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Within the Collaborative Research Centre 389 ACACIA (Arid Climate, Adaptation and Cultural Innovation in Africa), interdisciplinary investigations were carried Out in the Great Sand Sea of Egypt and in the Farafra Sand Sea during four expeditions from 1996 to 2002. The middle sections of both Sand Seas, analysed in this study, consist of Pleistocene megadunes (draa) and Holocene dunes (silk) of comparable dimensions and ages. There exist however, differences in the human occupation during the Holocene climatic optimum: Whereas in the Great Sand Sea important prehistoric sites are situated in the vicinity of playa remnants, no comparable traces were found in the Farafra Sand Sea, in spite of its close proximity to the ancient oases and the NileValley.

As a main reason, the lower land-use potential in the Farafra Sand Sea, which is located farther to the north, is suggested. In addition to less favourable edaphic conditions, the amount of precipitation during the Holocene climatic optimum, here seems to have been insufficient for playa formation in the interdraa corridors.