Wadi El Natrun

Wadi El Natrun (lit. 'Valley of Natron', Coptic: ⲓⲏⲧ, Šihēt, lit. 'measure of the heart') is a depression in northern Egypt that is located 23 m (75 ft) below sea level and 38 m (125 ft) below the Nile River level. The valley contains several alkaline lakes, natron-rich salt deposits, salt marshes and freshwater marshes. In Christian literature, the region is usually referred to as Scetis (in Hellenistic Greek) or Skete (plural in ecclesiastical Greek). It is one of the three early Christian monastic centres located in the Nitrian Desert of the northwestern Nile Delta. The other two monastic centres are Nitria and Kellia. Scetis, now called Wadi El Natrun, is best known today for its ancient monasteries that still remain in use, unlike Nitria and Kellia, which only have archaeological remains. The desertified valley around Scetis in particular may be called the Desert of Scetis.

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