Richard Edlund ).
2. On the map the Paleolithic site WO-2A is shaded. From here the tributaries described by Charles A. Reed ran into the Wadi el-Ur.
4. The foreground of the photograph shows the tributaries mentioned by Charles A. Reed, which ran towards the Wadi el-Ur. Background: Tumuli field of Cemetery 1, Cemetery 3 and Citadel. Behind River Nile and the village of Ballana.
In January 1965 the members of the Pennsylvania - Yale University Prehistoric Expedition to Nubia had visited us at Gebel Adda. "During those days we did some additional surveying in this region, although it had been partly studied early in 1964. As a result I discovered a site with Paleolithic artifacts which are of special interest, since they represent a new assemblage hitherto unknown in Egypt. The site was registered as WO-2A." Charles A. Reed, Postilla, Nr. 102, September 23, 1966
Impressions of the Eastern Desert beyond the explored site of Charles A. Reed
1. Rugged stone desert.
3. Surrealistic landscape.
2. Windblown golden sand.
4. Camels roaming free in the desert.