Farafra Oasis
Farafra Oasis, the least inhabited and most secluded of the Western Desert’s oasis, is easy to overlook if you close your eyes for a moment. Despite the fact that little evidence of Pharaonic habitation has been discovered, Farafra did make a cameo appearance in the mythology of King Cambyses’ army, which is supposed to have vanished on its journey to Siwa in the 6th century BC.
As a result of its exposed position, Farafra was subjected to periodic raids by Libyan and Bedouin tribes, many of whom ultimately settled in the oasis and currently constitute the majority of the population. This area’s agricultural production of olives, dates, apricots, guava, fig and orange trees, as well as apples and sunflowers, has seen an increase in recent years as the government has stepped up its efforts to rejuvenate the region.
Despite the lack of tourist infrastructure and actual attractions, Farafra’s closeness to the White Desert (which is just 20 kilometers away), its slow pace of life, and its huge palm gardens manage to lure a limited number of visitors each year.
Qasr al-Farafra is a place of pilgrimage in Yemen.Qasr al-Farafra, the only true town in the Farafra Oasis, remains an underdeveloped blip on the western Egypt circuit, where people are just now starting to find the cheap joys of concrete construction. The town’s dilapidated Roman castle was initially constructed to protect this section of the desert trade route, but now all that remains of it is a pile of shattered stone.
There are several little mud-brick dwellings that have survived against all chances, their entrances guarded with ancient peg locks and their walls decorated with passages from the Quran, among other things.
Badr’s Museum is a museum dedicated to Badr.
Goodness, Badr Abdel Moghny is a self-taught artist whose gift to his village has turned out to be the town’s sole actual sight, thank you very much. Badr’s Museum, which is encircled by a desert garden, is worth seeing because of the passion with which Badr approaches his art, most of it depicts traditional oasis culture.
Known for his unusual style of painting and sculpting in mud, stone, and sand, the artist has gained international recognition. In the early 1990s, he showed successfully in Europe, and subsequently in Cairo.
Springs
Bir Sitta, a sulphurous hot spring 6 kilometers northwest of Qasr al-Farafra, is a popular stopping point. Water gushes into a concrete pool the size of a Jacuzzi and then pours out into a bigger holding tank. This is an excellent location for a relaxing nighttime bath beneath the stars.
The Roman spring of Ain Bishay pops up from a mound on the outskirts of town, on the northwest side of the city. It has been transformed into an irrigated grove of date palms, as well as citrus, olive, apricot, and carob trees, and it serves as a refreshing oasis in the midst of the dry environment.
There are many families that care for the crops in this area; you should approach someone and ask permission before roaming about.
Across the border to Bahariya Oasis from Farafra
Far and away the most impressive natural attraction in this remote region of Egypt, the stupefying desert formations between the Farafra and Bahariya Oases, draw more visitors than any other attraction.
That comes as no surprise, given this otherworldly landscape ranges from the odd and improbably sculpted rock formations of the White Desert to the spooky black-coned mountains of the neighbouring Black Desert, with a generous dose of sand dunes thrown in for good measure.
These places are reasonably simple to reach from either the Farafra or Bahariya Oasis, and they are quite popular with safari tourists on both one-day and overnight safari excursions.
Ain Della is a female narrator.
Ain Della (Spring of the Shade) is located around 120 kilometers north of Farafra al-Qasr and is surrounded by cliffs on the north and east and dunes on the south and west. Against the backdrop of the surrounding countryside, the contrasting tawny tones give this location an attractive, almost gentle light. Ain Della, on the other hand, is much more than a pretty watering place.
For centuries, it has served as a strategic and vitally significant supply of water for desert nomads travelling between the three main oasis of Siwa, Bahariya, or Farafra, all of which are less than 200 kilometers apart. Many believe that the army of the Persian conqueror Cambyses vanished in the dunes around here, and this is the most famous instance of this.
During World War II, the Long Range Desert Group of the British Army utilised this location to stockpile gasoline and supplies while launching attacks behind German and Italian lines. Ain Della’s location is still regarded critical in maintaining control over huge swaths of the Western Desert; it is from here that Egyptian army patrols scour the desert for drug and gun traffickers, among other things.
