CHAPTER PAGE I. THE LIBYAN DESERT AND ITS OASES 1 II. EARLY RECORDS 12 III. THE ROADS LEADING TO THE OASIS 25 IV. TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY 45 V. THE NORTHERN VILLAGES 61 VI. THE SOUTHERN VILLAGES 75 VII. THE OASIS UNDER PERSIAN AND ROMAN RULE 86 VIII. THE EXTINCT LAKES OF THE OASIS 110 IX. THE UNDERGROUND WATER-SUPPLY 123 X. FLOWING WELLS: SOME EXPERIMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS 139 XI. THE ORIGIN OF THE ARTESIAN WATERS 154 XII. THE ANCIENT SUBTERRANEAN AQUEDUCTS 167 XIII. BORING METHODS: ANCIENT AND MODERN 186 XIV. THE CONTEST BETWEEN MAN AND WIND- BORNE SAND 198 XV. SOME ECONOMICAL ASPECTS OF THE OASIS 212 XVI. SOME NOTES ON SPORT AND NATURAL HISTORY 224 APPENDIX: LITERATURE ON THE OASIS OF KHARGA 234 INDEX 237 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1. AIN ESTAKHERAB, GENNAH _Frontispiece_ FACING PAGE 2. A PASS INTO THE OASIS 16 3. THE RAILWAY DESCENDING INTO THE OASIS THROUGH THE 38 CHALK FORMATION 4. THE CHRISTIAN NECROPOLIS AND JEBEL TER 46 {A STREET IN KHARGA } 5.{ }66 {KHARGA VILLAGE } 6. ENCROACHMENT OF SAND-DUNES AT MEHERIQ 70 {A PTOLEMAIC TEMPLE (QASR EL GHUATA) } 7.{ }73 {DOUM-PALMS NEAR QASR EL GHUATA } 8. AIN DAKHAKHIN 78 9. DUSH VILLAGE 84 10. THE TEMPLE OF HIBIS, FROM THE SOUTH-EAST 92 11. THE TEMPLE OF HIBIS (INTERIOR) 96 12. THE CHRISTIAN NECROPOLIS 103 13. BIBLICAL SCENES IN A TOMB OF THE NECROPOLIS 104 14. LACUSTRINE DEPOSITS AT EL GALA, NEAR BULAQ 110 {COFFIN MASKS FROM BELLAIDA } 15.{ }116 {ANCIENT POTTERY FROM THE LACUSTRINE DEPOSITS } 16. FLINT IMPLEMENTS 120