KHARGA /
Ain Umm Dabadib
Ain Umm Dabadib is the sight of Kharga that requires the most effort to reach, crossing sand dunes. The former town here owed its wealth to being one of the last staging post before the caravans headed north. Its history goes back to Roman times, and remains of temples from this period still stand. There are also ruins of churches outside the fortress walls. The original water cisterns and irrigation systems helped use the limited water resources as well as possible. An underground aqueduct system is still visible. It used to run for 15 km, and some of it still in use by local farmers. The original Ain Umm Dabadib was large, perhaps more than 200 km².
