The Eastern Desert is scattered with numerous Islamic tombs and shrines. One of the best known is that of Sayyed Al Shadhili, a Moroccan holy man and Sufi leader. Al Shadhili established his brotherhood in Alexandria, and was on his way to make hajj in Mecca when he died in the desert here in 1258. His moulid (religious festival), on the 15th of the Muslim month of Shawal, is attended by thousands of Sufis.
The sheikh had taken part in 1250 in the Battle of Mansourah, in which the Ayyubid forces defeated the Seventh Crusade under King Louis IX of France. The sheikh's tomb was restored under the orders of King Farouk in 1947, and there is now an asphalt road leading to it.
Note that it's usually difficult (and often impossible) for foreign travellers to get permission to visit the area.
