DESERT & OASIS

THE DESERTS & OASES — LANDSCAPES OF ETERNITY

Covering nearly ninety percent of Egypt, these vast expanses were once prehistoric savannahs teeming with life. Today, they form a dramatic dual landscape. The Western Desert is an ocean of wind-sculpted dunes and fossil beds, containing the dramatic volcanic peaks of the Black Desert and the surreal chalk sculptures of the White Desert. These are punctuated by the lush "islands" of Fayoum, Bahariya, and Farafra, leading to the legendary Siwa—home to the Oracle of Amun visited by Alexander the Great. In contrast, the rugged Eastern Desert and Sinai rise in granite peaks to the east, marking the ancient caravan routes that once carried gold, incense, and stone from the Red Sea to the Nile.