Product Description

In 1990, Cassandra Vivian wrote and published Islands of the Blest: A Guide to the Oases and Western Desert of Egypt, which became an overnight bestseller and an instant modern classic. No traveler in the Western Desert was without it.

Now retitled, reorganized, and substantially expanded, The Western Desert Handbook is set to become the most comprehensive guide ever for desert and oasis travel in Egypt west of the Nile. Fully illustrated with some 50 maps and plans and over 270 drawings, the guide covers both the natural history and the human history of the desert and the oases. It then explores chapter by chapter the oases of Kharga, Dakhla, Farafra, Bahariya, Fayoum, and Siwa, and the desert areas of al-Diffa (the northern, semi-arid edge of the desert), the Darb al-Arbain caravan route in the south, and Uwaynat (including Gilf Kebir) in the southwest. Descriptions of routes, sites, people, and places are complemented by practical information on places to stay, eat, and fill your gas tank. Global positioning system (GPS) waypoints are provided as an aid to navigation on many routes - though for the sake of conservation and the protection of unguarded antiquities they are not given for remote sites. Almost encyclopedic in its scope, this is the one guide that belongs on the bookshelf, dashboard, or rucksack of every Western Desert traveler.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1395750 in Books
• Published on: 2000-12-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 436 pages

From Library Journal
The recent publicity generated by Zahi Hawass's discoveries in the Valley of the Golden Mummies in the Bahariya Oasis of Egypt's Western Desert has brought worldwide attention to the little-known region. With the exception of the Fayoum, few tourists ever visit there, so it is not surprising that most guides provide minimal information. Vivian, a writer and photographer who lived in Egypt for many years, fills the gap with this updated revision of her 1990 classic Islands of the Blest, which includes a Global Positioning System of waypoints for all on-road and some off-road sites. After two introductory chapters dealing with the "Natural World" and the "People and Explorers of the Desert," Vivian explores each area in detail in individual chapters. These chapters include sections on history, geography, geology, caravan routes, roadways, people, and native crafts. Vivian also suggests various tour routes for travelers planning their own itineraries and in the "Practical Information" chapter lists available package tours, places to stay, local attractions, and discusses Egyptian travel regulations. Highly recommended for any library with substantial holdings in travel, geography, or Egyptology.DEdward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Cassandra Vivian is a writer and photographer who lived in Egypt for many years, traveling extensively throughout the country but particularly in the Western Desert. She now lives in Pennsylvania.