The Western Desert, Egypt

Black Desert, Egypt
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_desert-egypt.JPG
Author: Crashsystems


The Western Desert of Egypt is a vast expense of barren wilderness covering close to 3 million square kilometers of the country. It stretches westward from the Nile Valley into Libya in the west and Sudan in the south.

Although the Western Desert occupies two thirds of Egypt, it is practically uninhabited, save for a handful of oases puncturing the otherwise barren landscape. There are five oases in the desert, namely Siwa, Kharga, Dakhla, Farafra and Bahariyya. Apart from Siwa, the rest had at one point or other been under the control of the Pharoahs of ancient Egypt, being crucial stopover points on the caravan routes. Their importance in ancient times is attested by the presence of the ruins of ancient Egyptian temples and Roman fortresses.

White Desert, Egypt
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_neiljs_-_White_desert,_Egypt.jpg
Author: neiljs


Like dew in an ocean of sand, the number of tourists venturing into the inhospitable and hard to reach Western Desert remains just a trickle. Only the most intrepid get to experience its dramatic landscape of jagged rock formations and shifting sand dunes. Those who have made the trip find it to be one of the most memorable chapter of their journey through Egypt.

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