Farafra Oasis

Western Desert

Egypt

February 27, 2020

“Have I landed on the Moon?”

Just a few hours south of Cairo and 45km (28 mi) north of Farafra lies a desert that will make you feel like you’ve landed on an alien landscape.  *

The White Desert, also known as Sahara el Beyda (sahara means desert), is an astonishing and shocking geologic experience. 

Molded by centuries of ventifact erosion and sandstorms, these unique snow-white and cream colored calcium rock formations crop up across the landscape like great abstract statues.

Dakhla Oasis

New Valley Governate

The Western Desert

Egypt

February 28, 2020

The Western Desert of Egypt is alive with splendid scenery, agriculture, friendly local folks, and fascinating archeological sites.

Here are the descriptions of two ancient sites near the oasis town of Dakhla:  the Egyptian Necropolis of Al Muzwaqa and the Roman Temple Deir el-Hagar

Necropolis of Al Muzwaqa

The Necropolis of Al Muzwaqa translates as “the wonderfully decorated tombs.”  They are located north of Mut village near Deir El Hagar. The Necropolis was discovered in 1908 by the American archeologist Herbert Winlock during his excavation missions in the Western Desert of Egypt.

Town of Mut

Dakhla Oasis

New Valley Governate

Western Desert

Egypt

February 28, 2020

Everyone is so friendly here: the boy and his father who are my guides, the gift shop manager and other inhabitants of this  eight hundred year old Islamic fortress town..

The mud construction is supported by the trunks of date palms

The mosque and madrassa are still in use.

Qasr Dakhla

Qasr Dakhla, situated to the north-west of Mut, is one of the fortified Medieval Islamic towns often seen in the oases and said to be the oldest continuously inhabited and the best-preserved settlement of its type in Dakhla. It rests on the Sioh Ridge, nestled beneath the pink limestone escarpment which marks the northern limit of the oasis.

Kharga Oasis

New Valley Governorate

The Western Desert

Egypt

February 28, 2020

I had the good fortune to visit two important Ancient Egyptian sites in the Western Desert.

The Mastaba of Khentika

The Mastaba (Tomb) of Khentika, is located in the center of the necropolis of the 6th Dynasty (2323 -2150 BCE), Egypt’s Old Kingdom.   

Khentika was the governor of the Dakhla Oasis under the reign of Pharaoh Pepi II, (2284 – c. 2216 BCE).

A Mastaba (“bench” in Arabic or Per-djet "house of eternity" in Ancient Egyptian) is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, constructed out of mudbricks or stone.  A deep shaft descends to the underground burial chamber.

The Temple of Hibis*

The Temple of Hibis in the Western Desert is the epitome of Egypt’s function through the ages: a melting pot of cultural influences.

Kharga Oasis

New Valley Governorate

The Western Desert

Egypt

February 27, 2020

I have the good fortune and the time to visit and explore the Al Bagawat Necropolis.

Al Bagawat / Al Bajawat / El Bagawat Necropolis *

The ancient necropolis of Al Bagawat (midway between Kharga and Dakhla) is one of the oldest Christian cemeteries in the world containing 360 Coptic tombs and dating from between the 4^th-7^th Centuries CE.

Early Christians supported the Fifth Century Bishop Nestorius who fled Roman persecution to settle in the Western Desert in Bagawat.   (The Romans ruled in Egypt from 30 BCE to 640 CE.)

Mersa Matruh

Matruh Governate

Egypt

February 23, 2020

Despite our itinerary to spend only one night in Mersa Matruh, I decided to spend two.

I was exhausted after the journey across the desert from the Siwa Oasis.

Except for meals, I never left my hotel room.  

Why leave?  The hotel was called the Belle Vue Hotel.

The view was beautiful across the beach and the  Mediterranean Sea.