In pictures: Egypt's hidden treasures

Dakhla is one of the seven oases in Egypt's western desert.

The fortified town of al-Qasr has changed little since Medieval times. About 700 people still live there.

The town was probably founded at the end of the 12th century, over the remains of an earlier Roman settlement.

Wooden lintels over the entrances bear inscriptions from the Quran, the oldest dates from 1518.