II. OASES ATTRACTIONS:
A. BAHARIYA OASIS:
*Local Tour includes a drive thru Bahariya’s lush palm groves, a visit to the Salty Lake, climbing Pyramid Mountain near the area where Africa’s largest dinosaur was found, and a visit to English Mountain (tallest mountain in the Oasis) where an old British WWI lookout still exists. Local tours can also include a dip in Bahariyas numerous hot or cold springs, a walk-thru one of the old Bedouin villages, and a visit to Bahariya’s Ethnic museum (small extra fee for museum admission).
*Antiquities Tour includes a visit to the Museum of the Valley of the Golden Mummies where 10 mummies are on exhibit. The tombs of Bennentiu and Zed ef-Ankh Amun (two 26th Dynasty wealthy land owners), the 26th Dynasty temples and chapels of Ain Muftella, and the only temple in Egypt that was dedicated to Alexander the Great.
*Sand Dunes Tour includes off-road 4x4 mini-safaris thru medium to large sand dunes southwest of the Oasis.
B. DAKHLA OASIS:
*Balat: is in the Dakha oasis, and consists of two ancient Egyptian tombs and one Sheikh’s tomb in which you can talk to the wall on one side, and the person on the other side can hear your voice through the wall closest to him.
*Beshendi: is an a series of underground tombs and structures dating to the ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom. Excavations are currently going on.
*Deir el-Hagar: is a Egyptian/Roman temple in the Dakhla oasis dedicated to Amun, Mut, Khonsu, and Seth . It has Christian/Roman graffiti and deserted tombs are nearby.
*Qasr Dakhla: is the 1000 year-old Bedouin town in the Dakhla oasis. It is filled with tight, winding streets, stairs, many-floored mud brick building built in mazes, an ancient mosque, tower, school, court, governor’s house, etc.
C. FARAFRA OASIS:
*Badr’s Bedouin Gallery: This museum is an eclectic mix of sand, oil, and water paintings as well as lots of interesting sculptures in back. It is set inside a traditional older style Bedouin 2-story structure that is a museum piece in itself.
*Bir Sitta: nice hot springs with water pumping so hard you could get a massage. This area has changing rooms (men/women), serves refreshment with a nice desert-style drinking area. CAUTION: for the past 2+ years it has not been well-maintained due to the revolution and drop in tourism. However, we assume that Egypt will once again return to normal under the new administration and that the Bir Sitta changing rooms and tea shop will return to normal working order.
D. FAYOUM OASIS: See “Desert Descriptions” Wadi Hittan Safari.
*Lake Qaroun: a very large lake that you will pass on the way to the Wadi Hittan. This area has several dilapidated temples from the Greek/Egyptian period.
*Hawara Pyramid: is on the eastern side of the Fayoum. It was built of mud bricks in the Middle Kingdom. It is believed that when Herodotus wrote of the Egyptian labyrinth (5th c BC) that it may have been located somewhere under the Hawara Pyramid. The entries are closed.
*Meidum Pyramid: was of stone and built in the Old Kingdom by Khufu/Cheops’ father, Snefru, and is an excellent example of how the pyramid complex (elements complete at Dashur, Giza, and later periods) developed. There is also a large mastaba with many undecorated tombs inside, one of which, you can enter.
*Museum of the Fayoum Portraits: is where the mummies of the later Roman/Egyptian period are housed. These mummies did not have the usual characterized face, but rather an actual painted portrait of the face of the deceased.
*Ptolemaic Water Wheels: are still operating in the main Fayoum town.
*Wadi Hittan: Whale dinosaurs are the main feature at the Wadi Hittan. These dinosaurs are special because they have tiny legs in the back. Legs that they no longer used, which raises speculation that life began on land – and then moved to the sea. These Whale Dinosaurs’ “cousin” was found in Arkansas, United States. There are about 10 dinosaur skeletons in the outdoor museum at the Wadi Hittan and, if this is an overnight trip, we will be camping here.
