New Valley Governorate
New Valley Governorate, Desert governorate in southwestern Egypt
New Valley Governorate is an administrative district in southwestern Egypt that covers large parts of the Western Desert and includes several inhabited oases. The district connects agricultural zones in the oasis valleys with wide uninhabited desert areas, some of which are designated as nature reserves.
The Egyptian government established this district in October 1959 to encourage settlement and agricultural development in the desert oases. Over the following decades, new irrigation projects and settlements emerged in the oasis valleys.
Residents of the oases craft hand-painted ceramic vessels and baskets woven from palm fibers, while the markets offer freshly harvested dates and date products from the local groves. These traditional skills are often passed down in family workshops that visitors can sometimes observe.
The main towns of Al Kharga and Dakhla serve as starting points for trips into the surrounding desert areas and to nearby archaeological sites. Travelers should carry sufficient drinking water and be prepared for large distances between the oases.
The White Desert Reserve contains limestone formations that wind has shaped over millennia into forms resembling mushrooms, animals, or icebergs. At sunrise and sunset, these rocks take on warm hues that shift between pink and orange.
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