Ain Dabashiya

The site of Ain Dabashiya is a small mound in the desert far from any modern development. It is located 23.2 kilometres (14.5 miles) north of Qasr Kharga. The site is dominated by the remains of a mudbrick temple but also contains a cemetery and remains of a settlement. The spring that has given the site its name is located on the south-eastern part of the site. The temple is probably Roman in date, but other remains on the site date from as early as the 27th dynasty (Late Period). Around the temple are modern mudbrick houses that were built on the ancient remains. Traces of ancient cultivation can be seen all around the site and a columbarium (pigeon tower) still stands to a height of about 6-7 meters. The pigeon house is the best preserved in either Kharga or Dakhla oases. Near the tower there is also an area for food processing, grain in particular, here numerous grinding stones were found. The cemetery is located to the west of the temple and contains simple pit graves as well as rock-cut tombs with several chambers, suggesting that people from different strata of society were buried here. A canine cemetery has also been found here recently (CISS Inventory 2010; Vivian 1990).

Site coordinates: N 25 35 325 E 30 35 146