Eight Bells

Eight Bells Hills or Thamaniyat Ajras is a topographic outlier of the Gilf Kebir plateau in the extreme southwestern corner of Egypt. The site, a NW–SE striking line of eight flared hills of Palaeozoic sandstone, is located in the New Valley Governorate at an elevation of 731 m. An airfield used during World War II by the RAF is located near the hills with the runway markings still visible. It is marked by empty tins, many with their paper labels still intact. The need for a landing area in this remote part of Egypt was due to the importance of the Libyan oasis of Kufra. Intermediate landing grounds were required to store petrol and two of these, Eight Bells (located 22°46′59″N 26°16′12″E) and Bir Terfawi, 200 km to the east, were established by the Long Range Desert Group. By the 2000s, Eight Bells Hills and the surrounding region became popular for tourists due to the scenic views it offered. However, this led to an increase in incidents involving armed bandits, especially groups who were camping near the former airstrip. Initially, both parties would leave each other alone. Incidents occurred in 2003 and January 2007, which were kept quiet by Egyptian authorities. During the January 2007 incident, a tour group of 1 German and 3 Britons were stopped by a Land Cruiser carrying 8 gunmen. The gunmen seized a satellite phone, mobile phones, cash, and looted

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