Abu El-Mahareek Dune Belt
(Ghard Abu El-Mahareek)
This notorious dune belt travels south-southeast from the east of the Bahariya
Oasis all the way to the Kharga Oasis depression. Almost parallel to the Nile,
it formed a natural barrier that isolated the oasis villages from the Nile valley.
Even though it’s only a few kilometers wide, crossing it was very difficult
even for the camels. So caravans used to travel around it from the north via
Fayoum or south via Kharga, but this journey took a lot of time. Few caravans
crossed the dune belt itself and it was a very hard crossing. That’s why this
sand dune belt was originally called Abu Mekharri (dune of shit). Take a look
at the very old maps of Egypt if you don’t believe me :).
