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Photo : Roland Unger — CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The oases and the Western Desert · Kharga

Kharga market

Dates, baskets and pottery from the oasis, in the Western Desert's largest town.

Budget

Kharga is the administrative capital of the southern oases, and its market serves the surrounding villages: dates of several varieties, palm basketry, jars. Nothing is designed for travellers, which makes it a good place to understand an oasis economy.

The extra bit

Taste before buying dates: dry varieties keep for months, soft ones do not.

Know before you go

Kharga is seven hours' drive from the valley: this market is visited on an oasis circuit, never on its own.

Directions

Kharga centre, Kharga Oasis

Directions

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