Dr. Nagy I. Zoltán szerk.: Fragmenta Mineralogica Et Palaentologica 7. 1976. (Budapest, 1976)

He gave the Luxor Formation an Early Eocene (Ypresian) age, while the Drunka Formation an early Middle Eocene (basal Lutetian) age. KENAWY (1972) recorded 16 species of large foraminifera from the Triebes Formation at Taramsa section, west of Qena, and subdivided the succession into two zones: 1. Upper Nummulites planulatus Zone, rich with N. planulatus together with N. burdigalensis

, N. partschi

, N. aquitanicus

, N. murchisoni

, N. pratti

, N_. aff. distams

; Discocyclina stephensoni

, D. mestieri and Aktinocyclina sp

. He attributed this zone to the Upper Ypresian. 2. Lower, Nummulites solitarius Zone which is characterized by the presence of Nummulites solitarius

, N. globulus, N. atacicus and Operculina Libyca of Lower Ypresian age. OMAR A, EL-TAHLAWI and KHALIFA (1972) studied the area of Gabal El-Shaghab, near Esna, and divided the Lower Eocene rocks there into three rock units from base to top as follows: 1. The Hamidat Member composed of limestone with pelecypod casts, particularly Lucina thebaica. 2. The Dabbabia Member composed of chalky limestone with Nummulites sp. and Operculina sp. 3. The Shaghab Member composed of highly fossiliferous silicified limestone. Moreover, these authors divided the succession into five biostratigraphic zones based on microforaminifera: 1. Globoratalia subbotinae - Pseudohastigerina wilcoxensis Zone of lower Lower Eocene age. 2. Lucina thebaica Zone of lower Lower Eocene also. 3. Nummulites atacicus Zone of middle Lower Eocene. 4. Operculina libyca Zone of middle Lower Eocene. 5. Ostrea multicostata Zone of upper Lower Eocene. The above review of literature, clearly shows that the distribution of large foraminifera in the Lower Eocene rocks of Egypt has not been thoroughly surveyed yet. In order to fulfill this requirement the large foraminifera of the siliceous and chalky limestones of Gabal El Shaghab on the eastern side of the Nile Vally, about 25 km north of Esna (Fig. 1) are studied i in some detail and the exact age of the succession is accordingly deduced.