Discovering India and the World - The White Desert, Egypt

If you think Egypt is all about pyramids, think again! Just 45 kilometres towards the northern side of the Farafra district in Egypt, lies a natural wonder of the world, called the White Desert.

Why the White Desert?

Blessed by a stunning landscape, this desert has a white hue and boasts of many chalk formations that were naturally created as a result of sandstorms. You can find monoliths, mushrooms, ice-cream cones, tents, crickets – all sorts of shapes in mostly a pearly white colour. Why ‘mostly’? Well, the colour of these formations changes as per the sun’s position in the day. During afternoon, the white colour of these boulders intensifies; at the time of sunset, it sparkles like gold and on cloudy days, it often appears dark and shrunken. These formations also change their shapes over time due to the eroding effect of the irregular desert winds.

History

Once a sea bed, the White Desert had sedimentary layers of rock when the ocean dried up. The white colour was owed to the combination of chalk and limestone present in the region. After that, it became a habitat for animals like elephants, giraffes and others related species. What we see today was created when suddenly a plateau broke down and the softer material was eroded by strong winds while some hard rock shapes were left intact.

Know More…

Today, White Desert stands as a region and is popularly known as the White Desert Park. If you plan to explore the area in a 4WD vehicle, you must follow designated routes. However, the outskirts of this area, called the Old Desert, is easily accessible in a regular vehicle.