The Western Desert of Egypt: An Explorer's Handbook

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Summary: Be the English Patient and venture into the Western Desert!
Review: The Western Desert is least known for being anything but probably a large stretch of endless sand dunes between Egypt and Libya. However, if Medusa, Hercules, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, World War II, and the movie the English Patient means anything to you, then this book is finger on the pulse. Why? Because at one point in time they were all inhabitants of the Western Desert. Next to the Empty Quarter in the Saudi Arabia desert, it is one of the most arid places in the world and one of man's last frontiers. Bedouin caravans, travelers and ancient armies crossed these desert plains, at times completely disappearing into the sand. Poems and stories, handed from one generation to the next, speak of the adventures and hardship suffered in this desolate place. The ignorance that has made this place least known is changing now; recently a great discovery was made here. Thousands of ancient mummies were uncovered, most adorned with precious gold jewelry. Dubbed the Valley of the Golden Mummies, the area is now under intensive excavation and a tomb was opened and shown on the Discovery channel. As a result of increasd media attention more serious travelers are coming to this area of the world. There is minimal information to satisfy the information needs of these travelers and this book provides just the right recipe. The book covers a lot of history, geography, geology, route description, people, customs, and crafts. I have traveled the Western Desert from Cairo to the Libyan border ending at the Siwa Oasis some time ago, before this book came to light, and I can say that it would have been a wonderful travel companion. It has many many maps, illustrations, and GPS waypoints. Highly recommended for those interested in the desert, travelers, and Egyptologists. Only weakness is that the interior book design is somehow dull, photos are in black and white, small size and low resolution. There is nothing in color except the book cover. Nevertheless, you should not judge a book by its looks only, for a real traveler planning to emulate the English Patient and venture into the Western Desert, this is really all you need, useful information, concise text and updated maps. There are no nice pictorials here if this is what you are looking for. If you are looking for illustrative text about the work of modern Egyptologists in this part of the world this book will not help you, you are better off with "Valley of the Golden Mummies" by Zahi Hawass. Both books will be nice together if you're planning a trip to the Western Desert with a visit to the valley to see the mummies.