Western Desert Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
Egyptian part of the Libyan Desert
About Western Desert
To the ancient Egyptians the desert to the west signified death: it was where the sun god Ra went to die each day, and where the souls of the pharaohs went following their interment in tombs west of the life-giving Nile. But this desert contains five large oases, populated and cultivated since prehistory, and controlling trade routes. A great aquifer of sandstone and limestone lies beneath the Western Desert, containing "fossil water" - rain that fell some 40,000 years ago, a non-renewable resource. In natural depressions (which are often extensive) this comes to the surface or is easily reached by wells. However these depressions have been scoured out by wind-blown sand and salt, and the water is only usable if it's not salty. The largest depression of all, Qattara, goes down to 147 m bel
Western Desert Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 5 sections including: