Since the 4th century Egypt's rulers have used Kharga oasis as a place of exile, and even today it's the home of "The Scorpion", the maximum security prison. It is about 9 hours by car from Cairo and lies directly west of Luxor.

For slave caravans from Sudan, Kharga was the last stop before their final destination, Assyut, on the 40 Days Road (1721 km) during Old Kingdom times until 1884 when the border was closed. This trip by 4WD vehicle covers part of this caravan road. What is desert today, was grasslands fed by underground springs. Researchers believe there were herds of giraffes and gazelle.