Abu Ballas

Abu Ballas (the pottery hill) is an archaeological site in the Libyan Desert of Egypt. It lies about 200 km (120 mi) south-west of the Dakhla Oases and consists of two isolated sandstone cones in the otherwise flat desert. Both hills are covered with Egyptian pottery. These vessels were at the beginning of the 20th century often well preserved, but are today – due to modern tourism – very much destroyed. The site was discovered in 1918 and 1923. More recent research was undertaken in the last years.

The area is name giver for the geological Abu Ballas formation.