If you want to trace back the glory of the Roman civilization, visit Qasr Farafra. Most of the Roman ruins are centered around Qasr el-Farafra. It stands today as the capital town of the oasis and in ancient times it was the only village.

The Qasr or fortress on the northern side of the town dominated the top of a ridge overlooking the surrounding desert. Possibly built on the site of an original Roman structure and constructed from stone and mud brick, the present fortress was enlarged or rebuilt during medieval times after which it contained at least 125 rooms. There is also an ancient cemetery near Qasr el-Farafra, where a few undecorated rock-cut tombs are almost completely buried by sand. Other rock tombs can be seen in areas nearby, some of which were used as dwellings by early Christian hermits, who scratched or painted their crosses on the walls.