Bahariya Oasis: The Valley of the Golden Mummies

Explore Bahariya Oasis, a sprawling and accessible oasis that serves as the gateway to Egypt's most dramatic desert landscapes. This article details its main town, Bawiti, and its key attractions, including the nearby Crystal Mountain and the volcanic hills of the Black Desert. We also cover its rich history, from the tombs of Qarat Qasr Salim to the incredible "Valley of the Golden Mummies," where thousands of mummies were unearthed.

EFT Team
May 26, 2022
Updated: November 5, 2025

Discover the Bahariya Oasis

The Bahariya Oasis is one of Egypt’s largest oases. It offers natural desert attractions and ancient ruins. This post presents information, facts, and data about the Bahariya Oasis.

A group of highly qualified tour operators, tour guides, academics, and travel advisors wrote this guide. The Bahariya Oasis emerged from the aridity of Egypt’s western desert. It is one of the country’s most captivating locations. The oasis is visually stunning and historically significant. Its roots date back to ancient Egyptian civilization. The oasis has also been the site of some of our time’s most significant archaeological discoveries.

Location and Geography of Bahariya Oasis

The Bahariya Oasis lies 370 kilometers north of Cairo. It is 94 kilometers long and 40 kilometers wide, with a total area of 2000 square kilometers. The oasis’s capital, Bawiti, is in the center of the oasis. The Ghurabi, Maghrafa, and Dist mountains surround it. Tourism and iron ore production are the primary economic sectors. The oasis produces agricultural products like guavas, mangos, olives, and dates. Al Martin, a small lake, is at the northernmost point of the oasis. To the north, there are a number of natural hot springs. The oasis also has an indigenous art museum. The area’s three massive mountains are Gebel Maghrafa, Gebel Ghurabi, and Gebel Dist, also known as the English Mountain.

The Name of Bahariya

The name Bahariya comes from the Arabic word “Bahr,” which means “Sea.” The term originally referred to the Mediterranean Sea and Egypt’s northern lands. The pharaohs referred to the Bahariya Oasis as “Deses.” The Romans called it “Parva,” which means “our small oasis.”

The Oasis Towns

Thirty thousand people call the Bahariya Oasis home. Most of them live in the oasis’s four main towns. These towns are Bawiti, the hub of the oasis; Al Qaser, the historic Bahariya village; Mandisha; and Zabw. The area between Bawiti and Al Qaser has many ancient necropolises. For example, you can find the Necropolis of Qarat Subi and the Abis necropolis of Qarat Feragi. The Bahariya Oasis also has many hot springs, such as Ain Bishmu, which dates back to Roman times; Bir Al Nebaga in Bawiti; and Bir Matar in the north. A small lake, Al Marun, is at the northernmost end of the Bahariya Oasis. Places full of rare birds surround it.

History of the Bahariya Oasis

The earliest human homes were built in the Bahariya Oasis during the ancient Egyptian and Egypt’s middle kingdom periods (1975 BC–1640 BC). The oasis was strategically vital during the 18th dynasty. It was on the commercial caravan route between the western desert, Libyan groups, and the Nile valley. During the 26th dynasty, the oasis became the focal point of the western desert’s trade routes. Throughout the Greco-Roman period (332 BC–395 AD), the Bahariya Oasis provided good products like wine, olive oil, dates, and wheat.

Attractions of this Oasis

In 1999, archaeologists discovered the most important Roman burial site in Egyptian history. It revealed a profusion of ancient Egyptian treasures, monuments, and mummies. Between 5,000 and 10,000 mummies are said to be buried in the tombs. They are spread over four kilometers of desert. Archaeologists uncovered hundreds of graves in the necropolis. It covers an area of 36 square kilometers. The graves hold beautifully preserved mummies wrapped in linen and wearing plaster masks.

These mummies show genuine people’s faces instead of clichéd visuals. Archaeologists discovered them in four tombs in the Bawiti settlement of the Bahariya Oasis. The mummies combine traditional Egyptian Pharaonic shapes with colors inspired by Roman mythology.

The temple and chapels of Ain El Muftella are tombs from the 26th dynasty. This includes Pharaoh Amasis (570 BC–526 BC). The graves of Zed Amun Ef Ankh have lavish decorations and religious images of burial ceremonies and offerings. The Muzzawaqa Necropolis is the most stunning in the oasis. It has 300 beautifully decorated and completely preserved tombs. The tombs illustrate the main themes of bringing tributes to the dead and a funeral procession in a Greco-Roman artistic style. The Al Bahariya Museum opened in 2005 in the oasis’s heart. It showcases the works of the oasis’s indigenous artists.

Tours to the Bahariya Oasis

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