A colony of Siwa inhabitants settled in the Bahariya Oasis at the beginning of the 19th century.

Paul Ascherson, in his article “Die Bewohner der Kleinen Oase in der Libyschen Wüste,” mentions a colony of Siwa inhabitants who settled in the Bahariya Oasis. This community, already established during Cailliaud's time (early decades of the 19th century), lived in a small locality called Adjuseh, near Mendisheh. A remarkable aspect is that these Siwan settlers preserved their original Berber dialect for at least three generations alongside the Arabic language, demonstrating strong cultural and linguistic resilience. Furthermore, knowledge of the Siwan Berber language was also widespread among other inhabitants of the Bahariya Oasis, thanks to frequent trade exchanges with Siwa.

It is likely that these long-established Siwans in Bahariya managed the trade relations between the two oases.

#Siwa #Bahariya