Desert of Mystery

The Desert of Mystery is located in the southwest corner of Hyrule in A Link to the Past. It is the location of the second dungeon in the game, the Desert Palace, which contains the Pendant of Wisdom.

The Desert of Mystery is a wide open area filled with cacti. The only other features are the Desert Palace, a few cliffs, and caves. The area is swarming with Vultures and Geldmans, as well as bombs that explode at close range, making it somewhat of a nuisance to traverse.

On a cliff in the Desert of Mystery, only reachable with the Flute, there is a portal to the Dark World hidden by a rock. This is the only way to enter the Dark World equivalent of the Desert of Mystery, Swamp of Evil.

Trivia

 * While many other games have desert areas, A Link to the Past is the only one the Desert of Mystery appears in. In other games, the deserts are often replaced with the Gerudo Desert.
 * The only moment in the game where the Book of Mudora is required to complete the game is in the Desert of Mystery, when entering the Desert Palace.
 * The Desert of Mystery is the only location in A Link to the Past where the Book of Mudora is used twice. Once to enter the Desert Palace, and a second time to get the Bombos Medallion atop a cliff after Link's gone to the Dark World.