Black Desert

Is a region of volcano-shaped and widely spaced mounds, distributed along about 30 km in western Egypt between the White Desert in the south and the Bahariya Oasis in the north. Most of its mounds are capped by basalt sills, giving them the characteristic black color.

The Crystal Mountain is a small natural arch in the rock and the glittering calcite crystal walls make it a perfect place to pose for photos. This is what geologists call an exhumed cave , a cave complete with stalagmites and stalactites that has been thrust upwards by earth movement and with time has lost its roof to erosion and has almost weathered away. The calcite crystal developed in paleo caves of khoman chalk. The crystal mountain stands on the very edge of the of the White Desert , and soon the black iron and basalt pebbles give way to the sand-blown chalk formations which loom on either side of the road.