Bagawat Necropolis (El Bagawat)

The Bagawat Necropolis spreads over a low desert ridge on the northern edge of the Kharga Oasis, just north of the Temple of Hibis. It is one of the oldest Christian cemeteries in Egypt. Burials began here in the 3rd century AD, on top of an older ancient Egyptian cemetery, and the site stayed in use for several centuries. Its streets of domed mud-brick chapels, some with painted ceilings, give a rare picture of how the first Christians of the desert buried their dead.

A Christian town of the dead

There are 263 known funerary chapels, from single rooms to large family mausoleums with arches, domes and niches. Their architecture mixes ancient Egyptian and Christian forms, and the burial customs did too. The dead were laid on shelves in pits beneath the chapels, often in coffins and with grave goods, and mummification was still practised here long after it had died out in the Nile Valley. One large building with a central dome and side chapels is known as the Church.

Later visitors left their mark as well. Some chapels carry Arabic graffiti from the 9th century onwards, including names thought to have been written by Turkish soldiers stationed in the area in the late 18th century.

The painted chapels

• Chapel of the Exodus: one of the earliest chapels. Bands of Old Testament scenes run round its dome, led by Moses guiding the Israelites through the desert with Pharaoh’s army in pursuit. Other scenes show Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, Daniel in the lions’ den and Jonah and the whale.
• Chapel of Peace: a later chapel whose dome has biblical scenes, among them the Annunciation, with Greek captions naming the figures. Below are paintings of grapevines, peacocks and allegorical figures standing for virtues.

The paintings are fragile and many of them are faded or damaged, but the colours that survive are still clear in good light.

Visiting tips

• Allow one to two hours to walk the main paths and see the painted chapels.
• The ground is sandy and uneven and there is little shade. Wear good shoes, bring water and a hat, and come early.
• Don’t touch the paintings or use flash inside the chapels.
• Combine your visit with the Temple of Hibis, a short way to the south.

Getting there

Bagawat is a few kilometres north of Kharga town, close to the Temple of Hibis, and is easy to reach by taxi or with a hired car and driver. Kharga is reached by road from Asyut or Luxor in the Nile Valley, and many visitors come on an organised tour of the Western Desert oases.

Last checked November 2026. Sources: egymonuments.gov.eg, mota.gov.eg (ticket price list), en.wikipedia.org.