Location:
El Dakhla Oasis is located 750 km far from Cairo, about 310 km to the southeast of Farafra.
How to reach it?
There is no international airport at El Dakhla Oasis; you have to be in Egypt to reach there. Our staff can assist you to reach the bus station to go to Baharia and from Baharia to Dakhla. If you need a private air-conditioned vehicle, Memphis tours can arrange that for you.
The road from Cairo or Luxor was just a caravan route. Nowadays, the road is paved and more and more callers arrive as the years pass.
Overview:
Dakhla Oasis is a collection of fourteen different settlements, dominated on its northern horizon by a wall of rose-colored rock. Fertile cultivated area growing fice , peanuts and fruits are dotted between sand dunes along the roads from Farafra and Kharga in this area of outstanding natural beauty.
Sightseeing:
Mut City:
It name is attributed to Mut the consort of god Amon. It is an ancient city that dates back to Pharaonic period. Ancient motifs represent the famous water scene dating from the 22nd dynasty BC.
Kalamoun:
One of Dakhla villages dates back to the Turkish Mameluke period. Its houses and mosque were built in the Islamic style with engraved wooden plates.
Rashda Village:
Rashda is often omitted from the circuit of Dakhla Oasis, but it is all the same a nice little village. Especially the minaret of the Friday Mosque (left) is notable, resembling a lighthouse. Much is unfortunately in ruins, but it must have been a pretty place not too many years ago.
Budkhulu Village:
Among the villages that gets visitors, Budkhuluis among the smallest. The main attraction here is the 12th or 13th century Ayyubid mosque which looks almost like an old-style factory with chimney.
Balat Village:
Why spend a fortune going to Mecca, if not telling others about the adventure? People of Balate are just as vain as anyone else. Balate has its moments. Many of its quarters appear just as they must hace done centuries ago. Walls and street are well kept, colors often bright, doors worn down yet more beautiful than any new door can be. Many walls are illustrated telling passers-by about the owners trip to Mecca for the pilgrimage.
Al Qasr Islamic Village:
Located about 35 Km north Dakhla, it is one of the Islamic landmarks in the New valley, as its building reflects the Islamic architectural Style. It contains the remains of a mosque from the first century Higtri, with a wooden minaret dating from the Ayoubid period. It has a three-storey wooden minaret, 21 meters high, and wooden thresholds decorated with verses from the Quran at the entrance.
Mozawaqa Tombs:
It was so called because of its colorful decorations and its bright colors. Situated 35 Km from Dakhla, they are the remains of a Roman necropolis. The first tomb built for Ba-di-Ozir, the ruler of the area in the first century AD, the second for the rulers assistant and his wife. The tomb is important as it reveals the secrets of ancient astronomy.
Reference:
Egypt Tourist Guide 16th Edition 2008.