Anthropic patterns of the desert: oasis landscapes in the Eastern Sahara / Trame antropiche del deserto: i paesaggi oasiani nel Sahara Orientale

This essay analyses the environmental dynamics and the consecutive settlement transformations of the northeastern Saharan oases, starting from the Last Wet Period of North Africa (NAHP) and the climatic changes of the last 8,000 years. Looking at the climatic history of the Sahara, it is shown how the desert, far from the common perception of inhospitality, has experienced cycles of great fertility. Here emerges the fundamental role of two northeastern Saharan territorial tracks that have historically acted as bridges between East and West Africa and the Mediterranean and the Upper Nile territories. Along these tracks, which take on a specific hydro-geological connotation, it is possible to read the main oases of this region. The anthropic evolution of these oases begins with a long journey of 8,000 years, starting with the first semi-stationary settlements and ending with the establishment of the first stable desert communities. This transformation shows that what we observe today as the oases' vernacular tradition and achievement of an extraordinary equilibrium with the surrounding environment is the result of a slow process of adaptation, behavioural changes and, above all, catastrophic errors that have often led man to compromise significant portions of the natural landscape. The Qattara region, and particularly the Siwa oasis, are extraordinarily relevant in this process because they were the first to come to terms with the advance of desertification processes, becoming a crossroads of cultural exchange and experimentation.