El Kharga Oasis is located about 550 Km from Cairo, and is the nearest town to Luxor. Once known as the Oasis of Thebes by Ancient Egyptians, El Kharga is the principal oasis in Egypt that now stands as the capital of the recently developed Wadi El Gedeed governorate. Wadi El Gedeed is the Arabic translation for the New Valley, which is now the largest governorate in the country and one of the largest cities in Africa. The oasis consists of a 160 Kilometers - long depression known as the Qattara Depression, which was occupied by a lake and thick deposits of sandy clay that formed the bulk of cultivated land in ancient times. The main source of income in the oasis is derived from agriculture and its main craft is basket and mat - making from leaves and fibers of palm trees.

Historical references indicate that expeditions to El Kharga Oasis date back to the Old Kingdom, although little evidence remains about its existence in Pharaonic times. The oasis is abundant with monumental sites, most significant of which is the Temple of Thebes that dates back to the 26th Dynasty. It is situated 3 kilometers north of the oasis and was dedicated for the worship of the Theban Triad that consisted of the most powerful three Gods of Egypt at the time: Amon, Mut, and Khonso.   

With the arrival of Romans to Egypt, El Kharga's prosperity escalated as they created new wells for cultivation and a series of fortress settlements to protect caravan trade routes, most important of which was the Fourty - Days Road which connected the Egyptian governorate of Asyut with Sudan. Another Roman monument is the Roman Temple of Dush, dedicated to the Gods Isis and Serapis.

A further exhilarating monument is the well - preserved Temple of Hibis that was built in the 6th century B.C. and includes picturesque painted vultures and reliefs of the Persian King Darius greeting Egyptian Gods on the outer walls.

Approximately 10 Kilometers away lays the Necropolis of Al Bagawat that accommodates 263 mud - brick tombs with Coptic wall paintings. The necropolis also incorporates the remains of one of the oldest churches in Egypt, the Tomb of Peace and the Tomb of Exodus.

Pharaonic monuments comprise of Al Ghuwayta Temple which was established in 522 B.C., the Museum of Antiquities, Nadoura Citadel, and Qasr El Zayyan that dates back to the Ptolemaic era. In addition to all its striking historical monuments. El Kharga encloses the Paris Oasis, the second largest settlement in its vicinity.