Balat, Egypt Explained

Balat
Unit Pref:Metric
Population Total:3,794
Population As Of:2006
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:EST
Utc Offset1:+02:00
Native Name:بلاط
Native Name Lang:ar
Settlement Type:Town
Image Alt:Old village
Subdivision Name: Egypt
Subdivision Name1:New Valley
Subdivision Type1:Governorate
Subdivision Type:Country
Pushpin Map:Egypt
Coordinates:25.564°N 29.2658°W
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Egypt
Pushpin Label Position:bottom

Balat (Arabic: بلاط, from [1]), is a small town in the New Valley Governorate, Egypt. Its population was estimated at 3,700 people in 2006.

Geography

The town lies in the eastern part of the Dakhhla Oasis in Egypt. Three kilometers to the northeast at Ain 'Asil (Arabic عين أصيل) was a settlement from the Old Kingdom. The northern part of the settlement was surrounded by a wall. There was the palace of the governor (head of the oasis) and other administrative buildings. In the south, among other things, there were significant remains of houses and potteries.

History

The place exists probably only since the second half of the 14th century. The name Balāṭ el-Malik, occasionally used by locals, means ruler's seat. The old village center is located on the south side of the trunk road to Muṭ, the "modern" settlement extends on the north side.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Peust . Carsten . Die Toponyme vorarabischen Ursprungs im modernen Ägypten . 20.
  2. Michel Valloggia: Dakhla Oasis, Balat. In: Kathryn A. Bard: Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. Routledge, London 1999, pp. 216–219.