The Great Oasis: History and Archaeology of Egypt's Kharga and Dakhla Oases, University College London, October 18, 2015

The Egypt Exploration Society presents a day of lectures with Professor Salima Ikram, Head of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo and Director of the North Kharga Oasis Survey.

The words 'Sahara Desert' conjure up visions of endless miles of undulating sand dunes shimmering under the burning sun, punctuated by occasional pockets of green oases housing fierce Bedouin tribes. The Sahara in Egypt goes some way to fulfilling this stereotype ... but with added glamour. Egypt's Western Desert is home to extraordinary landforms and sites dating from the Prehistoric Period onwards. Among the five oases of the Western Desert, Kharga and Dakhla stand out as host to an extraordinary number of temples, tombs, settlements, rock art, and ancient routes. This study day offers you the opportunity to explore the history of these oases from c.10,000 BC until the Roman Period, with a lecturer who is both a leading scholar in Egyptian funerary archaeology, and an archaeologist who has worked at sites such as Giza, Saqqara, Abusir, the Valley of the Kings, and of course the Western Desert Oases. Join us for a special day with one of Egyptology's most charismatic speakers.

Lectures:

• The Great Oasis: An Introduction and History
• The Prehistory of the Pre-Oases: rock art and the environment
• Governors and Priests: the oases from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period
• Routes and Romans: the oases from the Late Period through to the Romans