Christianity was introduced into Egypt in the early part of the Roman domination, and spread rapidly through the country, although the national Egyptian or Coptic Church was not established until A.D. 451. Judging by the size and importance of the cemetery at the south end of Jebel Têr, and by the numerous monasteries, Christianity must have had a great following in the oasis of Kharga. During this period many of the temples in Upper Egypt were converted into churches, and it was not until A.D. 640, when the Caliphs conquered the country, that Christianity began to wane. The Christian Necropolis lies 1 kilometre north of the temple of Hibis, on the southern extremity of the foot-hills of Jebel Têr. The cemetery, known at the present day as ‘El Baguat,’ consists of a great number of tombs built of unburnt brick, the majority showing a considerable amount of architectural decoration. The buildings cover a large area, and are to a certain extent laid out in streets, which, as Ball remarks, give the place the appearance more of a strange deserted town than of a graveyard. Some are small tombs, noticeable for their simple beauty; others are large mausolea and sanctuaries, richly ornamented with columns, pilasters, and arches. Almost without exception the tombs are surmounted by domes, though, owing to the walls being carried up beyond the base of the dome, the latter is not always conspicuous from the outside.[6] The interior walls are invariably plastered and whitewashed, and covered with numerous Greek and Arabic inscriptions, the old Egyptian ‘Tau,’ the sign of eternal life, being frequently displayed. In addition, the walls and domes are in some cases ornamented with crude coloured designs. The pictures have, unfortunately, been mostly hacked to pieces or covered by Arabic writings, so that there are now only two tombs in which the original paintings are anything like intact. On the dome of one of these, near the south end of the cemetery, a number of familiar Biblical personages are represented in colours, their names being inscribed in Greek characters immediately above. Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sara and Isaac, Christ, Paul, and others are clearly distinguishable.