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Ain Gib |
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| Qasr el-Gib is the
northernmost fort of the entire oasis. Located on a natural knoll
commanding a view of several kilometres all around, it acted as a beacon
to travellers arriving in Kharga from the north. Sturdily built of large
sandy mud bricks, it originally stood to three storeys in height and
inside was tightly packed with rooms. The only entrance was located to
the south, perhaps as defence against the northern winds of the oasis.
Despite the crenellated profile of the wall and the four round
buttresses around its corners, Ain Gib was rather small and may have
been constructed with an eye to impressing people, rather than as a
viably defensible building. |
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