The Roads to Baris & to Assyut If you’ve got time to spare, take the road along the old 40-day camel trail south to Baris. This legendary caravan route extended from western Sudan all the way to the Egyptian Nile Valley. The numerous ancient ruins in the small oases south of Kharga substantiate the claim that Egypt’s current rulers are not the first to take special interest in this remote district.

Vast sandscapes are all that thrive between Kharga and Khwita Temple, 17km to the south. The impressive 10m walls of the temple-c«m-fortress command a hill 2km east of the road. The temple, dedicated to Amon, Mut, and Khonsu, rises above a complex of adobe and sandstone-remnants of a once-flourishing Ptolemaic settlement. (Admission LE8, students LE4. Caretaker should be around from around 8am-6pm.) At the 25km mark you’ll come across shaded Nasser Wells, and, farther on, the better-developed Bulaq Wells, which offers a modern government-run rest house (beds LE4.25) and hot springs that encourage participants to let off steam. Nasser Wells spew forth ferrous water, so the pools are full of precipitated iron oxide, glooping gelatinously to the swimmer. Zayan Temple, a mud and brick structure dedicated to Amon, is 5km east of Nasser Weils near the village of Araf, on a road that loops around from die north of Khwita Temple to a point north of Bulaq.

Sights

The piece de resistance of the New Valley’s tourism drive is the spanking new Museum of Antiquities, on An-Nasser St. 500m south of the tourist office. Displays illuminate the history of the oases. (Open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-2pm. Admission LE10. students LE5.)

Welcome, if only temporary, relief from Kharga’sNewTowncanbe found in the narrow alleyways of the Old Town. Locally made ceramics, carpets, and souvenir beef entrails and heads are available in the souk, which begins at Showla Sq. Surrounding the market are Kharga’s original mud-and-brick homes. Most have fallen prey to neglect as waves of migrant tenants have afforded owners the opportunity to move to modern quarters. Ambling from Showla Sq. on Salah Salem St. you will come upon a large intersection in the market; turn right and then left, after 50m, under a short thatched roof to explore the passageways of Sendediya Alley (Ads Darb as-Sendediya). This sunken walkway meanders under homes and the enormous wooden lintels that support them.
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Accommodations and Food

The two low-budget alternatives in town are passable, if nothing more. The Waha Hotel (tel. 90 03 93) dominates the intersection of An-Nasser and An-Nabawy St. The floors and walls bear many reminders of erstwhile clients, but the linen and bathrooms are clean. Splurge on a room with bath for the luxury of a ceiling fan. (Singles LE5, with bath LE10.50. Doubles LE8, with bath LE14.) New Valley Tourist Homes, 23 July St. (tel. 90 07 28), is next to a large church, 200m west of An-Nasser St. The turn-off from An-Nasser St.

is midway between the tourist office and a mosque; look for the sign facing north on An-Nasser St. Known only as “Metalco” to locals, this hotel’s 14 bungalows, surrounded by giant sunflowers, resemble barracks for migrant workers. (Simple rooms with semi-private baths. No water 1 lpm-5am. LE3.65 per person.) Both the Hamadulla Hotel (tel. 90 06 38), 300m south of An-Nasser St., about lkm east of the tourist office, and the Kharga Hotel (tel. 90 15 00), at the northern end of An-Nasser St., cater mainly to groups and offer over-priced beds and food.

Orientation and Practical Information Kharga lies closest to the Nile Valley of all the oases in Egypt’s Western Desert-240km from Assytit via a passable road. The greenery begins about 20km north of the town of Kharga, the capital of the New Valley. A newly paved road heads south from Kharga, skirting sand dunes and small oases en route to Bulaq (15km south), Baris (90km south), and numerous smaller settlements in between.

