In pictures: Egypt's hidden treasures

BBC News

A set of nice photographs from some of Egypt's more unusual places. Here's the text accompanying the first photograph, showing rock art at the Mestekawi-Foggini Cave:

Egypt's western desert shelters a treasure trove of prehistoric cave paintings.

New sites dating back more than seven thousand years are still being found in the ancient Gilf Kebir plateau, near the border with Sudan and Libya.

This painting in the Mestekawi Cave was found in 2002 and is the most recent discovery.

Photographer Mohamed El Hebeishy says some sites are being destroyed by tourists who spray water onto the art to bring out the colours for photos.

The last of the nine photographs is a stunning image of the ruined mosque and tomb of Shahin al-Khalawati, which is balanced precariously on a rocky hill overlooking Cairo. I was unfamiliar with this mosque and shall seek it out next time I'm there.