Location:

El Kharga Oasis is located 575 km far from Cairo and 230 km far from Luxor. So it is nearer to Luxor than any other Egyptian town. Today, it is the biggest New Valley oasis.

How to reach it?

There is no international airport at El Kharga 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 El Kharga or you can go to Luxor and from Luxor to El Kharga.
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:

Kharga is clearly different from the image most people of an Oasis out in the desert. It has been the most important town in the development plans for the Western Oases, and has presently a population of more than 100,000 people. And when the architecture is totally dominated by concrete blocks and wide roads, the result is that few tourists use more time than necessary in town. Some people omitted Kharga because they believe that there is nothing to see. That is totally wrong as Kharga has sights from three millenniums. The population of Kharga are Berbers with roots back to the time when the oasis was a station on the famous 40 Days Road between Sudan and Egypt- famous because of the merchandise; slaves.

It was called during the ancient Egyptian time the Oasis of Thebes. The Greek historian Herodotus mentioned that the Persian great king Campuses sent a huge army, about 50,000 men from Thebes, in order to destroy the oracle temple of Amon -Zeus at Siwa.
The huge army reached the Oasis of El Kharga, to be provided with water and food , then they marched towards Siwa but the campaign was vanished and no one till now can tell what really happened. Some historians suggested that the Persian army was lost in the desert and was sunken in the Great Sea Of Sand which extends along the borders between Egypt and Libya.

Sightseeing:

•Hibis Temple:
This temple, named after the town that once existed here, is unique for Egypt in one respect. It is by far the largest and finest of temples from Egypt’s 200 years under Persian rulers. It was King Darius1 of the 6th century BCE who ordered it built, and dedicated to Amon. The temple was adorned by rulers over the following centuries, but the original style was always respected.

•Qasr El Zayan:
Several guide books rate Qasr el-Zayan fortress as in a very ruinous state. This isn’t entirely true, walls stand high, the centre of the temple is almost intact, and the setting is great. The main drawback is the original small size; you can cover it all in 5 minutes.

•Bagawat Cemeteries:

The Necropolis of Bagawat is a reminder of one of the most central battles of early Christianity; the disput over the nature of Jesus. The 5th century bishop Nestorius was exiled to Bagawat (as the village was called) for having claimed that only one of Jesus’ natures had suffered on the cross; the earthly nature, not the divine. The large extend of the Necropolis of Bagawat is the result of his supporters’ exile. The tombs here are believed to indicate the worship of the dead was continued in a Christian style.

•Ain Um Dabadib:

Ain Umm Dabadib is the sight of Kharga that requires the most effort to reach, crossing sand dunes. The former town here owned its wealth to being of the last staging post before the caravans headed north. Its history goes back to Romans times, and remains of temples from this period still stand. There are also ruins of churches outside the fortress walls.



•El Dier:

It was a fortress that protected the shortest caravan route between Kharga and the Nile. It stands on the eastern extreme of the Kharga Oasis at the foot of Umm el-Ghanayin Mountain. It is made up of a fortress with 12 rounded towers, connected by a gallery. Only some of the rooms have survived, and are clearly marked by the long career of the fortress. Graffiti starting centuries ago, also include decorations of early 20th century airplanes.

•Qasr El Ghawita

About 20 km south of Kharga is the temple Qasr al-Ghawita built between 250 and 80 BCE. It was dedicated to the Theben triad Amon, Mut and Khonsu. According to some guide books, it is in a very ruinous state. This is fortunately not true. The 10 meter high walls are nearly in fact, the houses have high walls still standing and the temple is about as complete as any other popular ancient destination in Egypt. Even large parts of the surrounding village can be seen.

•Qasr El Labika
It was built by the Romans, yet largely implementing traditional building techniques. It was on the old caravan routes, and in its heyday the surrounding area was green and with water. Water was carried by an aqueduct that still stand, but which is silted up.


Reference:

“Egypt Tourist Guide” 16th Edition 2008