Nature · Matrouh
Qara Oasis
A small, secluded oasis on the edge of the Qattara Depression north-east of Siwa, home to a small Amazigh community in the desert.
The story
Qara Oasis, also called Qarat Umm El Sagheir, is a small inhabited oasis at the north-western edge of the Qattara Depression, 75 km north-east of Siwa Oasis, within Siwa District of Matrouh Governorate. A sub-road of about 100 km, paved, links it to the Matrouh–Siwa road at a place called Bir al-Nisf. It is so small that it is often left out when Egypt's oases are counted. Local folklore says that when a baby is born an elder dies soon after, keeping the population constant.
Good to know
- The oasis lies 75 km north-east of Siwa Oasis.
- The paved sub-road of about 100 km to the oasis branches off the Matrouh–Siwa road at Bir al-Nisf.