Going through Gebel Khalak is a tradition for us, or better to say a well established habit. Whether coming down from the path of the oil getting along the old track of water or going around the ridge that virtually separates it from Qaret El Khadem, the crossing to Gebel Khalak is, and will be a must. Perhaps for its central location, or because on its top there is the homonym cemetery or perhaps for its proximity to some places made famous by the terrible fighting in the battles of El Alamein... Qaret El Khadem and Gebel Sanhur. On Gebel Sanhur we have found the Folgore cemetery or of the 42 km of the water track, less than 6 km faraway, the direct distance from Gebel Khalak.
Everywhere you go in El Alamein, every place we visit or find again, is surrounded by a halo of legend a sort of his personal history, that bedouins of El Alamein and Sid Abd El Rahman know, hand down and distort making it almost mythical.to the limit of the unreal. As it was for the narratives of the P40 Kittyhawk, amazing and picturesque, that we have found last February in Wady El Gedid, close to the oasis of Farafra. So it was for the story of the church. Talking about a church, remembering our Italian churches is wrong, but is like this..and is what we have expected finding El Ghenesa..the Church! How can we have traveled far and wide throughout the desert of El Alamein missing a church. Could be? A morning we left very early after having spent the night in the operational base of ARIDO located right into El Alamein. We went into the desert from the north entrance of the water track following some breaking cars tracks, flashing a bit east and a bit west and make us keeping a heading south/southwest.. as we needed at the end. We have crossed quite fast the cemeteries areas of Deir El Mireir and El Boushta, going straight to the ideal intersection that divides Gebel Sanhur from Gebel Khalak
We climb Gebel El Khalak and, following the instructions received from the old man in Sid Abd El Rahman, begin to look for the place: a large area between three rocky cliffs separated by deep and smooth fissures... basically a small ball of Styrofoam during a snowfall. Behind one of these cliffs, there is a stone structure of which is still standing and clearly visible the staircase entrance to the artificial embankment where was the table of prayer, as the old man told us. It should be a wooden altar that the time have almost certainly taken with it or maybe not... On that embankment went up the priest for the celebration and below were the soldiers. It is getting dark with the only result of having used half tank of fuel and having tired and red eyes. The first day of research goes away... fading in the poetry of the starry vault beyond all imagination in a cool and breezy night. Sleeping outdoors, with nothing that separates you from the spectacle of the starry sky, is not a pleasure, is the absolute privilege. The next day we move at the sunrise, turning and turning in ups and downs that seem endless and then around 11.00 am, we found it. It is stuck on the right side of a rocky ridge at the bottom of a groove slightly below the plan of Gebel Khalak.
Although the weather and the desert have had their toll, the set is still clearly identifiable. The steps to access the above embankment are still in good condition even if covered with sand for at least 80%. The above embankment is covered with sand and we were unable to identify exactly the boundary. We have postponed this operation when we come back for the cleaning and restoring mission of the area of Gebel Khalak in spring 2013
The whole staircase entrance, view from the top of the embankment
EL GHENESA(THE CHURCH) OF GEBEL khalak The arrows show the steps almost submerged in the sand... The whole structure and not just the staircase will be cleaned up and brought back to history during the mission dedicated to Gebel Khalak on spring 2013: The Cemetery and the "Church"
A.R.I.D.O. TEAM Text and photos by Andrea Mariotti & Daniele Moretto