Besides the oases the desert is remarkable for two other valleys.
The other four oases lie parallel to and distant 100 to 150 m.
The oases of Sakaka and Kara are situated in a similar basin 15 m.
These oases were known and occupied by the Egyptians as early as 1600 s.c., and Kharga (q.v.) rose to special importance at the time of the Persian occupation.
In the oases of Sahara, and in other parts of Northern Africa, dates are pounded and pressed into a cake for food.
