Oasis

The night in the Sahara was very comfortable in our luxury tents, complete with flushing toilets and a shower. Since it was after midnight when we went to bed, we opted not to get up to watch the sunrise over the dunes. This didn't make that big of a difference to our plans to sleep in since hiding from the sun in the desert is pointless. It wasn't long before our tent was perforated with sunlight. After an early breakfast, we explored the area near our camp for a while, but that inescapable sun was also heating things up and it was already 41°C by 8:30am.

Rather than commute back to town by camel, we decided to pile into a SUV and be shuttled back. I must say, bounding over the dunes in this 4x4 was not for the faint of heart. It rivaled any white knuckle rollercoaster ride I've ever been on in The West.
Back in town, we climbed into our waiting van to continue our exploration through the desert.
We stopped to check out a now defunct underground water canal, called a qanat, that had been hand dug as early as the 14th century and maintained as recently as 1970. Qanats are gently inclined horizontal tunnels dug into sloping terrain, as opposed to a vertical well dug straight to the water table. They were used to transport water vast distances to some of the oases in the desert.

As we continued to drive, the seemingly flat vista would fall away to reveal a deep gorge oasis carved into the landscape by a river that has eroded and nourished the parched desert soil for centuries.
It's fascinating how quickly and dramatically a water source can turn the dusty, dry, rocky land into a lush, green, Palm grove.

Our hotel for the night, overlooks one of these flourishing oasis.