For your information:The Western Desert of EgyptAn Explorerâs HandbookCassandra VivianIn 1990, Cassandra Vivian wrote and published Islands of the Blest: AGuide to the Oases and Western Desert of Egypt, which became anovernight bestseller and an instant modern classic. No traveler in theWestern Desert was without it. Now retitled, reorganized, andsubstantially expanded, The Western Desert of Egypt: An ExplorerâsHandbook is set to become the most comprehensive guide ever for desertand oasis travel in Egypt west of the Nile. Fully illustrated with some50 maps and plans and over 270 drawings, the guide covers both thenatural history and the human history of the desert and the oases. Itthen explores chapter by chapter the oases of Kharga, Dakhla, Farafra,Bahariya, Fayoum, and Siwa, and the desert areas of al-Diffa (thenorthern, semi-arid edge of the desert), the Darb al-Arbain caravanroute in the south, and Uwaynat (including Gilf Kebir) in the southwest.Descriptions of routes, sites, people, and places are complemented bypractical information on places to stay, eat, and fill your gas tank.Global positioning system (GPS) waypoints are provided as an aid tonavigation on many routes÷though for the sake of conservation and theprotection of unguarded antiquities they are not given for remote sites.Almost encyclopedic in its scope, this is the one guide that belongs onthe bookshelf, on the dashboard, or in the rucksack of every WesternDesert traveler.Cassandra Vivian is a writer and photographer who lived in Egypt formany years, traveling extensively throughout the country butparticularly in the Western Desert. She now lives in Pennsylvania.If you wish to see the cover or the table of contents , send a returnmessage with your preference. If you decided to order this book, theprice is $29.50 plus $4.00 s and h in US, $5.00 in Canada and $10.00 inEurope. The author  has negotiated the rights to sell the book outsideof Egypt, so please order directly from her. Books are in finalpreparation and should be shipped within the month. Please pay bypersonal check or international postal money order (from the postoffice for overseas orders). No credit cards. Sorry. Mail payments  to:Cassandra Vivian,333 Manown St Apt 102 (E) Monessen PA 15062.ContentsAcknowledgmentsPreface1 The Natural WorldNorth AfricaSudanGeography and GeologyArchean EraPaleozoic EraMesozoic EraCenozoic EraDepressions and OasesSand and Sand DunesDune FieldsSand SeasWaterBirs and AinsOut of WaterFog and RainWindSandstormsStones, Oils, and GasesOil and GasFossilsPetrified WoodPlants and AnimalsInsects and ReptilesMammalsBirds2 The People and Explorers of the DesertThe PeopleGaramantiansGoraanTebuTuaregBerbersKababishThe OaseansThe BedouinThe SanusiCaravans and RoadwaysTaghaza RoadGhadames*Air*Kano RoadGaramantian RoadFezzan*Kawan RoadTripoli*Benghazi*Waidai RoadDarb al-ArbainExplorers and TravelersThe Classical WorldThe Middle AgesThe Early EuropeansThe African AssociationThe AmericansMuhammad Ali Opens the DoorThe GermansThe Geological Survey of Egypt and its Desert Survey DepartmentRoyal Geographical SocietyA HungarianThe WomenThe EgyptiansThe WarriorsMapping EgyptEgypt from Space3 Kharga OasisAsyut to the Kharga EscarpmentWadi al-BattikhaCheckpointsNaqb al-RamliyaKharga OasisHistoryPharaonicRoman PeriodChristian EraIslamic EraMuhammad AliEuropean TravelersBritish OccupationThe New ValleyGeography and GeologyMountainsWaterSand DunesYardangsCaravan Routes and RoadwaysNorth*South RoutesEast*West RoutesPasses (Naqbs)The FortsThe PeopleAgricultureFoodThe Crafts of the OasisBasketsPotteryWall PaintingsDressesJewelryThe TourTour #1 Qasr KhargaTour #2 Hibis, Bagawat, and EnvironsTour #3 Qasr Kharga to DushTour #4 Al-Deir, Qasr al-Geb, and Qasr al-SumariaTour #5 Qasr Labeka and Ain Umm DabadibTour #6 Ain al-Dabashiya (Ain Tabashir), Ain al-Tarakwa (maybe), andBeleidaTour #7 Ain Amur4 DakhlaKharga to Dakhla along the Darb al-GhabariHistoryPharaonicRoman and Christian PeriodsIslamic EraBritish OccupationTodayExplorersGeography and GeologyMountains and Passes (Naqbs)WaterCaravan Routes and RoadwaysThe PeopleFoodThe Crafts of the OasisBaskets and RugsPotteryDecorative ArtsDressesJewelryThe TourTour #1 MutTour #2 Eastern DakhlaTour #3 Mut to Qasr DakhlaTour #4 Around Qasr Dakhla on the Plain of SiohTour #5 Loop Road from Qasr Dakhla to Mut5 FarafraDakhla to Farafra via Darb Abu MinqarTo Qasr Farafra from Bahariya OasisFarafraHistoryOld KingdomNew KingdomThird Intermediate and Late PeriodsRoman PeriodIslamic EraModern TimesThe New Valley in FarafraGeography and GeologyMountains and