Bagawat Necropolis

Bagawat is a hillside covered with several hundred mud-brick funerary chapels built between roughly the third and seventh centuries, packed close together with domes, arches and decorative brickwork, and it is among the oldest and best preserved Christian cemeteries anywhere in the world. Two chapels hold painted interiors of real importance. The Chapel of the Exodus has a dome painted with a continuous frieze of the flight from Egypt along with Noah, Jonah, Daniel and other scenes, drawn in a loose, vivid line. The Chapel of Peace has a more formal painted dome with figures of Peace, Justice and Prayer and biblical scenes among vines. The site sits on open desert with the oasis below and the escarpment behind.

What you actually see

• Several hundred domed chapels - a mud-brick necropolis on a hillside.
• The Chapel of the Exodus - a painted dome with the flight from Egypt.
• The Chapel of Peace - formal figures and biblical scenes among vines.
• Decorative brickwork - arches, niches and patterned mud brick throughout.

When to go

October to April. Two hours. Mornings for the light through the chapel openings, which is the only illumination inside. Combine with Hibis, a short drive away.

Honest expectations

The two painted chapels are kept locked and a guard with keys is needed; if he is absent you will see only the exteriors. Interiors are dark and photography is restricted. Mud brick is fragile and much of the site is roped off. No shade.

Nearby

Hibis temple is just south; Kharga town lies beyond it.