El Kharga oasis is the largest Oasis and the capital of the New Valley Governorate in the Western Desert of Egypt. It is located about 240km southward Assiut Governorate, and about 580 km away from Cairo. The major economic resources for the city are tourism and agriculture since the water supply and advanced technology is available in El Kharga rather than any other oasis. The most important agricultural products produced and exported from in El Kharga are dates, rice and some vegetables. A large number of the inhabitants earn their living from practicing some handcrafts such as basket making and manual carpets and mats using the wool of their cattle.
The archeological sites of the oasis are rich with ruins of fortresses, as it was a crossroad and a station for the caravans going and coming from Nubia and Africa. Some of these fortresses were merely checkpoints and others were big settlements with mud-brick constructions. On top of places that are worth seeing in El Kharga are Temple of Hibis and Temple and Amenebi. Additionally, the oasis is blessed with some Sulfuric water springs that is usually visited by people who suffer from rheumatic ailment to be cured there. Since the city enjoys almost all the aspects of modernity, it hardly appears as a real oasis. It is a highly visited oasis in Egypt since it can be easily reached by plan through Cairo International Airport and the New Valley Airport in El Kharga.