The main road leading into Dakhla Oasis is the Darb el-Ghubari, the ‘Dust Track’, which passes from east to west through the oasis and originates in Kharga. The first point of civilisation on the eastern edge of the Dakhla depression is Tineida, a village which is said to have its origins in ancient Egyptian times. Today the area is surrounded by cultivated fields which no doubt cover many remains of ancient structures.

Around 135km from Kharga, before reaching Tineida, there are rocks on the south side of the road covered with ancient carvings of giraffes, camels and men on horses. The inscriptions on the northern side of the soft sandstone rocks are well-preserved, suggesting that they may only have been uncovered in recent times. The exact date of the carvings is unknown, but archaeologists suggest that some may predate the Pharaonic Period, although modern signatures have now defaced many of the older grafitto. This was once the site of a major crossroads where the caravan route from the Nile Valley met the track from Kharga to Dakhla.

On the east side of Tineida village, a Muslim cemetery contains several large domed sheikh's tombs as well as many unusual painted mud grave-stones in the style of tiny houses.

One of the most important sites in the Tineida area is a Temple of Amun-Nakht and his consort Hathor at Ain Birbiya, between the villages of Tineida and Ezbet Bashendi. Excavation of this ‘buried temple’ has been conducted by the Dakhla Oasis Project since 1995 when it was re-discovered after being covered by sand for many years - a process which has been very slow and exacting as the team are conserving the structure as they excavate it. The desert has preserved the decoration well and many reliefs so far uncovered have provided scholars with valuable information about the obscure deity who was known as ‘Amun the Mighty One, Lord of the Desert’. Other titles are similar to those of Horus, suggesting that he was probably a local aspect of the latter god. Inscriptions claim that Amun-Nakht twice visited Dakhla in order to defeat his enemies. The temple at Ain Birbiya is thought to date from the reign of Augustus Caesar, who constructed the gateway into the enclosure, and probably also the Emperor Hadrian.

During the 2004 season Anthony Mills and Adam Zielinski of the Dakhla Oasis Project, continued excavation and preservation work on the temple. On the rear wall in the sanctuary area, they found a large icon of Amun-Nakht which was originally inlaid.

The village of Bashendi lies 4km from Tineida, to the north of the main road. The inhabitants claim that the origin of the name of their village is derived from a medieval Indian prince, Pasha Hindi, who settled there and is the ancestor of most of the villagers. This is a romantic story and although Pasha Hindi’s domed tomb (built over a Roman tomb) can be found in the village, the modern name is more likely to be derived from ancient Egyptian. Even the houses are considered to be of pharaonic design and are said to sit on top of pharaonic remains. The village was probably first inhabited during the Christian era and Roman tombs lie under the foundations of many of the existing houses. Some of these are accessible, including the tomb of Kitines (2nd century AD) which consists of six chambers with relief decoration in a mixture of Egyptian and Roman styles. There is also said to be a New Kingdom Temple of Mut in the vicinity.

To the south-west of Bashendi, at Ain Tirghi is a cemetery thought to date from the Second Intermediate Period, though most burials appear to date to the Late and Roman Periods. Some of the tombs contain as many as 40 burials.

The original home of the Dakhla Oasis Project was at Bashendi - a large dig-house which now houses a craft centre run by the New Valley Governorate, while the international teams have another building in Mut.