In sprawling Kharga town, the main road is Gamal Abd an-Nasser Street. It becomes the road to Assyut at its northern end and intersects with the road to Dakhla several blocks south near Cinema Hibis. A few blocks farther south, An-Nasser St. intersects with An-Nabawy al-Mohandis Street, which connects New and Old Kharga, 3km to the southeast. Ash-Showla Square, the cynosure of Old Kharga, is linked to An-Nabawy St. by Port Said St. Convenient covered truck-taxis scurry between Showla Sq. and the Hotel Al-Kharga at the northern end of An Nasser St. (lOpt). The layout can be confusing at first, but Rifa’at at the tourist office will draw you a comprehensive map.

Kharga

Egypt’s most convincing attempt at a desert boomtown is the city of Kharga, the most accessible and developed of all the oases. Since the New Valley Project. Khar-ga’s population has approached six digits. Model villages have sprung up all over the oasis to house the peasants who work the fledgling fields. Aesthetics, however, do not appear to be high on the local priority list. The town looks functional, even by Egyptian standards, and the Old Town, while not quite lifeless, is not overly inspiring or appealing. A handful of nearby monuments add a touch of flavor but can’t lift the ugly duckling label from this town. Still, the broad, uncrowded streets and bountiful greenery make a pleasant change for Nile Valley veterans.

Sights Don’t linger in mangy Mut. The only sight is the Dakhia Ethnographic Museum, whose exhibits explain traditional oasis culture through a reconstruction of a typical Dakhlan family dwelling. Expressive clay figurines created by the artist Mabruk recreate scenes of village life, including the’preparation of a bride for marriage and the celebration of a pilgrim’s return from the hajj. The museum is located next to Hotel Dar al-Wafden in eastern Mut. Visits can be arranged through the tourist offiee or by contacting Ibrahim Kamel Abdallah, the museum’s curator. Reach him at the Ministry of Culture office (tel. 94 13 11), the multi-story building on New Valley St. north of Hamdy Restaurant (he’s usually there between 8am-2pm and 6-9pm), or at home (tel. 94 17 69). The admission fee is LEI.

Use the capital as a base for travel to the outlying villages. The most edifying day-trip is to the western village of Al-Qasr, 32km northwest of Mut on the main highway. The charming contemporary town was built in and around the substantial remains of Dakhla’s medieval Islamic capital. Its mud buildings remain cool in summer and warm in winter. The old village of Al-Qasr lies slightly to the north (400m) of the main road through the new village. At the western edge of town on the main road is a large map of Al-Qasr, visible from the road. Underneath the map is a small exhibit on traditional Dakhlan culture. Within the old village itself, occasional arrows direct you to the main sights.

Accommodations and Food

There are three hotels in downtown Mut, all more than a little warm in summer. The Tourist Rest House by the bus station is almost clean, but oh-so-steamy and full of flies (LE3-80 per bed). The best option in town is the Gardens Hotel (tel. 94 15 77), which has clean, breezy rooms with fans, and a pleasant, palm-shaded garden out back. From the bus station, turn right at the mosque and continue one block past Hamdy’s Restaurant; you’ll find the hotel on your right. (Singles LE6, with bath LE8. Doubles LEU, with bath LE12.) Further along past Anwar’s Restaurant is the grungy and sweltering Dar al-Wafden Hotel. (LE3 for a bed, LE4.5O for a bed made special by a slab of carpet on the floor.)

A little to the north along the Farafra highway, Dakhla’s package-tour hotel, The Mebarez (tel. 94 15 24), offers nothing you won’t find much more cheaply at The Gardens. Three km east of town, the Rest House, 100m to the left of the Farafra road next to the hot ferrous spring and murky pool, has quaint rooms, private baths, and only partially effective screens (LE4.25 per person). Thirty-two km down the road from Mut in the village of Al-Qasr, also along the main highway, is a rest house with large clean rooms (LE5 per person). Finally, camping is a very viable option. The area behind the hot springs has many dunes and few insects. A number of the nearby springs also provide good spots at which to pitch tents.
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Orientation and Practical Information

Farthest from Cairo of all the oases, Dakhla lies 310km from Farafra and 200km from Kharga. The center of the oasis is Mut (pronounced MOOT; named for the Egyptian goddess whose husband was Amon), a modern upgrowth and capital. West Mawhub, 80km west of Mut, and Tineida, 45km east of Mut, are smaller repositories of green at die boundaries of the oases. The cultivated regions dot the main, well-paved highway. These areas are centered at Al-Qasr, 32km west of Mut; Balaatand Bashendi, 3540km east of Mut; and the capital itself.

