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oases These lush, habitable depressions found in the
LIBYAN DESERTof Egypt have been in use from Predynastic
times (before 3000 B.C.E.) and served multiple purposes
over the centuries. These were important sites in all his-
torical periods because they served as links and outposts
in the vast trade operations and bolstered military
defenses. In some periods the oases were also places of
exile for those banished from the lands by the various
rulers.
Called wehatand wake,terms that denote a fertile
region or garden, the oases connected the Nile Valley
with Libya and the domains beyond the first cataract of
the Nile. They also served as the residences of governors
in some dynastic periods. The governors of the Old King-
dom (2575–2134 B.C.E.), for example, lived at Bahat in
DAKHLA Oasis. During the expulsion of the HYKSOS,
KAMOSE(r. 1555–1550 B.C.E.) of the Seventeenth Dynasty
used the various oases as military garrisons and secret
arms and personnel hiding places. From these remote
sites he was able to campaign against the Asiatics with
success because the enemy was not familiar with the ter-
rain and was unable to track his units in the treacherous
wilderness.
The major oases of Egypt were
Baharia called the northern oasis, approximately
190 miles south of Cairo, located in the territory
called the Black Desert. Baharia was a source of chal-
cedony in all eras. The tomb of Amenhotep Huy was
discovered there. He was the governor of the region
in the reign of AKHENATEN (r. 1353–1335 B.C.E.).
Baharia was also famous for its wines, which were
graded and classified when offered to consumers.
New excavations at Baharia Oasis have uncovered a
remarkable collection of graves, leading to a designa-
tion of part of the oasis as the VALLEY OF THE GILDED
MUMMIES.
Dailah a small oasis located to the west of FARAFRA
OASIS.
Dakhla called the Inner Oasis, Tchesti, and located
213 miles southeast of FARAFRA OASIS, this site had his-
torical significance. A cache of prehistoric rock art is
available at Dakhla, dating to ancient times and demon-
strating the existence of some of the earliest humans in
the Nile Valley. The wadi in the region is called the “Wadi
of the Pictures” as a result. The rock art was made during
times of floods and includes designs, hunting scenes, and
figures of men and women with jewelry-clad arms. God-
desses and animals were also depicted here, in what is
considered the greatest concentration of rock art in the
world. Dakhla also contains the site called Deir el-Hagar.
A temple dedicated to the god AMUNwas discovered at
Ain Birdiyeh. This temple and surrounding MASTABA
tombs date to the Sixth Dynasty (2323–2150 B.C.E.).
Dunqul an oasis near the first cataract of the Nile,
used in the reign of PEPI I(2289–2255 B.C.E.) by General
WENIin his campaigns in Nubia (modern Sudan). The
Dunqul Oasis is southwest of modern ASWAN, near
Kurkur.
Farafra an oasis 213 miles northeast of DAKHLA
Oasis in the area called the White Desert. The site was
also named Ta-a het by the Egyptians. Farafra was a cat-
tle-raising area from earliest times and offered lush pas-
tures in the sea of desert sand.
Kharga the Outer Oasis or the Southern Oasis,
located 77 miles southwest of ASSIUT. Kharga Oasis was
also called Uaht-rest. The site contains a temple dedi-
cated to the deities HIBIS and Nadura. Considered a
miniature jewel of nature because of the luxurious vege-
