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Surrounded by the sands of the Sahara, the Dakhleh Oasis lies approximately 500 km south west of Cairo and 325 km due west of Luxor, with an area of 1,500 sq.km.

A broad based study of the Oasis has been in progress since 1977 when an international team of natural scientists, archaeologists, and anthropologists began research on the interaction between environmental change and human activity and its impact on the landscape.

Findings that can help to deal with the major challenge of climate change. The Oasis lies 600 kms south west of Cairo and 250 kms due west of Luxor. With an area of 2000 sq. kms, it is surrounded by the sands of the Sahara. Click here to view our interactive map.

Half a million years of mankind's history in microcosm

Over 500,000 years ago nomadic hunter-gatherers came to the Dakhleh area in pursuit of prey and to collect material for their tools. Since 6000 BCE the Oasis has been continuously inhabited.

When the Ancient Egyptians came from the Nile Valley in about 2300 BCE they altered the landscape by introducing crops and farming practices from the valley. In Greek and Roman times the population increased with the establishment of several sizeable towns. The area flourished during the Christian times and on into the Islamic medieval period. It declined somewhat during the Ottoman period but is now again a significant centre.