Interpretation of Water Environment Around El-Zayyan Temple in Kharga Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt from a Tentative Environmental Map Based on ALOS Pan-Sharpened Imagery

Abstract

Kharga Oasis is the biggest oasis in the desert region between Egypt and Libya. The geographical location of this oasis suggests its importance in the large network system connecting the Western Desert, the Nile Valley, Nubia and Libya, which functioned as caravan route for slave trading from Sudan to middle Egypt in the Roman age. Egyptian government plan, regarding current population increase, is to develop this area for agriculture and settlement by driving water from the Aswan. This study aims to provide a tentative map of temple and water environment around Kharga Oasis based on ALOS satellite pan-sharpened imagery and information collected from field surveys 2003-2008. We expect the map as a supporting tool for archaeological studies of ancient Egyptian civilization and regional development policies in Kharga Oasis.