HillsWaterCaravan Routes and RoadwaysThe PeopleAgricultureThe Crafts of the OasisThe TourTour #1 Qasr FarafraTour #2 Toward Abu MinqarThe White DesertTour #3 Easy Access White DesertTour #4 Inselbergs, Hummocks, and Monoliths of the White DesertTour #5 Quss Abu Said, al-Ubeida Playa, and Ain DillaTour #6 Mushrooms, Acacia, and Ain HadraTour #7 Ain al-Wadi, Wadi Hinnis, and Twin PeaksTour #8 QaraweinAdditional Tours with local guides6 Bahariya>>From Cairo to BahariyaHistoryMiddle and New KingdomThird Intermediate and Late PeriodsRoman and Christian PeriodsIslamic EraNineteenth and Twentieth CenturiesGeography and GeologyMountainsDunesWaterFossils, Ferns, and EarthquakesCaravan Routes and RoadwaysPasses (Naqbs)DarbsThe PeopleAgricultureFoodThe Crafts of the OasisDressesJewelryThe TourTour #1 BawitiTour #2 QasrTour #3 Tibniya and EnvironsTour #4 Mountains, Desert, and Far GardensTour #5 Northern Bahariya and EnvironsTour #6 Sahara Suda (the Black Desert)Tour #7 Al-HayzTour #8 Darb Siwa7 FayoumHistoryPharaonicGreek PeriodRoman PeriodChristian and Islamic PeriodsFayoum from 1798 to 1882British OccupationFayoum TodayGeography and GeologyMountains and WadisThe LakeFossilsWaterCaravan Routes and RoadwaysDarb Wadi NatrunDarb al-Rayyan I and IIThe PeopleAgriculture, Fishing, and IndustryThe Crafts of the OasisBasketsPotteryDresses and JewelryRoman Fayoum PortraitsWildlifeThe TourTour #1 Eastern Edge of FayoumThe Lake DistrictTour #2 North of Lake QarunTour #3 Southern Shore of Lake QarunTour #4 Western Edge of the FayoumTour #5 Medinet FayoumTour #6 Hawara PyramidTour #7 South of Medinet FayoumTour #8 South to Tebtunis and EnvironsWadi RaiyanGeography and GeologyTour #1 The WaterfallTour #2 Magic Spring and the MonasteryTour #3 Gebel Guhannam and Wadi ZeuglodonWadi Mawalih8 Al-Diffa (the Northern Coast)HistoryPharaonicGreek and Roman PeriodsIslamic EraBritish OccupationThe World Wars along the Northern CoastTodayGeography and GeologyWaterCaravans Routes and RoadwaysAlexandria*SollumInterior RoadWadi Natrun*al-Alamein RoadMaryut RailwayThe TourAlexandria to Mersa MatruhTour #1 Agami to al-AlameinTour #2 The Battlefield of al-AlameinTour #3 Qattara DepressionTour #4 Qara (Gara) OasisTour #5 Sidi Abd al-Rahman to Mersa MatruhTour #6 Mersa MatruhTour #7 Mersa Matruh to Sollum: Agube Major9 Siwa>>From Mersa Matruh: the Masrab al-Istabl>>From Bahariya along the Darb SiwaSiwaHistoryAncient EgyptAlexander the GreatChristian EraIslamic EraMuhammad Ali and the EuropeansThe Twentieth CenturyTodayGeography and GeologyMountains and HillsWater and SaltCaravan Routes and RoadwaysThe PeopleThe Crafts of the OasisBasketsWooden Bowls and BoxesPotteryClothingJewelryHeaddressesBraceletsRingsThe TourTour #1 ShaliTour #2 Loop the Loop from Shali to ShaliTour #3 Fatnas at SunsetTour #4 North and West of ShaliTour #5 East of Shali10 The Darb al-Arbain DesertHistoryGeography and GeologyLimestone PlateauNubia PediplainSelima Sand SheetTushka CanalAl-Sheikh Zayed CanalCaravan Routes and RoadwaysDarb al-ArbainDarb al-GalabaDarb al-TamaninDarb al-TarfawiThe TourThe Darb al-Arbain, the Forty Daysâ RoadTour #1 Riding the Darb al-ArbainTour #2 Darb al-GalabaTour #2a Nabta PlayaTour #2b Nakheila Oasis11 The Uwaynat DesertHistoryZerzuraExploration HistoryGeography and GeologyMountainsCratersWindCaravan Routes and RoadwaysDarb al-TarfawiDakhla to KufraGilf Kebir to KufraThe PeopleRock ArtLocationThemes and StyleOriginWho Found WhatPotteryThe TourMiddle Arbain Desert>>From Dakhla Oasis to the Gilf KebirGilf KebirBetween the Gilf and UwaynatGebel UwaynatSelected ReadingsIndexPrefacePerhaps the most exciting aspect of traveling in the Western Desert isthefeeling that the great age of desert exploration is not over. Makingyour wayinto the interior of the desert and riding the wind to an ancient fortis oneof the few great adventures left in the world. Knowing that the lasttimesomeone visited the area was years ago produces a euphoria that isunparalleled. The strain of wading through old records means nothingonce youare standing in the desert, feet firmly planted in the sand. The eyesearchesthe horizon looking for the ghosts of the past: the amazing Kufrarefugees,the slave caravans, the great religious community of the Sanusi, thenineteenth-century explorers, and soldiers of war.Change is inevitable in the desert. It has always changed. It changed inprehistory when people scribbled graffiti on the rock surfaces at GebelUwaynat. It changed in the Middle Kingdom when someone built a templealongthe shores of the lake in Fayoum and when someone else, surely amidgreatprotest and