The Valley of El Heiz is located in the Western Desert.

It is located next to the Black Desert, which gets its name from the stones that are scattered over its surface like burned breadcrumbs.

In this case, it is Oligocene iron pyrite from the early Miocene epoch, and it formed the top crusts of the sandstone layers that had been generated in previous periods of geological history.

These pebbles, as well as nummulites and limestone concretions from different geological eras, are scattered throughout the sand bed.

One of the most northerly of the Roman garrisons in the Western Desert, the remnants of the Roman fortification of Qasr Masuda near al-Haiz were established so that soldiers could defend trade routes and monitor traffic in the area.

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