Egypt Tourism

The New Valley

The New Valley is the biggest governorate in Egypt, covering an area of 458,000 square kilometers, about one fifth of the total surface area of Egypt. It extends in the north as far as Marsa Matrouh, in the south as far as Sudan and in the west as far as Libya. In the east it is coterminous with the governorates of Assiut, Qena and Aswan.

A series of medium height rocky hills are the most prominent geographical feature of the New Valley. In some regions they resemble small mountains with sand plains, hard rocky outcrops and dunes between them. All these natural factors have contributed to the making of the new Valley into an attractive tourist destination.

The New Valley consists of three oases, Kharga, Farafra and Dakhla. Kharga is about 600 kilometers south west of Cairo, Dakhla about 750 and Farafra 1070. The New Valley can be reached by means of a regular bus service from Cairo and from Assiut. There are also regular domestic flights linking Cairo to Kharga, the administrative centre of the New Valley.

Historically, the oasis of Kharga was known in antiquity as Hebet, meaning " the fork". Dakhla was known as Khemet, meaning the black land. Farafra was known as Ta Aht meaning the "land of the Cow. These names reflect an important historical fact, namely that the New Valley was one of the most important agricultural areas of Ancient Egypt. Kharga played a part in the expedition sent by Cambyses the King of Persia to destroy the temple of Siwa. He sent 50,000 men, all of whom were lost in the Great Sand Sea of Kharga.

Places to see in Egypt