Baharia, the first oasis to be encountered, lies in a depression about 300 km south-west of Cairo and completely surrounded by high black escarpments. From an archaeological point of view, little seems to have survived the pharaonic period. The Greco-Roman period on the other hand is represented by one of the most important discoveries of the last years, a huge cemetery (about 6 square kilometers) in the area of el-Bawiti, the capital of Baharia. one hundred mummies beautifully decorated, some covered with a layer of gold, some wearing painted masks, some buried in pottery coffins and some wrapped in linen. Archaeologists excavating there expect to unearth over 10,000 mummies. Statuettes, pottery, jewels and coins were found and helped date the cemetery to the Greco-Roman period. The inhabitant of Baharia are a mixture of the original oasis dwellers, the Bedouin tribes and families who migrated from Middle Egypt and the New Valley. Conditions in the Oasis began to improve with the construc tion of the road connecting it with Farafra and the development of the new mines as well as the booming tourism industry motivated by the new discoveries.

Situated in the city of Bawiti, Bahariya Oasis, the Oasis Heritage Museum provides a history of living in desert oasis. There are displays of clothing and jewelry, along with clay figures engaged in typical oasis activities.

The city has received considerable press recently due to the discovery of a Festival of Mummies by an Egyptian team at Baharia Oasis, located about 380 km west of the pyramids. Four tombs were excavated, and found inside them were 105 mummies, many of them beautifully gilded. These mummies, many sumptuously decorated with religious scenes, represent the very best of Roman-Period mummies ever found in Egypt. These ancient remains are around 2000 years old, but they have withstood the test of time remarkably well.

The Temple of Hercules was discovered in October 1996 by Faraq Allah Abdeen, and Inspector at Bahariya. Initially, it was investigated by that local office, and was later excavated by a team led by Dr. Zahi Hawass. It was probably constructed in about the year 21 BC, during the reign of Octavian Augustus. However, We believe that the major deity worshipped in this temple was Hercules, artifacts found within the temple indicate that several of other gods may have been worshipped here.

Today, The temple of Hercules is now almost completely destroyed, however there remains sufficient foundation and other evidence that we may examine the layout of the temple in some detail. The temple was probably approached from an avenue that led to the southern section of the temple. The temple itself was surrounded by a mudbrick and local sandstone wall.