*Wadi Riyan: is a park and lake with Egypt’s only waterfall. The Wadi Riyan is about 45 minutes south of the Wadi Hittan.
*Karanis is a Graeco-Egyptian town in the northern part of the Fayoum. There is a big, long-going excavation in this sight that has given us much information of history while the Greeks were in Egypt.
E. KHARGA OASIS:
*Bagawat: is an early Christian necropolis of over 240 tombs in the northern part of the Kharga oasis. These tombs date from between the 4th and 6th c AD and depict important biblical scenes of things like: Rebecca and the Well, Jonah and the Whale, the Exodus from Egypt, etc. One of the earliest Christian churches (4th c AD) is also located here.
*Dush/Kysis: is an ancient Roman town that was built on top of the ancient Egyptian settlement, Kysis. It is located at the end of the Kharga road and is connected to the Darb al-Arbai’in. I have read there is prehistoric rock art nearby.
*El-Deir: is a large Roman fortress, in the desert and east of Kharga. It has towers and contains graffiti in languages, which date back for several hundred years.
*Hibis Temple: is an extremely well-preserved Egyptian/Persian temple in Kharga oasis. It is dedicated to Amun, Mut, Khonsu; there are interesting images of Osiris’ brother, Set. Although Set doesn’t appear much in Nile Valley temples, you will see his image more in the oases as Set’s province was the desert.
*Kharga Museum: has an interesting assortment of ancient Egyptian and Roman artifacts from the area. It also has a fine display of Coptic antiquities and parchment, and coin, as many Christians were banished to the Kharga oasis in particular, so the Romans would not have to deal with their ‘rabble rousing.’
*Lebekha Fortresses and Tombs: is an extremely well-preserved Egyptian/Persian temple in Kharga oasis.
*Qasr Ghueita: an Egyptian temple/fortress (with some Persian influence) that is located about ½ hour south of Kharga. The temple was built inside a well-preserved fortress, and the structures are cardinally aligned.
*Qasr Zayyan: is an Egyptian temple, well preserved, just south of Qasr Ghuieta.
F. SIWA OASIS:
*Amun temple of Nectanebo: Is just east of the Oracle temple and connected to it by a formal processional way. This temple was built a couple hundred years after the Oracle temple by the last Egyptian pharaoh, Nectanebo.
*Amun temple of the Oracle: Located on top of a hill and facing a concave in the Dakrour Mountains, this temple in the Siwa oasis was the most important oracular temple in the ancient world. It was here that Alexander the Great was told by the Oracle that he was the son of Re, and therefore suitable to become the pharaoh of Egypt.
*Bir Wahed ½ day safari: is southwest of Siwa and in the Great Sand Sea. It contains a nice warm water spring, and is a typical stop over for half-day desert tourists from Siwa. Along the HUGE sand dunes (Great Sand Sea) to the Bir Wahed, there is an unusual fresh water lake in the middle of the desert, that is filled with fish. The sand dune 4x4 ride is a real thriller.
*Cleopatra’s Bath: is located in Siwa’s palm groves just south west of the Oracle temple. It is a deep, round, rock-lined fresh water bubbling pool with curved steps to the water. Swimming is permitted and a local Siwan is usually there to serve tea, etc.
*Dakrour Mountain range: is directly to the east and seemingly in direct alignment with the Oracle and Nectanebo Amun temples. People have looked for burials up there, in hopes of explaining the alignments of these two temples, but nothing of importance has been found yet.
*Gebel Mauta: is just west of the Siwa town center (next to the Shali). Gebel Mauta means “Mountain of the Dead” and it is filled with Late Period ancient Egyptian tombs. During WWII, many Siwans hid out in these tombs to hopefully escape the fighting of the Italians and Germans.
*Shali: is the old Berber town in Siwa and dates back to almost 1000 AD. It was abandoned in the late 1920’s after torrential rain weakened the structures and made living inside dangerous. It has now been reinforced (visits inside are permitted), and is the focal point/square of the Siwa oasis.
