For an overview of antiquities found in Kharga and Dakhla Oases, nothing could be better than a visit to the newly constructed Kharga Museum, the latest in the Egyptian Ministry of Culture’s regional museums plan. Built from local bricks to echo the style of early Christian architecture seen at Bagawat, the museum houses artefacts ranging from the Egyptian Prehistoric Period right through to the Islamic Era.

The displays are located on the first two of the building’s three floors, bringing to life the historical human journey through the deserts of Egypt. On the first floor the collection includes items such as prehistoric tools, ostrich eggs and many other artefacts found in the Western Desert, indicating the presence of man here from the earliest times. Many of these items have been found by members of the Dakhla Oasis Project during their excavations over the past decades and well-displayed with the help of the Royal Ontario Museum’s Kharga Prehistory Project, complete with hand-printed object labels in Arabic and English.

In Pharaonic times, the oases were important provinces, with large settlements, since they were Egypt's front line of defence against invaders from the west and south. Many funerary items from pharaonic tombs are displayed, including outer parts of the Dynasty VI tomb of Im-Pepi, discovered by the French Mission in Dakhla Oasis and a false-door stela of Khent-Ka, also from the Old Kingdom.

Roman presence in the Western Oases is represented most of all, especially in the form of glass, ceramics and coins found in excavations by the many teams who have worked here in recent years. One of the most exciting finds is from Dakhla Oasis, where the Canadian Mission, directed by Professor Tony Mills discovered a set of wooden ‘notebooks’, known as the Kellis Wooden Panels. These important documents written in Greek and Coptic contain lists of accounts and payments in kind by tenant farmers during Roman times. They also give details of marriage contracts and letters, giving us tremendous insight into productivity and everyday life in the oases.

The second floor houses Christian and Islamic artefacts from the oases, including many religious items as well as articles of cultural interest from the more recent heritage of the region. Artefacts include textiles, icons, books and coins. There are also many folk items which reflect the customs and traditions of the New Valley.

Kharga Heritage Museum is situated in the centre of el-Kharga, on Sharia Gamal Abd el-Nasser and is open daily from 8.00am to 4.00pm.