Gebel al-Teir

Gebel al-Teir is a mountain about 8 km north of Qasr Kharga. In one of its wadis are several areas with rock-inscriptions and graffiti. They range in date from prehistoric to modern times and are frequently found in sheltered recesses in the hills. Inscriptions are written in hieroglyphs, Demotic, Greek, Coptic and Arabic. At the entrance to the wadi is the first set of rock-inscriptions, consisting of prehistoric depictions of animals such as giraffes and gazelles, human figures with bows and arrows, a boat, Egyptian deities and numerous inscriptions. About 155 m further into the wadi is a second set of inscriptions, many dedicated to Ancient Egyptian gods, predominantly Min, and much of the writing is in hieroglyphs dating from the Late and Ptolemaic periods. At the top of the mountain is the Cave of Mary and below this is an area with a large number of Coptic paintings and prayers from the 4th, 5th and 10th centuries, left by hermits living in caves in the area. A local guide is recommended to visit the site (CISS Inventory 2010).