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Western Desert Oasis
The Egyptian western desert has several areas which differ considerably one from another. Rocky desert, flat plateaus, fertile depressions, sand dunes, and large mountains create different types of desert each with its own inhabitants. The only area where life is non existent is the so-called Great Sand Sea, the largest and most dangerous sand desert in the world which swallows evertyhing on its path.
Siwa Oasis
Siwa on the edge of Egypt’s Great Sand Sea lies 18 meters below sea level and is the most secluded of all Egypt’s oases. Alexander the Great came here and was declared a god after he consulted the oracle of Amun in Siwa in 331 BC.
This historical oasis has many natural springs with water surfacing bubbling hot from 15 to 20 meters depth. Cleopatra is said to have bathed here. Many of the springs are spacious enough for bathing and the locals won’t mind you doing that, either. The people of Swia have their own culture and traditions and speak instead of Arabic a Berber language called Siwi. In the center of the town a beautiful traditional local Siwa house serves as a museum.
Siwa offers a wide range of beautiful traditional handicrafts: baskets made of palm and decorated with colored threads, embroidered fabrics and dresses, and the famous and highly prized Siwan Silver Jewels, including elaborate necklaces with pendants in various shapes, large bracelets and rings, and heavy earrings with chains and bells – being too heavy to be worn as earrings, they are left hanging on both sides of the head suspended from a leather strip.
The Town of Mut
Mut is probably the most “tourist friendly” village in the Dakhla Oasis with accommodations and amenities including a number of hot Sulphur springs. Winding narrow streets lead around old mud-brick houses and to the remains of an old citadel which once was of the old town. There is also a medieval cemetery on the outskirts of the village.
Al-Qasr Village
Al-Qasr at the foot of limestone cliffs and at the edge of the lush oasis, has changed little since medieval times. The town was built on Roman ruins, has narrow streets and contains nowadays a population of about 700. There are 54 lintels adorning the old houses, some dating from the Ottoman and Mamluk era, one dates back to 492 AD. The mosque is from the Ayyubid period. It has a 21 meters high mud-brick minaret and wooden lintels at the entrances decorated with inscriptions from the Koran. The local madrassa (school) and an old house have been renovated and are open to visitors.
Baharia Oasis
300 kilometers southwest of Cairo lies the Oasis of Baharia. Little is left from the pharaonic era. The Greco-Roman period on the other hand is represented by one of the most important archaeological discoveries of this century, a huge cemetery (about 6 square kilometers) in the area of El-Bawiti, the capital of Baharia. More than one hundred mummies, beautifully decorated - some covered with a layer of gold, some wearing painted masks, some buried in pottery coffins and some wrapped in linen - have been discovered until today. Archaeologists expect to excavate over 10,000 mummies in the near future.
The Oasis Heritage Museum in Bawiti
Located at Bawiti in the Baharia Oasis, the Oasis Heritage Museum provides an allround history of the life in this desert oasis. On display are clothing and jewelry along with clay figures engaged in typical oasis activities.
Valley of The Mummies
The Valley of the Mummies is a very recent find and the largest mummy necropolis in Egypt until today. The complex was discovered when a donkey nearly fell into one of the tombs. More than hundred mummies have already been excavated. Archaeologists believe to find perhaps 10,000 in all, including kings and nobles. The cemetery dates to the Greco-Roman era and is located near Bawiti at the Baharia Oasis.
Farafra
Farafra, known as Ta-iht or the Land of the Cow in pharaonic times, is a single village. The most isolated of the New Valley Oases, it is known for its strict traditions and piety. The oldest part of the village on a hillside is next to peaceful palm groves; a short ride away hot sulphur springs at Bir Setta and swimming in the El Mufid Lake provide a relaxing brake.
Very little is known about Farafra before the Roman period of which a few remains have been found. In terms of antiquities there is little to see, but the surrounding desert offers more than one spectacular view. The area north-east of Qasr Farafra is called White Desert and is definitely worth a visit (better by 4X4). Here snow white chalk monoliths have slowly eroded into huge strange and suggestive shapes that extend for kilometers creating a magnificent view.
Qasr Al-Farafra
The only real village in the Farafra Oasis, Qasr Al-Farafra, is a quiet and relaxing place with only a few tourist accommodations in the area. Most of the description of Farafra Oasis applies to the town itself.