Lecture: 22 October 2009 - Read more..
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
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
and on into the Islamic
medieval period. It declined somewhat during the Ottoman
period but is now again a significant centre.