Monastery of Al Kashef

Western Desert


Dominating the cliffs 2km to the north of the Necropolis of Al Bagawat, the ruined Monastery of Al Kashef is strategically placed to overlook what was one of the most important crossroads of the Western Desert – the point where the Darb Al Ghabari from Dakhla crossed the Darb Al Arba’een (Forty Days Rd). The magnificent mud-brick remains date back to the early Christian era. Once five storeys high, much of it has collapsed, but you can see the tops of the arched corridors that criss-crossed the building.

To get here, walk or drive on the left-hand track from the Necropolis of Al Bagawat for about 2km.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Western Desert attractions

1. Necropolis of Al Bagawat

0.61 MILES

It may not look like much from afar, but this necropolis is one of the earliest surviving and best-preserved Christian cemeteries in the world. About 1km…

2. Temple of Hibis

1.19 MILES

The town of Hebet (‘the Plough’, now corrupted into Hibis) was the capital of the oasis in antiquity, but all that remains today is the well-preserved…

3. Temple of An Nadura

1.82 MILES

Located on a hill to the right of the main road when heading north from Al Kharga town, the Temple of An Nadura has strategic views of the area and once…

4. Al Kharga Museum of Antiquities

2.61 MILES

Designed to resemble the architecture of the nearby Necropolis of Al Bagawat, this two-storey museum is an old-school dusty trove of archaeological finds…

5. Qasr Al Zayyan

5.64 MILES

One of the major monuments of the Kharga Oasis is the Graeco-Roman temple of Qasr Al Zayyan, in the ancient village of Takhoneourit. The town, mostly…

6. Qasr Al Labakha

14.76 MILES

Set amid a desertscape of duney desolation, Qasr Al Labakha is a micro-oasis some 40km north of Al Kharga. Scattered among sandy swells and rocky shelves…

7. Ain Umm Al Dabadib

19.18 MILES

This impressive fort sits on a ridge rising grandly out of the desert plains about 20km west of Qasr Al Labakha. It has one of the most complex…

8. Qasr Al Ghueita

26.3 MILES

The garrison’s massive outer walls enclose a 25th-dynasty sandstone temple, dedicated to the Theban triad Amun, Mut and Khons. In later centuries, the…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "egypt/al-kharga/attractions/monastery-of-al-kashef/a/poi-sig/1428089/1316043",
      "destination": "Western-Desert",
      "continent": "Africa",
      "country": "Egypt",
      "region": "Western-Desert",
      "position": "superzone"
    }