Bahariya Oasis

Bahariya Oasis Bahariya Oasis is one of the Oases of the Western Desert of Egypt, belonging to the Giza Governate and it lies three hundred and sixty five kilometers Southwest of Giza. The Bahariya Oasis consists of four hundred springs of mineral and Sulphur water which is both warm and Cold , it’s centre is the City of Bawit. Among the most important archeological monuments that exsist in the Oasis are the Tombs of the twenty sixth Dynasty, the Cemetery of the Sacred Birds, also the remains of the Roman Triumphal Arch, the ruins of the Temple of Isis, plus the ruins of a Temple which dates back to the period of Alexander the Great, as well as the Cemetery of the Valley of the Golden Mummies. The Soldiers of the Roman Army which included Egyptians and Romans often moved around in the Valley between the City of Oxrlynchus and the Bahariyya Oases where they occupied the Northern part of the Oasis east of Al-Bawiti, the occupiers destroyed many Villages in the Oases, and in three hundred and ninety nine AD, the Romans set up their camps on the Border. The Bahariyya Oasis which is located two hundred miles from Cairo acts as a starting point for many Safari Tours into the Desert. The reason is that the Oasis is the closest of the four Desert Oases to Cairo, but also because it provides immediate access to the amazing Landscapes of the White Desert. Essentially Bahariyya itself is not that imposing. The main Town of Bawiti is full of squat buildings of modern constructions and there is a noticeable absence of the lusch greenery that you would probably expect of an Oasis. Further along from the Town Centre the construction turns to more Traditional mud-brick and the Palm Groves become more noticeable , Histoprically Bahariyya was different. Throughout the Roman Era it was one of the greenest places within Egypt, which produced a vast amount of Wine and Wheat that were shipped to the Nile Valley. It is thought that the population grew to approx.. half a million people during this time. During a recent archeological project there revealed a huge wealthy necropolis with approx.. ten thousand Mummies from the period, however Bahariyya Doesnt offer that much to Visitors in the present day. If you have some spare time there is one Hot Spring which is worthy of a visit, Bir Al-Ghaba meaning the Well of the Forest, which is approx.. twelve Kilometers Northeast of Bawiti within a Eucalyptus Grove.