Life in Mut centers around Tahrir Square and New Mosque Square, lkm south along New Valley Street. Tahrir Sq. encompasses the intersection of New Valley St. and the east-west Kharga-Farafra Highway.
Tourist Information Office: In spanking new buildings opposite Abu Muhammad’s Restaurant, about 750m away from Tahrir Sq. on the road to Al-Qasr and Farafra (tel. 94 04 07; home tel. 94 17 58 or 94 16 54), in Mut. Ibrahim Muhammad Hassan and Omar Ahmed go the distance to provide assistance. Open Sun.-Thurs. 8am-2pm, but feel free to call at other times.

Dakhla

Dakhla’s fields, rice paddies, and fruit orchards stubbornly hold out against the harsh, engulfing desert. At two junctures the desert does indeed consume the greenery, segmenting Dakhla into three separate oases, but 65,000 Dakhlans are the clear victors in the struggles of water versus stone and farmer versus dune. Basking in government attention, the people of Dakhla have reclaimed this recalcitrant wasteland, planting peanuts and rice before introducing more fragile crops.

The New Valley Project may have rendered the town of Kharga unappealing to visitors, but in Dakhla-dubbed the “pink oasis” for the pink cliffs jabbing the horizon-something of the opposite has occurred. While in oases such as Siwa and Farafra development seems to be enervating local culture, in Dakhla the local oasians beam under broad-brimmed straw hats that look like the offspring of a liaison between a bowler and a sombrero, and share their infectious enthusiasm with visitors. In the villages around Mut, visitors will come closer to the traditional life of the oases prior to development than anywhere else in the New Valley.

The Road To Dakhla

The 310km road from Farafra to Dakhla was constructed in 1982 but is rapidly deteriorating. Much of its foundation is made of chalky rock, heaped up to prevent the road and vehicles on it from slipping into the quicksand on either side: be careful where you step off the road. Shifting dunes obscured the southern part of this road for years, making travel between Dakhla antl Farafra an unpredictable undertaking. The road is now kept partially clear, but still sees markedly little traffic. Don’t bank on receiving your American Express refund in these parts.

Ten km south of Farafra you’ll come to a tiny, uninhabited oasis officially considered part of the town. The villages take care to cultivate the land here; occasionally a skein of sheeply farmers gambol across the road but otherwise the spot is deserted and quiet-and the best place in the area to pitch a tent. Still farther down the road toward Dakhla, about 50km from Farafra, is the diminutive, sparsely inhabited Oasis of Sheikh Merzuq, where you’ll find a sulphur spring with a viaduct carrying water into a concrete pool. The pool is a refreshing spot for men to take a dip; women will have to settle for a sweat bath. The local Bedouin will show you the way to an ancient Roman well, where fresh water blurbles from a deep spring. These watering holes can only be reached via private transport; the bus doesn’t stop here long enough for you to look around.

Sights

In town, me Art Museum, the self-indulgent project of local artist Badr, displays his expressive sculptures and paintings, many of which depict life in Farafra. Mounted local wildlife and an exhibit of Farafran artifacts complete the collection. The museum is near Saad’s Restaurant, about 100m to the northwest behind a school; it’s a mud-brick building with a decorated facade. (Open capriciously.

Con tributions welcome.) Many of Badr’s murals also adorn the outside walls of local houses. In the middle of the village, 800m west of the cafe and the main road, a tepid spring gushes into a pool. Men can refresh themselves here, or wash their laundry surrounded by the stupendously scintillating stars. The hot Well #6 (Bir Sitta), 4km west of the Farafra town, is an idyllic spot to swim and camp. Al-Mufid, a lake 10km from town, is just warm enough for swimming in summer. Hamdy, who operates from Saad’s Restaurant, will organize a variety of excursions by taxi, jeep, or camel. An overnight excursion into the surreal and eerie White Desert goes for LE200 for a group of six or seven, including food.

Practical Information, Accommodations, and Food Three government establishments accommodate guests in Farafra. The Youth House, adjoining the cafe which doubles as the bus station, has some rooms (more like barracks) and an outhouse facility. You can also move a bed or mattress under a vine-covered canopy-the cooler option in summer. (LE2.25, mosquito nets 75pt.) 100m down the road, the government rest house boasts more conventional toilet facilities and rooms that are cleaner by a hair (LE3.45). About lkm further along the road to Bahariya stands the brand-new Tourist Rest House which, with clean rooms and bathrooms, is the most pleasant place to stay (beds LE9-35). Camping in the nearby desert is always an option. You might also take up some of the locals on their offers of hospitality.

Between the hostelries sit the police station and, 30m west, the post office. Saad’s Restaurant by the government rest house, the cafe by the bus station, and Husseini’s Restaurant in between offer omelettes (LEI), macaroni (IJE2), kufta, fuul, soup, jam, and bread (depending on availability) at reasonable prices.
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Farafra

With a population of 3000, Farafra is the smallest of Egypt’s major oases, supporting only two extended families. The oasis is also one of Egypt’s most photogenic: the explosion of lush foliage perches on a sloping hill like a bright green fortress. Tiny dirt paths tip-toe through the gardens behind Farafra’s single immaculate settlement; nearby hot springs bubble through the desert floor.

The Roads from Cairo & to Farafra

As you leave metropolitan Cairo you’ll pass just north of the Pyramids of Giza. Beyond lies October 6th City, one of Egypt’s new planned cities whose name and purpose might have easily been lifted from an anti-utopian novel, designed to accommodate a share of the country’s burgeoning population. On the approach to Bahariya, the entire landscape slurches into a deep shade of red. Vast deposits of iron here are quarried by a huge iron mine just off the highway 40km before Bawiti.

Heading southwest toward Farafra you leave the fertility of Bawiti behind. Look for the tiny oasis of Al-Heiz, 40km to the southwest. The modern settlement (5km east of the main road on a gravel track) is a puny remnant of the sizable, prosperous community that flourished in early Christian times. About 2km down the gravel track from the main road lie sundry and substantial remains of an early church and military camp. (LE5O per truckload as a daytrip from Bawiti.)
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Sights

Nature-not man-is the area’s real attraction. Several local operators organize trips to nearby sights, and they will find you shortly upon arrival. Bir al-Matthar, a cold spring, lies 6km southeast of Bawiti. The slightly sulphurous water pours out of a viaduct into a small shaded cement pool. Taxis to this popular place cost LE10 round-trip. The “road” (really a desert track; drivers beware) to Bir al-Matthar continues southeast through the desert to Bir al-Ghaba, 15km from Bawiti, with both a hot and cold spring in another sumptuous oasis landscape. Both men and women can swim in this deserted spot; taxi LE25 round-trip. A steamy spring, 2.5km out of the town center, is within walking distance. On a slightly bizarre and unusual note, a large natural pyramid, surrounded and topped by dunes, lies within the range of local tour operators about 9km away.

Archeological sites of some interest cluster around Bawiti and Al-Qasr, the older city adjacent to Bawiti in the west. The Tomb of Bannentiu, on the eastern outskirts of Bawiti, was discovered by Ahmed “Oasis” Fakhry and dates from the 26th dynasty. Its central and burial chambers are decorated with fairly well-preserved painted reliefs, including murals of the journeys of the sun and moon. The tomb is currently closed for restoration and preservation work; ask locally about when it will be reopened. Fakhry, the bodacious oasis man, has discovered a many-chambered ibis burial, 500m south of Bawiti, where sacred ibises, falcons, and quails were interred in jars.

