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is
the seat of the New Valley Governorate and the most populous oasis
of the Western Desert. Although it offers a variety of sites of interest
to the visitor, including ancient fortresses and villages, it is the
landscape that most overwhelms the traveler. Many impressive mountains
exist in Kharga Oasis, particularly in the north where they not only
determine access routes, but dictate the personality of the oasis.
The most impressive mountains in the entire oasis are Gebel al-Tarif,
Mountain of the Border ,and its small neighbor Gebel al-Sheikh. The
pair form the western border of the oasis. There are hundreds of springs
and wells in Kharga and most of them have been running nonstop night
and day for thousands of years with no sign of abating. One other
unique geological form in Kharga are the yardangs, or mud lions, which
are little hills that have remained by withstanding the blast of wind
erosion while everything around them has been blown away. The collection
of yardangs is the largest in the Western desert. Scientist from all
over the world come to study this particular group of yardangs. Kharga
is so full of ancient artifacts that every inch of sand tells a story.
There are still many sites that need excavation that a lifetime of
digging will not uncover them all. Most of the sites still have buried
tombs, towns and temples. There are over fifty sites, mostly Roman,
that have never been touched. As more travelers respond to the lure
of the oases, more and more sites will be on their “must sees”
list.
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