Baris

Introducing Baris

Baris, 90km south of Al-Kharga, was once one of the most important trading centres along the Darb al-Arba’een, but there is little left to remind you of that. Other than a few kiosks selling fuul and ta’amiyya, there is little of note apart from the mud-brick houses of Baris al-Gedida, about 2km north of the original town. Hassan Fathy, Egypt’s most influential modern architect, designed the houses using traditional methods and materials and intended Baris al-Gedida to be a model for other new settlements. Work stopped at the outbreak of the Six Day War of 1967 and only two houses and some public spaces have ever been completed.

About 13km to the southeast of Baris is Qasr ad-Dush (adult/student E£20/10; 8am-5pm Oct-Apr, 8am-6pm May-Sep), an imposing Roman temple-fortress completed around AD 177 on the site of the ancient town of Kysis. Dush was a border town strategically placed at the intersection of five desert tracks and one of the southern gateways to Egypt. It may also have been used to guard the Darb al-Dush, an east–west track to the Esna and Edfu temples in the Nile Valley. As a result it was solidly built and heavily garrisoned, with four or five more storeys lying underground. A 1st-century sandstone temple abutting the fortress was dedicated to Isis and Serapis. The gold decorations that once covered parts of the temple and earned it renown have long gone, but there is still some decoration on the inner stone walls.

Baris is not an ideal place to stay the night and you’re better off staying at or near Al-Kharga.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009