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Accommodations and Food

It’s hard to keep track of all the forced closures, re-openings, and re-namings of Bawiti’s hotels. Currently, tourists have five options. The Hotel Alperblick is the cleanest and most inviting, but also the most expensive ("economy” singles LE10, with bath LE25; breakfast included). Continuing the inexplicable and inappropriate alpine theme, the government’s Edelweiss (or Paradise) Hotel offers grimy rooms and dark bathrooms for LE3 per person, but it does have fans and a small garden canopy groaning with grapes. Several signs or any local can show you these two hotels near the main road.

Further afield, you can catch a free ride from the bus to Ahmad’s Safari Camp 4km south of the center of town. Rather dirty rooms and bathrooms retail at LE5 per person, LE10 with bath. The metal sheds for LE3 are infernally hot in summer. No hot water except from the nearby springs. Although there’s a shop, a restaurant, and free transport to the town, you are isolated here. Venture to the Rest House at Bir al-Matthar only if you seek masochistic mortification of the flesh: foodless, waterless, powerless, dirty bungalows isolated in the middle of a desert landscape tastefully decorated with dead trees are a suicidal steal at LE5. If sanitation concerns you, avoid Saleh’s Campground at Bir Ghaba (lump of concrete in straw hut LE5). How ever, the springs in the area, particularly Bir Ghaba, afford enticing settings for campers with their own transport.
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Practical Information All services in Bawiti are on or just off a 0.5km stretch of the main road. Starting from the west end, you’ll find the bus station, hospital, telephone office (open 8am-midnight), police station, and gas stations. The telephone code is 10; to reach any place in town, dial 10404 and ask the operator to connect you. The tourist office, within the Bahariya village government compound, is staffed by convivial city council member Muhammad. (Officially open Sat.-Thurs. 8am-2pm.) Water in Bahariya is on from 7am until noon and 4pm until 10pm, though hotel storage tanks sometimes provide added relief.

After Kharga, Bahariya ranks as the most accessible of the oases in Egypt’s Western Desert. From Cairo, a 400km road leads past the Pyramids of Giza and southwest across the desert to Bawiti. The distance can be covered in four or five hours by private car. Two buses per day leave from Al-Azhar station in Cairo (LE10, with A/C LE12). Book one to two days in advance to secure a seat. From Bahariya, there is a daily bus to Cairo at 7am and at least one additional bus at noon or 4pm (LE10-15).

To purchase tickets and resen’e seats, head to the inconspicuous second-ston’ office above the telephone office in Bahariya (open 7-9am and roughly 9-1 lpm). Buses run from Farafra every day except Wednesday (LE7). Buses run through Farafra to Dakhla (Tues., Fri., and Sun., noon), or just to Farafra (Mon., Thurs., and Sat., 2pm). Each day a few service taxis travel between Cairo and Bahariya (ordinarily in afternoon or evening, LEI 5), leaving from the front of the Popular Restaurant. Taxis from Cairo leave from the inconspicuous Qahwa al-Wahia Cafe, on a corner of Sharia Qadry, a few blocks south of Port Said St., west of the Citadel in the Sayyida district.

Bahariya

This small oasis is historically significant as a stopover for caravans traveling between the Nile Valley and the rest of North Africa. Since pharaonic times, the arrival of merchants and their heavily laden camels was a major event in Bahariya; for many centuries, pilgrims on their way to Mecca would join traders on the trans-desert trek and enjoy an enthusiastic welcome from the Bahariyan faithful. Nowadays, when tourism is up, it’s caravans of rip-roaring European adventurers gallivanting through the oasis in Land Rovers that cause the intense noise pollution in Bahariya. Because of its relative proximity to Cairo, Bahariya attracts many foreign visitors who crave a couple days of desert but no more.

Bahariya’s ancient ruins are scanty and largely inaccessible, and Bawiti, the main village, is unappealing. However, nearby gardens and springs and the desert compensate. The town offers conveniences including several food stores, a market, two or three coffee shops, and a gas station. Thus, if you’re headed to Farafra, this is a great spot to refuel both body and auto.

