Oasis of Egypt

Today, the oases of Egypt are presented to us as islands of vegetation surrounded by the most arid desert. However, this was not always the case. Or at least, not exactly. Thousands of years ago, today’s desert was more like a savannah where natural springs and watercourses were not so rare, and where rainfall was not so extraordinary.

However, the gradual warming of the climate caused this entire area to dry out in an extreme manner, eliminating practically all traces of water on the surface. However, important aquifers remained in the subsoil, emerging naturally in some places and being exploited by man through wells, thanks to the porosity of the soil.

In such an arid environment, the oases of Egypt, the remained as plant islands around which populations of different sizes were established. And although living conditions may seem extreme, at times they enjoyed great prosperity. This is because they were of great necessity for the Bedouin caravans of the desert, who were forced to stop at them during their long journeys.

In addition, intermediation and warehousing activities were carried out in the oases, which left more room for maneuver and benefit to the inhabitants of these areas. oasis. Egypt had real old-style ‘service stations with tolls’ here! And the basis of those routes is today the network of roads linking the oases of Egypt between them.

These were obligatory stops that, on occasions, were also obligatory for the expeditions organized by the pharaohs themselves. Luxury goods, such as gold, ebony, ivory or precious minerals, were sought after. And their planning was always done taking into account the location of the oasis of Egypt.

In addition to this economic importance, the oasis of Egypt They also had it at a geostrategic level, especially those located in the Western Desert, also called the Libyan Desert: they represented a border with their western neighbors, the Hyksos, who represented a real threat, as demonstrated by their conquest of the country during the Second Intermediate Period.

For all these reasons, the oases of Egypt were not independent entities and were never considered ‘foreign’ territories, but were under the dominion and control of the pharaohs. In the early days (Ancient Empire), when the capital was in Thebes or Memphis, they were run directly by their central administration. And later, from the Middle Empire onwards, they had their own administrators.The capital was the capital of the city, although always controlled from the capital,
Thebes (present-day Luxor)
.

On the other hand, due to its isolated and almost inaccessible location, the oasis of Egypt were presented as ideal places for the exile of the pharaohs’ adversaries, of which there are some documented examples. Nowadays, there are also many people who ‘exile’ themselves in them, but in a very different way: traveling to the oasis of Egypt is an unbeatable way to disconnect from the stress of everyday life and find the peace and tranquility so longed for on vacation.