Farafra Oasis

Farafra Oasis Farafra is the smallest Oasis of the Western Desert, and was mentioned in Ancient texts which started from the Fifth Dynasty. It’s name was given to one of the employees of the period as it was known as Ta-hat-I which translates into the Land of the Cow, however it is also linked with Goddess Hathor, and the current evidence shows that the Ancient Egyptians lived there in prehistoric times since Five Thousand Years BC. Farafra has a special tactical importance in defending Egypt from the West throughout the reign of King Merneptah of the nineteenth Dynasty. The Farafra Oasis is famous for it’s strong traditions and customs, and the oldest part of the village is located on foot hill close to the Palm Groves , and hot Sulphur springs and includes Lake Al-Mufid nearby. There is also a wall called Ber Sitta which can be found six kilometers to the West of the City of Farafra and the temperature of it’s water is twenty four degrees Celsius during the Year, plus there is the World famous White Desert which is visited by Tourists from all over the World, and in 2002 AD became a Nature Reserve. The History of Farafra expands from the Pharaomic period, and was mentioned in a number of Ancient Egyptian Documents since the tenth Dynasty. The Road which bends out into the Western Desert from Cairo reconnects with the Nile Valley at Luxor. In the middle it passes through four Oases. The first of these being closest to Cairo is Bahariyya, which is more well known and more often visited by Tourists, who use it as a point of beginning for a Desert Safari. Tourist hardly ever visit the other three Oases, however you will still find some interesting ruins, amazing scenery and the unique Oasis Culture offered to the Traveler. Farafra is the next step on the Road South from Cairo and Bahariyya. As with all of the Western Desert Oases , it was originally an important stop on the Trading Route coming up from the South. Farafra never really evolved into much more than a Small Village which was due to a lack of sufficient Water until recent Government investment in Land retaking projects.Remaining a Small Town with only a few Hotels and Cafes there to give some entertainment to the Visitors. The Local Inhabitants grow Olives Dates and apricots in Groves which are surrounded by mud-brick walls, however the unusual attraction in the Town is the Badr’s Museum, which is a large mind expanding formed mud brick house which is owned by a Local Artist, Badr Abdel Moghny.