The Bahariya Oasis is one of Egypt’s largest, with natural desert attractions as well as ancient ruins. This post’s goal is to present all of the information, facts, and data about Bahariya Oasis in one place. A group of highly qualified tour operators, tour guides, academics, and travel advisors put together this essay on how to learn everything there is to know about the magnificent Bahariya Oasis. The Bahariya Oasis arose from the aridity of Egypt’s western desert, and it is one of the country’s most genuinely captivating locations. The oasis is both visually stunning and historically significant, with roots dating back to ancient Egyptian civilization.
The oasis has also been the site of some of our time’s most significant archaeological discoveries. The name Bahariya was derived from the Arabic word Bahar, which meant sea, and referred to the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt’s northern borders. The ancient Egyptians referred to it as “Deses,” while the Romans referred to it as “Parva,” our small oasis.
Location of Bahariya Oasis
The Bahariya Oasis lies 370 kilometers north of Cairo, with a length of 94 kilometers and a width of 40 kilometers, with a total area of 2000 kilometers2. The oasis’ capital, Bawiti, is located in the center of the oasis. The Ghurabi, Maghrafa, and Dist mountains surround it, and tourism and iron ore production are the primary economic sectors. Because it produces agricultural products like guavas, mangos, olives, and dates, life can find its path. In the little lake of Al Martin, at the very northernmost point of the oasis. To the oasis’s north, there are a number of natural hot springs. There is an indigenous art museum at the Oasis.
Gebel Maghrafa, Gebel Ghurabi, and Gebel Dist, popularly known as the English Mountain, are three massive mountains in the area.
The Name of Bahariya
According to legend, the name Bahariya was derived from the Arabic word “Bahr,” which means “Sea.” The term originally referred to the Mediterranean Sea and Egypt’s northern lands. The Pharos referred to the Bahareya Oasis as “Desdes,” while the Romans referred to it as “Parva,” which means “small oasis.”
Oasis Towns
Bahariya Oasis is home to thirty thousand people, most of whom dwell in the oasis’ four main towns: Bawiti, the hub and focal point of the Bahareya Oasis, Al Qaser, the historic Bahareya hamlet, Mandisha, and Zabw. Many ancient necropolises may be found in the area between Bawiti and Al Qaser, such as the Necropolis of Qarat Subi and the Abis necropolis of Qarat Feragi. Ain Bishmu, which dates back to Roman times, Bir Al Nebaga in Bawiti, and Bir Matar in the north are among the many hot springs located in the Bahariya Oasis. Al Marun, a small lake at the northernmost extremity of the Bahareya Oasis, is surrounded by places abounding with rare birds.
History of the Bahariya Oasis
During the ancient Egyptian and Egypt’s middle kingdom periods, the earliest human homes were created in Bahariya Oasis (1975 BC-1640 BC). Because of its spectacular location on the commercial caravan route between the western desert, Libyan tribes, and the Nile valley, the Oasis was strategically vital throughout the 18th dynasty. During the 26th dynasty, the oasis became the focal point of the western desert’s trade routes. Throughout the Greco-Roman period, the Bahareya Oasis provided good products like wine, olive oil, dates, and wheat (332 BC–395 AD).
Attractions in Bahariya Oasis
In 1999, the most important Roman burial site in Egyptian history was discovered, revealing a profusion of ancient Egyptian treasures, monuments, and mummies. Between 5,000 and 10,000 mummies are said to be buried in the tombs, which are spread out over four kilometers of desert. Hundreds of graves were uncovered in the necropolis, covering a surface area of 36 square kilometers and holding beautifully preserved mummies wrapped in linen and wearing plaster masks.
Show genuine people’s faces instead of clichéd visuals. They were discovered in four tombs in the Bahariya Oasis’ Bawiti settlement. These mummies stand out because they combine traditional Egyptian Pharaonic shapes with Roman mythology-inspired colors.
The temple and chapels of Ain El Muftella, which are tombs of the 26th dynasty, including Pharaoh Amasis (570 BC–526 BC), are one of the most recognized sites. In addition to lavish decorations and ornamentation, Zed Amun Ef Ankh’s graves have religious images of burial ceremonies and offerings. With 300 beautifully ornamented and totally maintained tombs illustrating the principal themes of bringing tributes to the departed and funeral procession in a Greco-Roman artistic style, the Muzzawaqa Necropolis is the most stunning in the Oasis. In the oasis’s heart, the Al Bahareya Museum, which opened in 2005 and showcases the works of the oasis’s indigenous artists, is located.
Tours to the Bahariya Oasis
Egypt’s natural beauty has no bounds; explore all of this gorgeous location’s incredible destinations and some of its matchless antiquities.