A. BAHARIYA OASIS:
*Local Tour includes a drive thru Bahariya’s lush palm groves, a visit to the Salty Lake, climbing Pyramid Mountain near the area where Africa’s largest dinosaur was found, and a visit to English Mountain (tallest mountain in the Oasis) where an old British WWI lookout still exists. Local tours can also include a dip in Bahariyas numerous hot or cold springs, a walk-thru one of the old Bedouin villages, and a visit to Bahariya’s Ethnic museum (small extra fee for museum admission).
*Antiquities Tour includes a visit to the Museum of the Valley of the Golden Mummies where 10 mummies are on exhibit. The tombs of Bennentiu and Zed ef-Ankh Amun (two 26th Dynasty wealthy land owners), the 26th Dynasty temples and chapels of Ain Muftella, and the only temple in Egypt that was dedicated to Alexander the Great.
*Sand Dunes Tour includes off-road 4x4 mini-safaris thru medium to large sand dunes southwest of the Oasis.
B. DAKHLA OASIS:
*Balat: is in the Dakha oasis, and consists of two ancient Egyptian tombs and one Sheikh’s tomb in which you can talk to the wall on one side, and the person on the other side can hear your voice through the wall closest to him.
*Beshendi: is an a series of underground tombs and structures dating to the ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom. Excavations are currently going on.
*Deir el-Hagar: is a Egyptian/Roman temple in the Dakhla oasis dedicated to Amun, Mut, Khonsu, and Seth . It has Christian/Roman graffiti and deserted tombs are nearby.
*Qasr Dakhla: is the 1000 year-old Bedouin town in the Dakhla oasis. It is filled with tight, winding streets, stairs, many-floored mud brick building built in mazes, an ancient mosque, tower, school, court, governor’s house, etc.
C. FARAFRA OASIS:
*Badr’s Bedouin Gallery: This museum is an eclectic mix of sand, oil, and water paintings as well as lots of interesting sculptures in back. It is set inside a traditional older style Bedouin 2-story structure that is a museum piece in itself.
*Bir Sitta: nice hot springs with water pumping so hard you could get a massage. This area has changing rooms (men/women), serves refreshment with a nice desert-style drinking area. CAUTION: for the past 2+ years it has not been well-maintained due to the revolution and drop in tourism. However, we assume that Egypt will once again return to normal under the new administration and that the Bir Sitta changing rooms and tea shop will return to normal working order.
D. FAYOUM OASIS: See “Desert Descriptions” Wadi Hittan Safari.
*Lake Qaroun: a very large lake that you will pass on the way to the Wadi Hittan. This area has several dilapidated temples from the Greek/Egyptian period.
*Hawara Pyramid: is on the eastern side of the Fayoum. It was built of mud bricks in the Middle Kingdom. It is believed that when Herodotus wrote of the Egyptian labyrinth (5th c BC) that it may have been located somewhere under the Hawara Pyramid. The entries are closed.
*Meidum Pyramid: was of stone and built in the Old Kingdom by Khufu/Cheops’ father, Snefru, and is an excellent example of how the pyramid complex (elements complete at Dashur, Giza, and later periods) developed. There is also a large mastaba with many undecorated tombs inside, one of which, you can enter.
*Museum of the Fayoum Portraits: is where the mummies of the later Roman/Egyptian period are housed. These mummies did not have the usual characterized face, but rather an actual painted portrait of the face of the deceased.
*Ptolemaic Water Wheels: are still operating in the main Fayoum town.
*Wadi Hittan: Whale dinosaurs are the main feature at the Wadi Hittan. These dinosaurs are special because they have tiny legs in the back. Legs that they no longer used, which raises speculation that life began on land – and then moved to the sea. These Whale Dinosaurs’ “cousin” was found in Arkansas, United States. There are about 10 dinosaur skeletons in the outdoor museum at the Wadi Hittan and, if this is an overnight trip, we will be camping here.
