عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Egyptians Look to Make Quick Fortune from Bats' Nests

A wall of a chamber of the tomb of Mehu near Egypt's Saqqara necropolis in Giza. (Reuters)
A wall of a chamber of the tomb of Mehu near Egypt's Saqqara necropolis in Giza. (Reuters)
    Luxor, London - Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
TT

Egyptians Look to Make Quick Fortune from Bats' Nests

A wall of a chamber of the tomb of Mehu near Egypt's Saqqara necropolis in Giza. (Reuters)
A wall of a chamber of the tomb of Mehu near Egypt's Saqqara necropolis in Giza. (Reuters)

In Upper Egypt, the so-called "red mercury" fever has emerged again. People obsessed with this substance have been looking for it in bats' nests, looking to make a fortune.

The red substance is estimated to be worth millions of Egyptian pounds in the markets of archaeological treasures seekers. 

Some have associated the red mercury with bats because their nests are located in the columns and ceilings of ancient Egyptian temples in Luxor and Aswan. 

Many wealthy people, especially in the Arab world, believe that red mercury can extend a person’s life and preserve youth.

Red mercury was rumored to be found in an ancient coffin found in the suburb of Sidi Gaber, Alexandria in July. 

At the time, Dr. Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, refuted the rumors, saying the liquid found inside the coffin was "not the juice of immortality that belongs to mummies," or the so-called red mercury, but rather sewage water.

Sewage had seeped into the coffin through a small leak from the local sewage network.

Archaeologist Mohamed Yehia Oweida told the German news agency that red mercury is "just a myth" and it was never used in ancient Egypt.

The so-called Egyptian or Pharaonic red mercury does not exist, he stressed.

Moreover, until this date, there is no archaeological or scientific evidence that proves that ancient Egyptians used it in mummification.

He denied the rumored discovery of the ancient Egyptians’ so-called "immortality code", which has been sought by humans for centuries.

Oweida highlighted many popular fake myths related to red mercury, such as the discovery of a bottle containing red liquid at the Museum of Mummification in Luxor.

People obsessed with the liquid say the bottle contains red mercury, which can turn cheap metals into precious ones.

He explained that the bottle contained brownish-red liquid. It was found under the mummy of Amun Tefnakht, commander of Egyptian armies who lived during the 27th Dynasty.

The liquid was in fact a residue of some of the materials used in the mummification process, such as sawdust, and resin, aromatic fats and linen rolls.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Tunisia Women Herb Harvesters Struggle with Drought and Heat

A woman harvests aromatic and medicinal plants in the mountains of Tbainia village near the city of Ain Drahem, in the northwest of Tunisia on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
A woman harvests aromatic and medicinal plants in the mountains of Tbainia village near the city of Ain Drahem, in the northwest of Tunisia on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
TT
TT

Tunisia Women Herb Harvesters Struggle with Drought and Heat

A woman harvests aromatic and medicinal plants in the mountains of Tbainia village near the city of Ain Drahem, in the northwest of Tunisia on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
A woman harvests aromatic and medicinal plants in the mountains of Tbainia village near the city of Ain Drahem, in the northwest of Tunisia on November 6, 2024. (AFP)

On a hillside in Tunisia's northwestern highlands, women scour a sun-scorched field for the wild herbs they rely on for their livelihoods, but droughts and rising temperatures are making it ever harder to find the precious plants.

Yet the harvesters say they have little choice but to struggle on, as there are few opportunities in a country hit hard by unemployment, inflation and high living costs.

"There is a huge difference between the situation in the past and what we are living now," said Mabrouka Athimni, who heads a local collective of women herb harvesters named "Al Baraka" ("Blessing").

"We're earning half, sometimes just a third, of what we used to."

Tunisia produces around 10,000 tons of aromatic and medicinal herbs each year, according to official figures.

Rosemary accounts for more than 40 percent of essential oil exports, mainly destined for French and American markets.

For the past 20 years, Athimni's collective has supported numerous families in Tbainia, a village near the city of Ain Draham in a region with much higher poverty rates than the national average.

Women, who make up around 70 percent of the agricultural workforce, are the main breadwinners for their households in Tbainia.

- 'Yield less' -

Tunisia is in its sixth year of drought and has seen its water reserves dwindle, as temperatures have soared past 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas during the summer.

The country has 36 dams, mostly in the northwest, but they are currently just 20 percent full -- a record low in recent decades.

The Tbainia women said they usually harvested plants like eucalyptus, rosemary and mastic year-round, but shrinking water resources and rare rainfall have siphoned oil output.

"The mountain springs are drying up, and without snow or rain to replenish them, the herbs yield less oil," said Athimni.

Mongia Soudani, a 58-year-old harvester and mother of three, said her work was her household's only income. She joined the collective five years ago.

"We used to gather three or four large sacks of herbs per harvest," she said. "Now, we're lucky to fill just one."

Forests in Tunisia cover 1.25 million hectares, about 10 percent of them in the northwestern region.

Wildfires fueled by drought and rising temperatures have ravaged these woodlands, further diminishing the natural resources that women like Soudani depend on.

In the summer of last year, wildfires destroyed around 1,120 hectares near Tbainia.

"Parts of the mountain were consumed by flames, and other women lost everything," Soudani recalled.

To adapt to some climate-driven challenges, the women received training from international organizations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to preserve forest resources.

Still, Athimni struggles to secure a viable income.

"I can't fulfil my clients' orders anymore because the harvest has been insufficient," she said.

The collective has lost a number of its customers as a result, she said.

- 'No longer sustainable' -

A recent study by the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) highlighted how climate-induced damage to forests had severely impacted local communities.

"Women in particular suffer the consequences as their activities become more difficult and arduous," the study said.

Tunisia has ratified key international environmental agreements, including the 2015 Paris Climate Accord.

But environmental justice researcher Ines Labiadh, who oversaw the FTDES study, said implementation "remains incomplete".

In the face of these woes, the Tbainia harvesters, like many women working in the sector, will be forced to seek alternative livelihoods, said Labiadh.

"They have no choice but to diversify their activities," she said. "Relying solely on natural resources is no longer sustainable."

Back in the field, Bachra Ben Salah strives to collect whatever herbs she can lay her hands on.

"There's nothing we can do but wait for God's mercy," she said.