Wadi al-Asyuti Protectorate is a valley that was once a sizeable dry river area, and it starts from the Red Sea hills and ends in the Asyut governorate.
Location of Wadi Al-Asyuti Protectorate
Wadi Al-Asyuti is one of the dry valleys in the Eastern Desert in Egypt. It is located in the western part of the middle of the Eastern Desert. It goes north from the water division line between the Nile River and Wadi Qena at an altitude of 700 meters. Then, it proceeds south of the city of Assiut by about ten kilometres, with a length of about from the source to the estuary of about 124 km and a basin area of 6125 km2 fed by several tributaries, including Wadi Atallah, Wadi Fertala and Wadi Habib. At its mouth, a group of marble and alabaster quarries formed as a white mass buried in the middle of the Eocene limestone rocks.
Wadi Al Asyuti
Wadi Al Asyuti (Arabic: وادي الأسيوطي)is a protected area in Egypt’s Assiut Governorate. It was created in 1989 and covered an area of 35 square km. It covers a multi-protected area with various sections and is about 400 km from Cairo.
Sections of the Protectorate
Wadi el-Assiuty Protectorate is divided into two principal regions: the section for protecting and breeding wild animals and the other for studying and cultivating plant genes. The former contains bighorns, Egyptian deer, mountain goats, zebras, ostriches, and some reptiles. At the same time, the latter has various threatened species of plants, including palm trees, bushes, and more aromatic and economical crops, which are planted and protected. New and wild genes are also collected here for reproduction.
More About the Protectorate
The Asyuti Valley begins in the form of tributaries, the most important of which are those that start south from Wadi Qena. It heads north towards Wadi Habib, which ends further north by a delta between chains of plateaus on both sides and a base parallel with the Nile. Its area is estimated at 35 km2.
Wadi el-Assiut Protectorate is unique and different from most others in Egypt as it is used to breed wild animals and wild plants, which are endangered species.
The protectorate resulted from a joint project between the University of Arizona in the USA and Assiut University in Egypt.
The Uniqueness of the Protectorate
Wadi el-Assiuti Protectorate is unique and different from all the other reserves in Egypt since it is a breeding ground for a wide variety of plants and animals. There are also some endangered species of flora and fauna which can only be seen in the Egyptian deserts. The reserve also contains essential genes and studies of plant genetics being used to modernise agriculture. These are used in the gene bank of some crops and for study and research. There are also some medicinal herbs, wild plants and scattered trees of doum palm and acacia alongside clusters of torrential streams on the side of the Wadi el-Assiut Protectorate. In the reserve area, some wildlife animals like deer and different kinds of reptiles and many non-vertebral animals live under bushes or in rock cracks. However small, Wadi el-Assiut Protectorate in Egypt is vital in maintaining environmental equilibrium and soil fertility and can be an exciting place to visit.
