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DAKHLA OASIS :
The Dakhla Oasis Egypt's Western
Desert
The Dakhla Oasis lies to the northwest of
Kharga and is also about 310 km to the southeast of Farafra. This oasis
consists of 14 settlements and has a population of about 70,000 people.
Dakhla is the farthest oasis out of Cairo and is considered one of
Egypt's most beautiful oases.
Dakhla Oasis
Dakhla sits in a depression surrounded by pink cliffs. There are about
30,000 acres of cultivated land. Most of its 70,000 or so residents are
farmers who constantly fight the battle of the dunes that threaten their
fields and orchards. The fields and gardens are filled mostly with
mulberry trees, date palms, figs and other citrus fruits. Dakhla has
retained most of its culture and charm even though it has increased in
size by about double and government funding and technical training has
revitalized the economy. Dakhla is the only place in Egypt where new
water wheels which are driven by buffaloes are constructed. They are
made of palm timber and clay jars and are called saqiyas. The oasis is
connected to Kharga by a 120 mile (200 km) road that has buses running
daily.
Research has found that the Oasis has been inhabited since prehistoric
times, and that there was once a huge lake here. There are neolithic
rock paintings that indicate that the lake was frequented by elephants,
buffaloes and ostriches. As the lake dried up, the inhabitants migrated
to the Nile valley and were probably some of its first settlers
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Cairo
Bahariya Road
White Desert
Akabat Mountain
White Desert
White Desert
Camping
White Desert
White Desert
Crystal Mountain
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