Some Tips

The best alternative to hosteling in the oases is camping. Most fertile land here belongs to farmers who’ll usually permit you to pitch your tent. The ideal spot is just outside the main town of an oasis, where you can usually find a small pool of water and the sound of silence. The desert itself is also a viable option. Generally the area is free of dangerous fauna. Cool temperatures and breezes carry away the mosquitoes to feast on rest house guests, and sand is a comfortable mattress substitute. Each oasis has at least one bearable and cheap hotel or rest house.

Stockpiling water is wise, as only Farafra has a 24-hr, water supply. Local water, since it is groundwater, tastes much better than other Egyptian municipal water and is generally safe to drink. Food is readily available in the main towns of all the oases. In each oasis, you’ll become aware of the local mafia: in Dakhla, Hamdy Abu Muhammad (of restaurant fame) and Nasser (of Hand-Made Hotel fame) are brothers; in Farafra, Sa’ad rules the roost in cahoots with his brothers Hamdy and Nasser.

Some Tips

The best alternative to hosteling in the oases is camping. Most fertile land here belongs to farmers who’ll usually permit you to pitch your tent. The ideal spot is just outside the main town of an oasis, where you can usually find a small pool of water and the sound of silence. The desert itself is also a viable option. Generally the area is free of dangerous fauna. Cool temperatures and breezes carry away the mosquitoes to feast on rest house guests, and sand is a comfortable mattress substitute. Each oasis has at least one bearable and cheap hotel or rest house.

Stockpiling water is wise, as only Farafra has a 24-hr, water supply. Local water, since it is groundwater, tastes much better than other Egyptian municipal water and is generally safe to drink. Food is readily available in the main towns of all the oases. In each oasis, you’ll become aware of the local mafia: in Dakhla, Hamdy Abu Muhammad (of restaurant fame) and Nasser (of Hand-Made Hotel fame) are brothers; in Farafra, Sa’ad rules the roost in cahoots with his brothers Hamdy and Nasser.

Getting Around

Daily buses run from the Al-Azhar bus station in Cairo to Bahariya, Kharga, Dakhla, and’Farafra. A special air-conditioned bus runs from Ataba Sq. in Cairo to Kharga and Dakhla even’ morning. Inexpensive buses also run from the town of Assyut, halfway down the Nik, to Kharga and Dakhla. Between the various oases, bus travel is even more chaotic than in the rest of Egypt. Published schedules are the roughest of guesstimates, and bus officials, townies, and passers-by ail peddle wildly contradic tory and inaccurate departure times.

Ask as many people as possible, follow the con sensus, arrive early, and be prepared to wait. Kharga is also served by airplane from Cairo Aerodrome (every Sun. and Wed., LE300). Service taxis travel to Bahariya from Cairo, and to Kharga from Assyut. (See the individual chapters on the oases, Cairo, and Assyut for detailed transportation information.) Some people hitchhike from one oasis to the next, but they often have to wait a day or so for a ride, especially between Farafra and Dakhla. The military checkpoints outside each oasis are the most ideal hitching spots. In the heat and isolation, hitchers run a real risk-Let’s Go doesn’t recommend it.

Western Desert Oases

Scattered through the expanses of the Western Desert, the oases dot the sea of sand and rock like little green archipelagos. Hot and cold springs, groves of oranges and dates, rice paddies, and fields of watermelons and cucumbers flourish astonishingly amidst the imposing desert. Though the Bedouin and Egyptian fellaheen who dwell beside the robust fields greet strangers with comforting hospitality, this is an adventure for the rugged. Getting around is more difficult than along the Nile and tourist facilities are token gestures at best.

The series of oases sprinkled throughout the Sahara-Kharga, Dakhla, Farafra, and Bahariya-marks the trail of a prehistoric branch of the Nile. A flow of water from the Sudan supposedly replenished the aquifers annually. This bounty of water has been an impetus for development in crowded and largely water-starved Egypt. In 1958, the government released studies that showed considerable stores of water below the desert floor, accessible with new techniques of drilling deeper wells.