*Wadi Riyan: is a park and lake with Egypt’s only waterfall. The Wadi Riyan is about 45 minutes south of the Wadi Hittan.
*Karanis is a Graeco-Egyptian town in the northern part of the Fayoum. There is a big, long-going excavation in this sight that has given us much information of history while the Greeks were in Egypt.
E. KHARGA OASIS:
*Bagawat: is an early Christian necropolis of over 240 tombs in the northern part of the Kharga oasis. These tombs date from between the 4th and 6th c AD and depict important biblical scenes of things like: Rebecca and the Well, Jonah and the Whale, the Exodus from Egypt, etc. One of the earliest Christian churches (4th c AD) is also located here.
*Dush/Kysis: is an ancient Roman town that was built on top of the ancient Egyptian settlement, Kysis. It is located at the end of the Kharga road and is connected to the Darb al-Arbai’in. I have read there is prehistoric rock art nearby.
*El-Deir: is a large Roman fortress, in the desert and east of Kharga. It has towers and contains graffiti in languages, which date back for several hundred years.
*Hibis Temple: is an extremely well-preserved Egyptian/Persian temple in Kharga oasis. It is dedicated to Amun, Mut, Khonsu; there are interesting images of Osiris’ brother, Set. Although Set doesn’t appear much in Nile Valley temples, you will see his image more in the oases as Set’s province was the desert.
*Kharga Museum: has an interesting assortment of ancient Egyptian and Roman artifacts from the area. It also has a fine display of Coptic antiquities and parchment, and coin, as many Christians were banished to the Kharga oasis in particular, so the Romans would not have to deal with their ‘rabble rousing.’
*Lebekha Fortresses and Tombs: is an extremely well-preserved Egyptian/Persian temple in Kharga oasis.
*Qasr Ghueita: an Egyptian temple/fortress (with some Persian influence) that is located about ½ hour south of Kharga. The temple was built inside a well-preserved fortress, and the structures are cardinally aligned.
*Qasr Zayyan: is an Egyptian temple, well preserved, just south of Qasr Ghuieta.
F. SIWA OASIS:
*Amun temple of Nectanebo: Is just east of the Oracle temple and connected to it by a formal processional way. This temple was built a couple hundred years after the Oracle temple by the last Egyptian pharaoh, Nectanebo.
*Amun temple of the Oracle: Located on top of a hill and facing a concave in the Dakrour Mountains, this temple in the Siwa oasis was the most important oracular temple in the ancient world. It was here that Alexander the Great was told by the Oracle that he was the son of Re, and therefore suitable to become the pharaoh of Egypt.
*Bir Wahed ½ day safari: is southwest of Siwa and in the Great Sand Sea. It contains a nice warm water spring, and is a typical stop over for half-day desert tourists from Siwa. Along the HUGE sand dunes (Great Sand Sea) to the Bir Wahed, there is an unusual fresh water lake in the middle of the desert, that is filled with fish. The sand dune 4x4 ride is a real thriller.
*Cleopatra’s Bath: is located in Siwa’s palm groves just south west of the Oracle temple. It is a deep, round, rock-lined fresh water bubbling pool with curved steps to the water. Swimming is permitted and a local Siwan is usually there to serve tea, etc.
*Dakrour Mountain range: is directly to the east and seemingly in direct alignment with the Oracle and Nectanebo Amun temples. People have looked for burials up there, in hopes of explaining the alignments of these two temples, but nothing of importance has been found yet.
*Gebel Mauta: is just west of the Siwa town center (next to the Shali). Gebel Mauta means “Mountain of the Dead” and it is filled with Late Period ancient Egyptian tombs. During WWII, many Siwans hid out in these tombs to hopefully escape the fighting of the Italians and Germans.
*Shali: is the old Berber town in Siwa and dates back to almost 1000 AD. It was abandoned in the late 1920’s after torrential rain weakened the structures and made living inside dangerous. It has now been reinforced (visits inside are permitted), and is the focal point/square of the Siwa oasis.
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