The Western Desert occupies an area of 700,000 km2 and hides dunes, gorges, oases and incredible natural sculptures the color of snow in its most surprising portion.
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| Western Desert Egypt |
Refuge for the caravans that supplied the Nile Valley, half a dozen oases, which mirage, can be linked through the immensity of the Western Desert of Egypt. That of Kharga, the southernmost, largest and most populated of all, is approximately at the height of Luxor, although very far from the pharaonic legacy on the shore of the father of the rivers. And it stands out for its temple of Hibis or the hundreds of chapels of the Al Bagawat necropolis decorated with Christian paintings.
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| Western Desert Egypt |
After about three hours along the great loop that the road that traverses the Western Desert, the next oasis, Dakhla, appears among palm trees, at the foot of some impressive cliffs, with its Roman, Mamluk and Ottoman remains, and its Bedouin-like appearance. biblical trying to keep the sand from moving towards his crops at bay.
Higher up, the show continues through the most isolated Farafra, famous for its healing springs, and then Bahariya. But before reaching this, the spectacular limestone formations of the section known as the White Desert are discovered. These are geological rarities the color of chalk shaped on a whim by the erosion of centuries. Some in the shape of giant mushrooms, others of ice cream cones no less huge or similar to the most diverse animals, their dreamlike image stands on a lunar plain that millions of years ago occupied the ocean floor.
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| Western Desert Egypt |
The off-road safaris that run through the national park climb the towering dunes of this desert, which the most daring dare to surf on a board or cycle around under a blazing sun. Also, by the volcanic crusts of the neighboring Black Desert and the quartz flashes of the Crystal Mountain. But no impression beats that of gazing at these snowy natural sculptures at sunset to see them dyed in the most incredible hues, or waking up at dawn surrounded by them and having to pinch yourself to be sure that you are not dreaming.
The oasis of Bahariya, already very close, made the headlines just two decades ago when the discovery of a necropolis from the Greco-Roman era with about 10,000 mummies in an exceptional state of conservation was announced with great fanfare. Some are on display in the Al-Bawiti village museum, where you can also descend to the Bannentiu or Zed Amun Iuf Ankh tombs to gawk at their fabulous polychrome decoration.
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| Western Desert Egypt |
Further on, it is still possible to go another 400 kilometers into the Sahara to see among the adobe constructions of the Siwa oasis rewards such as its temple to Amun. If he does not arrive, he will have to turn in Bahariya towards Cairo, without losing on the way the oasis, already very close to the capital, of Al Fayoum, with some lakes at the foot of the dunes capable of pulling out a hedge of greenery from such aridity, or the skeletons of the whales that in prehistoric times swam around here and today rest fossilized among the rocky areas.