16 Best Sights in Western Desert Oases, Egypt

This was the first fortified settlement in the oasis, built on the site of the ancient Oracle of Amun, which lies ruined within its walls. While archaeologists disagree on the original date of the oracle's construction, it is clear that by the 26th Dynasty (664–525 BC) it was known throughout the ancient world.

In 524 BC the Persian king Cambyses dispatched an army of 50,000 men to destroy the oracle after he heard that it had been badmouthing his occupation of Egypt, but according to the Greek historian Herodotus, the soldiers marched into the desert never to be seen again. The oracle's anti-Persian tendencies may be what prompted Alexander the Great to consult it in 331 BC before marching against the Persian Empire.

A staircase ascends to the covered entrance of the ruined fortress, which sits atop a limestone outcropping. Portions of the original structure have been restored, including the sanctum that housed the oracle. There are stunning views of the palm groves and dunes beyond from several vantage points.

Nearby are the remains of the Temple of Amun, a 30th-Dynasty shrine that was blasted to pieces in the late 19th century by an overzealous treasure hunter.

A collection of inscriptions on a sandstone outcrop just off the highway near Teneida, some 45 km (28 mi) east of Mut, attests to Dakhla's earliest inhabitants and its position on the ancient caravan routes. The carvings include naïve depictions of giraffes, fish, camels, antelopes, and hunters. There are also Arabic inscriptions, as well as graffiti carved by passing Bedouins and early European explorers. Although prehistoric rock art is common in North Africa, this is one of the most accessible sites for viewing.

To preserve the inscriptions, do not add to them or take rubbings.

Also known simply as Al-Deir (which means "the monastery"), this Roman mud-brick fortress with 12 towers once guarded the main caravan route to the Nile. Reached only by a four-wheel-drive vehicle, its sand-swept ruins are littered with the graffiti of disgruntled British soldiers stationed here during WWI.

The mud-brick monastery overlooks one of the most important caravan crossroads in the Western Desert. The imposing ruin contains a honeycomb of hermit cells and once stood five stories tall. Below it are the ruins of a small church.

On a desert hill east of the main road to Asyut is this Roman mud-brick fort and temple that once guarded the caravan routes. The site is in ruins, but the view of the oasis from the top is worth the short ascent.

The conical hill just north of town is honeycombed with tombs. The finest, the Tomb of Si-Amun, depicts a wealthy merchant with curly hair and a beard and his family worshipping Egyptian gods. You will need to find the site caretaker to open it. More than 1,600 individual tombs have been identified dating from the 26th Dynasty to the Roman period, though only a handful have any decoration.

A red mound beyond the cemetery at the southwest corner of town marks the remains of an ancient city dedicated to the goddess Mut, consort of Amun. There's not much to see, but if you climb up to the top at sunset, you'll be rewarded with views of verdant fields, golden dunes, and farmers racing home on their donkey carts.

The legend that the temple here was covered in gold conveys the strategic importance of this hilltop fortress. As well as ruling over Darb al-Arba'in—the southern gateway to Egypt on the ancient caravan trail to sub-Saharan Africa—the mud-brick Roman fortress probably controlled the Darb al-Dush route to Edfu and Esna in the Nile Valley. The crumbling fortress walls tower 10 meters high in some areas, while underground chambers go down five levels. A temple built of sandstone by Domitian in the 1st century AD and dedicated to Osiris and Seraphis, abuts the eastern flank of the fortress. The remains of the Roman garrison town of Kysis are scattered over the hillside below.

A Persian temple built on an earlier pharaonic site and continued under the Ptolemies, this sandstone temple was dedicated to the Theban triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. The fortress was later used by a Roman garrison, who beefed up its mud-brick enclosure wall.

The Roman mud-brick fortress, which was built between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD, occupies a sand-choked wadi at the base of the northern escarpment. Its 12-meter (40-foot) walls protected a garrison that monitored passing caravans, and there was a large settlement here supported by a nearby spring. In ancient times, several manafis (underground aqueducts) brought water from the spring. One has been cleared and is now used to cultivate fields.

The temple at Qasr al-Zayyan is dedicated to the local deity Amenibis (Amun of Hibis), protector of the oasis. The temple's sandstone gate is well preserved, but its walls are swamped in sand. Next to the temple is a small Roman fortress.

These small mastaba tombs are significant in that their discovery provided the first evidence that Dakhla was known to the Old Kingdom. Archaeologists have uncovered seven mud-brick mastabas, including one containing the mummy of a 6th-Dynasty governor. The site is believed to have been the necropolis for an ancient settlement at Ain ‘Asil, about 1½ km (1 mi) farther east. You can enter the restored burial chamber of governor Khentika, which sits at the bottom of a huge pit and has painted reliefs dating back to around 2250 BC. The desert around the site is full of mud-brick ruins.

Siwans once inhabited a fortified settlement at Aghurmi, just east of Siwa town, but by the 13th century AD their numbers had been reduced to just seven families as a result of bloody feuding and incessant attacks by desert raiders. A decision was made to build and relocate to a new stronghold they called Shali ("The Town" in Siwi language), and the original 40 menfolk who moved here are still honored to this day.

Shali was constructed out of karshif (salt-impregnated mud) in the saddle of a limestone knoll. It was a medieval walled town with a labyrinth of narrow alleys and three gated entrances that could easily be defended. As Shali's population grew, the Siwans added extra stories to their homes rather than live outside its protective walls.

The walls proved no match for cannons, and the fiercely independent Siwans quickly capitulated to an artillery force dispatched by Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali in 1819. The final blow came in 1926, when a rare torrential downpour dissolved Shali's walls and houses, forcing most of the town's inhabitants to relocate to the plain below.

Paths from Siwa's main square lead up to the peak of the limestone outcrop, from where there are fantastic views over the modern town, palm groves, and a pair of glittering salt lakes. You can also peer down into the ruins, as well as the remaining occupied houses on its fringe. Don't miss Shali's 800-year-old mosque, whose undulating karshif facade still bears the handprints of its original builders.

Once thought to be four separate chapels, this temple was built during the 26th Dynasty by the governor of the oasis (his tomb was among those uncovered in the Valley of the Golden Mummies); it was expanded over the centuries. The sandstone complex has well-preserved colorful bas-reliefs and four sanctuaries dedicated to, among others, Horus and Bes. One panel depicts 12 of the panoply of Egyptian gods, a who's who of the ancient deities. The surrounding extensive mud-brick ruins are storerooms and living quarters. The high ground behind the temple provides a panoramic view of the oasis.

Surrounding this desolate ruin made of sandstone are more ruins of mud-brick storerooms and living quarters. The sanctuary contains the eroded reliefs of Alexander the Great depicted in pharaonic garb. His face and cartouche have, unfortunately, been obliterated by the elements.

This temple is one of only a handful of surviving Persian monuments in Egypt. It was built during the reign of the emperor Darius I (510–490 BC) on the site of an earlier temple dedicated to Amun. Later rulers surrounded the temple with a series of stone enclosures, and built an avenue of sphinxes. The reliefs are in good shape, and you can still see the garish colors on the bas-reliefs. Unfortunately, attempts by conservationists to protect the temple from rising groundwater have accelerated its destruction. The temple was closed at writing, but expected to reopen soon.