Old architecture of Al-Qasr village.
Dakhla is the oasis that lies furthest off the main settlements of Egypt. Unlike many other oases, it is situated above sea level, as high as 122 metres. Still it is fed by more than 520 springs and ponds. 75,000 people live in 14 different settlements, each strong local identities and customs.
Only Mut and Al-Qasr qualifies as towns. Before the road came here, Dakhla must have felt like a planet of its own, where only few inhabitants ever came as far as to the neighbouring oases Kharga and Farafra.The main towns are Mut and Al-Qasr, the latter the main attraction in the entire oasis. If you have time, the old town of Mut is also interesting. Dakhla has been inhabited for millenniums, and of old sights, the Muzawaka tombs and Deir al-Hagar temple are the main attractions. At Balat, not far from Bashendi, tombs from the 3rd millennium BCE have been found, but generally the funerary complex is closed to visitors.