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Western
Oasis |
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Egypt’s
vast western desert
stretches over nearly 3
million Kilometer square, from the
west bank of the Nile to Libya, and from
Sudan towards the Mediterranean
Sea. Despite covering over two-thirds of
Egypt’s total land area, the desert
is virtually uninhabited, except for
the fertile oases where communities and
crops flourish amid barren desert surroundings. |
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There are
five oases in the Western Desert:
Siwa, Kharga, Dakhla,
Farafra and Bahariya. Except for Siwa, the
oases
have been under the control of the rulers of
the
Nile Valley since Pharaonic times,
when they were
crucial stopping points on
the busy caravan
trading routes from Africa. The
Ptoletmaic temples and
Roman forts dotted around
the oases bear witness to their
past importance and ongoing
archaeological work is continually uncovering
new finds. Each of the Western Desert oases
has its own unique
character. While
the main settlements of Bahariya
and Farafra are still villages, those
of Dakhla and Kharga
are large towns,
surrounded by fascinating historical
sites. In Siwa, isolated
near the Libyan border,
the inhabitants
retain their own language and distinct culture. |
| In the late
1950s a plan was made to
reclaim part of the
desert and relocate thousands of people
from the crowded Nile delta and valley. The
area, covering Bahariya, Farafra,
Dakhla and Kharga
oases, was named the
New Valley. Although
some building began, few people
moved, and financial
constraints together
with the questionable sustainability of the water
supply meant that the project was
virtually abandoned. The Western Desert today
remains one of the few places in
the world where
travelers can experience a feeling of total
isolation. Its sheer scale is overwhelming.
From huge dunes to fantastical
rock formations, the landscape varies dramatically
and camping out overnight in
such astonishing surroundings can be
one of the highlights of a trip to Egypt. |
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