apprehension, changed the level of the lake. It changed whentheRomans built a string of forts in Kharga Oasis, when the undergroundwatersystems were introduced in Bahariya, Kharga, and Farafra oases, when themedieval rulers of Cairo established villages in Dakhla, and when theBritishand Italians created the national borders. Surely, as each new changecame itwas met with controversy.The current round of changes in the Western Desert have been greetedwith alot of criticism. They began in the 1970s when the government connectedtheoases with asphalt roads. They continued with the creation of the NewValley,the laying of the infrastructure, the immigration to Farafra, theemergenceof East Uwaynat, and the construction of modern hotels in the oases.Thisbook, first published in 1990, has been a part of the growth. Itexplainedthe desert. It built a bridge between the people of the desert and thetravelers who ventured there. It brought about change.Some are angry because of these changes. They do not want tourists inthedesert, yet they lead safaris. They do not want people to follow aftertheminto remote regions, yet they want to earn their living from the desert.Itdoes not work that way. In the 1920s, Byron Khun de Prorok was appalledtofind, on his return visit a year after making Neolithic discoveries intheFayoum, that his trackless desert between Cairo and the Fayoum was"coveredwith motor tracks and countless sardine tins." It would not besurprising tofind a papyrus on which some scribe in ancient Egypt chastised Egyptiantourists for similar things, or Roman tourists for hauling preciouscargoback to Rome.Some are not so much angry at change as at how change is materializingin theWestern Desert. This, too, is an eternal conflict between ideologies.Criticsbring their own prejudices, their own shortcomings, their own agendas,whenthey pass judgment on desert development. They may find change notwithintheir financial interest, not up to their moral standards, not withintheirenvironmental expectations. Surely they must realize that there is morethanone way for this desert to blossom. Surely they must realize that no oneperson or idea will be the salvation of this desert, just as no oneperson oridea is responsible for all the problems that development and changebring.Although some abhor them, the modern changes are improving the qualityoflife for the desert people. Thanks to the government there are betterroads,better schools, hospitals, telephones, televisions, and imported goodsfromthe Nile Valley. How the desert people adapt these changes to theirlifestyles and traditions is their most important task. They can losetheiridentity, as many in the world have done, or they can create a balance,making the new work with the old.Today we are writing a new chapter in desert adventure. We are theinheritorsof a great tradition that has shown respect for the desert, its dangers,andits beauty. We owe a debt to every person whose name is associated withthisplace: to the Oracle of Siwa, who predicted the future; to the soldiersofthe Persian Army, who are lost forever in its sands; to Gerhard Rohlfs,whostepped off into the unknown; to John Ball, Hugh Beadnell, and PatrickClayton, who mapped the desert inch by inch; to Ahmed Hassanein, whotrekkedover 1,000 miles to discover new places; to the Englishman RalphBagnold, theFrenchman Théodore Monod, and the German Hans Rhotert, who epitomize theinternational concern for the desert; to the intriguing, romanticspirits oftravelers like Count Ladislaus Edouard de Almasy, who add not onlyhistorybut also glamour to the desert; and to Ahmed Fakhry, who explored thedesert’s antiquities.It is our honor-bound duty to protect their desert, to keep it cleanfrommodern debris, unpolluted by cities and their clutter, and safe fromhumandestructiveness. We must maintain its wildness and natural splendor tohanddown to those who come after us.Allah ma’ak wa ma’a salama (Go with God and with safety).Cassandra VivianMaadi and Monessen, 1999Global Positioning System (GPS) waypoints are given to all onroad and alimited number of offroad sites in this book. There are no GPS points toremote sites or unguarded archaeological sites. This is intentional. Thewaypoints are here for the enjoyment of the traveler, but not to thedetriment of the desert. Nor are the GPS points to be considered as lifesaving devices. How well a traveler knows his or her equipment,understandshow GPS works, and makes logical decisions are all factors in GPStravel.Always maintain a backup. Do not consider these GPS points as 100percentreliable: nothing is.