Dakhla Oasis

Dakhla remains a breadbasket, just as it was in Roman times. The rich patchwork of shifting yellow dunes, red earth, green farmland, and ancient mud-brick villages is like a mirage against a background of pink and white cliffs that rise up sharply to shelter the oasis. The people here wear straw hats, which give the place a South American feel. Although the oasis has a large number of ancient ruins—including the restored Egyptian temple at Deir al-Haggar, the ruins of an entire Roman community called Amheida, and an Old Kingdom site near Bashindi—the Islamic fortress towns remain its crowning glory.