The Farafra depression is the second
biggest depression by
size in Western Egypt and
the smallest by population, near latitude 27.06° north and longitude 27.97°
east. It is in the large Western Desert of
Egypt, approximately midway between Dakhla and Bahariya oases.
Farafra
has an estimated 5,000 inhabitants (2002) mainly living in the town of Farafra and is mostly inhabited by
the local Bedouins.
Parts of the town have complete quarters of traditional architecture, simple,
smooth, unadorned, all in mud colour — local culture and traditional methods of
building and carrying out repairs have been supported by its tourism. Often
grouped within Farafra are the hot springs at Bir Sitta (the sixth well) and the El-Mufid lake.
A main
geographic attraction of Farafra is its White
Desert (known as Sahara el Beyda, with the word sahara meaning a desert) — a national
park of Egypt and 45 km (28 mi) north of the town of Farafra, the
main draw of which is its rock type colored from snow-white to cream. It has
massive chalk rock formations
that are textbook examples of ventifact and which
have been created as a result of occasional sandstorm in the area.
The Farafra desert is a typical place visited by some schools in Egypt, as a
location for camping trips. The desert was also the featured location in the
music video accompanying the piece Echoes in
the 2008–2011 album by the Klaxons.
"Jasrmmd
road, and the locally developed clays at the top of the white chalk west of
Qasr Farafra. As Zittel placed the beds at the former place below the White
Chalk, this new position assigned to them may be regarded as provisional until
confirmed or disproved by palaeontological evidence derived from the latter
locality."
Wells
The
Roman spring of Ain
Bishay bubbles forth from a hillock on the northwest edge of town. It
has been developed into an irrigated grove
of date palms together
with citrus, olive, apricot and carob trees, and is a cool
haven amid the arid landscape. Several families tend the crops here; you should
seek someone out and ask permission before wandering around.
— Sights in Qasr Al Farafra - Lonely Planet
Due to
its geographical location and geological formation it has more than 100 wells
spread out over the lands of the Farafra, many of which natural. Most of these
wells are used in aggregation of the cultivated land in
the oasis. Some of the wells in Farafra have become a favorite tourist
destination. Bir Sitta, (well 6 in Arabic), Bir Sab'a (well 7) and Bir Ithnian
wa ishrin (well 22) are the most important. Because of the water's warm
temperature and a slight percentage of sulfur, these wells are
favorable for swimming and relaxation. There is a large lake touristic well
named Abu Nus 15 kilometers north of the edge of the Farafra.