Evidence of desert routes across northern Kharga (Egypt’s Western Desert)

Kharga is the largest of Egypt’s five major oases in its Western Desert. It lies in an elongated depression, more than 180 km long in a north-south direction (between N 24° and 26°) and 15 to 20 km wide (between 30° and 31° E). Its eastern and northern edges are well defined by a high scarp, which continues westwards and also marks the northern edge of the neighbouring Dakhla Oasis. The terrain to the south and to the west is relatively flat. Because of its geographical position in relation to the other oases and the Nile Valley, Kharga has been an important desert crossroad for a long time. Here two major routes met, one running north-south and the other running east-west. Naturally several routes run between it and the Nile Valley. However, these Nilotic connections are not the topic of this paper; rather, it will focus on the web of communication that spanned the oasis proper.