Oases of Egypt, An oasis is formed from a depression in the desert, offering sulphur-rich springs, wells and trees- and provides a welcome respite from the harshness of the sands. This beautiful diversity of nature can be found mainly in the Western Desert - the most significant of which are Kharga, Dakhla, Farafrah, Bahareya and Siwa.
Siwa -Siwa, the most inaccessible of all Egypt's oases until very recently, is also one of the most fascinating. On the edge of the Great Sand Sea, its rich history includes a visit from Alexander the Great to consult the Oracle of Amun in 331 BC. Siwans have their own culture and customs and they speak a Berber language, Siwi, rather than Arabic. Many women still wear traditional costumes and silver jewellery like those displayed in "The Traditional Siwan House" museum in the town centre. Siwa remains one of the best places to buy jewellery, rugs, baskets and traditional robes and head-dresses, decorated with antique coins.Near the Oracle is a ruined Temple of Amun and the famous Cleopatra Bath, a deep pool of bubbling water where you can bathe.
Bahariya - Set in a depression covering over 2000 sq. km. Bahariya Oasis is surrounded by black hills made up of ferruginous quartzite and dolorite. Most of the villages and cultivated land can be viewed from the top of the 50-metre-high Jebel al-Mi'ysrah, together with the massive dunes which threaten to engulf some of the older settlements. Wildlife is plentiful, especially birds such as wheatears; crops(which only cover a small percentage of the total area) include dates, olives, apricots, rice and corn.
Farafra - Farafra, known as Ta-iht or the Land of the Cow in pharaonic times, is a single village. The most isolated of the New Valley Oases it is renowned for its strong traditions and piety. According to folklore the villagers once lost track of time and had to send a rider to Dakhla so they could hold the Friday prayers on the right day.
Dakhla - Dakhla Oasis is a collection of fourteen different settlements, dominated on its northern horizon by a wall of rose-colored rock. Fertile cultivated areas growing rice, peanuts and fruit are dotted between sand dunes along the roads from Farafra and Kharga in this area of outstanding natural beauty. The capital, Mut, named after the ancient goddess of the Theban Triad, houses the Museum of the Inheritance, a traditional house, with an intricate wooden combination lock. Rooms, with sculpted clay figures, are arranged to show different aspects of Dakhlan culture and family life.
Kharga - Kharga used to be the last but one stop on "The Forty Days Road", the infamous slave-trade route between North Africa and the tropical south. Outside the main center is the Temple of Hibis, built on the site of an 18th dynasty settlement of Saites, Persians and Ptolemies. One of the few Persian monuments in Egypt, the 6th century BC temple is well-preserved with painted vultures and huge relief of Darius greeting Egyptian gods on the outer walls. Ten kilometres away, the Necropolis of al-Bagawat contains 263 mud-brick chapels with Coptic murals, including the Chapel of Peace with images of Adam and Eve and the Ark on its dome and the Chapel of the Exodus with frescoes of pharaonic troops pursuing the Jews, led by Moses, out of Egypt. Pharaonic monuments include the al-Ghuwaytah Temple which dates from 522 BC and the Temple of Amenebis.
