El-Wadi El-Gadid is a large desert area that occupies the southern part of Egypt, extending from the Libyan Desert in the west, all the way to the Nile Valley.  It has 46 cities, 173 villages and a population of 250,000. It has many oases which have been inhabited since 5,000 years before Christ.  It includes many historical locations and was Egypt’s line of defence against invaders from the west. Over the centuries, from the Persians, Greeks, and Romans, so many have tried to establish a presence in this vast area, in the different oases, and each of them left its monuments. Today it is scarcely inhabited due to a lack of water, since its only water sources are some springs.

El-Wahat El-Kharga is the centre of El-Wadi El-Gadid. It is 600 kilometers south of Cairo, and 250 kilometers south-west of Assiut.  It lies in a low valley and contains some old monuments, such as the Temple of Hibis. Its population is about 67,000.