Al-Qasr, Dakhla Oasis

Al-Qasr is an old mud-brick town at the north-western end of Dakhla Oasis, in New Valley Governorate in Egypt's Western Desert. It is considered one of the best-preserved examples of an Islamic desert town in Egypt.

The present town dates from the medieval Islamic period and is thought to stand on an older site going back to Roman times. It prospered in the Mamluk and Ottoman periods, to which most of the surviving houses belong. Most of its inhabitants gradually moved to the modern village next to it, and the old town is now a protected heritage site where restoration work is carried out.

The town consists of narrow, winding lanes, many of them roofed over, which give shade and protection from wind and sand. The houses rise several storeys, and above their doors are lintels of acacia wood carved with inscriptions giving the name of the owner, the date of building. Other features include an old mosque with a mud-brick minaret, a madrasa that also served as a court, an olive press and a mill. Al-Qasr gives a complete picture of traditional life in the oases.