A recently paved road leads 23km southeast to the Dush Temple, which has an -H overabundance of heat and isolation. The temple, originally built for the worship of “X Serapis and Isis, dates back to the Roman emperors Justinian, Trajan, and Hadrian, - and is under excavation. The sand is slowly parting, revealing a church and a well with clay pipes leading to an underground city. Pottery shards litter the site. All signs indicate that Dush was once a prosperous area, eventually abandoned as a result of well desiccation. The temple is the tallest structure for miles around.

The easiest way to get to these sights is to hire a taxi for a day from Kharga, but that’s an expensive proposition (up to LE80) unless you have several people. Hitchhiking can be difficult and dangerous-the road is sparsely traveled. There are plenty of shared taxis from Kharga as far as Bulaq (50pt). Catch them at the southern end of An-Nasser St. Each day, two buses go to Baris (2hr., LE1.50) and two return. The 2pm bus to Baris sometimes continues on to Dush (2l/^hr. from Kharga, LEI.50), but doesn’t return until the next morning (6am). Drivers in Baris will make a special round trip to Dush for LE2O (waiting included), but it’s sometimes tough to find an ipsemobile. To get public transportation to Zayan Temple, take the 6am bus to Khartoum (LEI .25) and tell the driver where you want to go. It’s not Khartoum.