Which desert is crossed by Egypt's Nile Valley and lies between the Nile and Red Sea?

The desert crossed by Egypt’s Nile Valley and lying between the Nile River and the Red Sea is the Eastern Desert. It forms the eastern part of the Sahara in northeastern Africa and is defined largely by its position relative to the Nile.

The Eastern Desert stretches from the Nile Valley eastward to the Red Sea and includes the Red Sea Hills, a mountain range running roughly parallel to the coast. Its wadis, or normally dry valleys, provided routes through otherwise difficult terrain and connected ancient settlements, mines, quarries, and Red Sea ports.

Ancient Egyptians extracted gold, copper, iron, stone, and semiprecious materials from the region. Trade routes also crossed the desert to ports such as Berenice, linking Egypt with Red Sea commerce and, eventually, trade with India. The desert’s mountains can receive occasional rainfall, but most of the surrounding region is extremely arid.

The Sinai Desert is a separate desert region east of the Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba. The Nubian Desert is farther south, while the Western Desert lies on the opposite, western side of the Nile.