Bahariya Oasis

Set in a depression covering over 2000 sq. km. Bahariya Oasis is surrounded by black hills made up of ferruginous quartzite and dolerite. 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. The Oasis was a major agricultural center during the Pharaonic era, and has been famous for its wine as far back as the Middle Kingdom. During the fourth century, the absence of Roman rule and violent tribes in the area caused a decline as some of the oasis was reclaimed by the sand.

There are a number of springs in the area, some very hot, such as Bir Al-Ramla but probably the best is Bir Al-Ghaba, about 10 miles north east of Bawiti. There is also Bir al-Mattar: a cold spring which pours into a concrete pool
Otherwise near the Oasis are the Black and White deserts, though traveling to the White desert seems not practical from the oasis. The Black Desert was formed through wind erosion as the nearby volcanic mountains were spewed over the desert floor. There are also the ruins of a 17th Dynasty temple and settlement, and nearby tombs where birds were buried.

The Town of Bawiti :
With some 30,000 inhabitants, Bawiti is the largest village in the oasis; its picturesque hillside quarter overlooks lush palm groves irrigated by the Ain Al-Beshmo, a natural spring hewn from the rock in Roman times which gushes water at 30 degrees C. The neighboring village of Al-Qasr was built on the remains of a 26th dynasty temple-nearby, at Qarat Hilwah, you can still see tombs with paintings dating from the same period. The town center is modern, while outside the center are mud-brick houses. Recently, the town has received considerable press due to the find of a huge (possibly the largest) necropolis of mommies from the Greco-Roman era.