Al-Qasr

Al-Qasr is the old capital of Dakhla and one of the best preserved medieval settlements in Egypt, a dense block of mud-brick houses built up to three storeys along lanes so narrow and so often roofed over that much of the town is in shade at midday, a deliberate response to desert heat. Above the houses stands a minaret of the Ayyubid period, twenty-one metres of mud brick. Doorways carry carved acacia lintels inscribed with the names of the builder, the carpenter and the date, a local practice that lets buildings be dated precisely, and some go back to the twelfth century. Within the town are a restored madrasa, an oil press, a corn mill, a pottery and a blacksmith's forge. Much of the population moved out to modern housing and parts have collapsed.

What you actually see

• Roofed lanes - covered streets built for shade in desert heat.
• Carved and inscribed lintels - doorways naming builder, carpenter and date.
• The Ayyubid minaret - twenty-one metres of mud brick above the town.
• Working buildings - oil press, corn mill, pottery and forge.

When to go

October to April. Two hours. Mornings for light down the open lanes. The town is quiet and a guide from the ticket office will usually walk you round, which is worth taking.

Honest expectations

Parts of the town are unsafe and closed, and collapse continues where houses are unoccupied. Restoration is patchy. The lanes are dark and uneven underfoot. Photographing remaining residents needs permission.

Nearby

Deir el-Hagar is a short drive west; Mut and the rest of Dakhla lie east.