Kharga Oasis

Kharga Oasis
Kharga 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, in Kharga it is the landscape that most overwhelms the
traveler. For it is in Kharga that we encounter the desert as we had always imagined it
to be.
History
Two points emerge over and over when investigating life in the desert. In times of
prosperity in the Nile Valley its control reached into the oases. In hard times, the oases
were left to fend for themselves, and were often invaded and influenced from the west.
When water was plentiful, the oases thrived; when water was scant, they did not.
Evidence of early human presence can be found throughout the Kharga depression,
including along the escarpment. Most settlements occur around water sources including
playa lakes and springs that are now fossilized. In Kharga there are springs at high elevations,
and ancient settlements have been found in the passes leading out of the oases.
This is especially true along the eastern scarp at such sites as Naqb al-Rufuf.