The Beautiful Siwa Oasis

Siwa Oasis is located in the western desert of Egypt. It is considered one of the world’s most essential and famous oases and one of the favourite destinations for tourists in the winter months. It is also a heritage and entertainment destination for tourists from all over the world. Siwa Oasis contains historical and cultural monuments, lakes, and natural springs.

Siwa Oasis is located about 600 km from the capital, Cairo. It is 10 km long and 8 km wide and contains 200 springs. The oasis’ old name was Sekht-am, meaning palm land, for the numerous palm trees that grow there, olives, other fruit trees, and aromatic plants. Siwa also has about 11 tribes, some descending from the Amazigh and others of Arab origin. The local inhabitants of Siwa speak their language, which is more like the language spoken by the Berber and not like the people who live in other parts of Egypt who speak Arabic.

There are many attractions in Siwa Oasis that you would love to see and enjoy spending time with, whether with family or friends. So, let us know more about these magnificent places in Siwa Oasis.

Things to do in Siwa Oasis:

1. Mountain of the Dead:

This place is one of the most important landmarks to visit in Siwa Oasis, and it contains many Egyptian antiquities from different eras, Roman, Greek, and Pharaonic. The Mountain of the Dead was discovered during World War II in 1944, and that was when many residents moved to hide in these cemeteries because of the air raids during the war. The mountain is characterized by its shape and calcareous soil, and it contains thousands of graves carved in the rock in the form of a beehive of stone. 

The tombs are divided into three levels: the lower and middle levels, which contain most of the tombs due to their size. The top of the mountain contains the fewest tombs. The tombs located there are primarily carved in the Greco-Roman style. You will see the entrance and a hall with a burial chamber at the end.

Many of the most important tombs in the western desert of Egypt date back to the Pharaonic era, including the Tomb of Isis, Si Amon. That tomb belonged to one of the families of the wealthy Greeks who used to follow the ancient Egyptian religion. There is also the tomb of Batoth, which belonged to the 26th dynasty that extended to the Ptolemaic and Roman eras.

2. Cleopatra Eye:

Siwa Oasis has more than 200 natural springs from which water flows all the time; that is used for irrigation, drinking, treatment, and bottling of mineral water bottles sold all over Egypt; it is also called the Eye of the Sun. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus described that place and said that Queen Cleopatra swam there during her visit to Siwa Oasis and that Alexander the Great visited Siwa on his trip to the Temple of Amun in the Siwa Oasis.

It is surrounded by a fence to preserve the eye from backfilling due to environmental factors. It is also considered the water source for more than 840 square kilometres of gardens, orchards, and palm trees in the Siwa Oasis. The water in the eye is pure and clear; it is warm in winter and cold in summer. An annual tradition is carried out where the locals meet at a particular time to clean and purify the springs of the whole oasis, especially Cleopatra Eye, as it is a part of their heritage and history that must be preserved. 

3. Temple of Amun:

The Temple of Amun is located 4 km east of Siwa. It is also known as the Temple of Revelation and the Temple of Alexander. The temple was built in the era of the 26th Dynasty, and the inscriptions show that King Ahmose II constructed the temple to spread the religion of Amun among the neighbouring tribes and peoples, as this place was a meeting point for trade routes between South, north, west, and east of the Sahara. The temple consists of three parts: the main temple, the palace of the ruler, and the ward of the guards. It also has a holy hole used in washing and purification to consult the revelation.

The Macedonian leader Alexander the Great visited the temple after conquering Egypt in 331 BC. It was crowned as one of the gods of Egypt after he received the priest’s prophecy. The temple was also related to many legends. One of these famous legends was about the lost army of Cambyses, sent by the Persian king Cambyses in 525 BC to demolish the temple to prove to the Egyptians and Greeks the corruption of their beliefs associated with the temple. Still, the strangest thing which remains a mystery to this day is that the army of Cambyses was wholly lost after heading towards the oasis of Siwa.

There is also an astronomical phenomenon that happens in temples like Abu Simbel Temple in Aswan and Karnak Temple in Luxor, which is where the sun rays fall perpendicularly on the temple twice a year, in the spring equinox and the autumn equinox and where night and day are equal after 90 days of the shortest day of the year, and ninety days after the longest day of the year. The Temple of Amun includes a mosque, a minaret, rooms for the priests of the Pharaohs, corridors, a hall built to receive Alexander and hold his coronation, a well of holy water, and Roman walls.

4. Dakrur Mountain:

It is one of the most important places for medical tourism, as the sands of the mountain are reported to be able to treat rheumatism, skin diseases, joint pain, spine pain, gout, and much more, and it is located 3 km southeast of Siwa. The best time to visit the area is in June, July, August, and September when the weather and sand are hot, making it capable of treating many diseases. At Dakrur Mountain, there are two tombs with six pillars cut from the Greek era, and all the tombs are devoid of any inscriptions on their walls. There are many legends about this mountain and the treasures of King Ebrak, who was the King of Siwa in the old days.

Many studies have been carried out on the sands in Siwa and proven that it can treat many illnesses. Many people who suffer from various illnesses go there to be half-buried in the sand in the early morning, wearing short pants of light fabric and covered with hot sand. A hat is placed on their head to protect them from sunstroke. The person stays in the pit for a period ranging between 10 minutes and 15 minutes, and if they can bear the hot sand, it could be repeated from 3 to 7 days, depending on the type of disease. After that, the person is wrapped when he comes out of the hole with a wool blanket, enters one of the tents, takes a hot drink, and rubs his body with olive oil.

5. Shali Castle:

Shali Castle is one of the most important historical castles in the oasis. It is located in the centre of the Siwa Oasis and was built in the 12th century to repel the attacks of Arabs and travelling tribes in the desert. There were many turbulent times in this place during the Roman Empire, which made the people who lived in Siwa build a high fortress to protect it from invaders.

The castle is surrounded by walls, with one entrance called Al Bab Anshal, the City Gate. A mosque is also built there. Later, a second door was opened on the southern side of the wall, called Bab Atharat, which means the new door. After that, a third door, called Bab Qudoha, was opened, and it was for women only.

When Egypt’s situation stabilized during Muhammad Ali Pasha’s reign, the people of Siwa no longer needed to live there, and they started building their homes in the wider areas surrounding the oasis.

6. Fatnas Island:

Another beautiful spot in Siwa Oasis is Fatnas Island, which is 5 km away from Siwa and takes about half an hour to reach. The island is also known as the oasis of the sunset. When you visit Fantasy Island, you will love the beauty surrounding you, like palm trees that produce dates, which are known for their unique taste.

When you are there, you can see the incredible sunset; you can also have dinner with delicious local food from Siwa and hear the lovely Siwa songs while enjoying a magnificent view of the landscapes. Inside the island, you will find a spring called Ain Fatnas, which is different because it is the most beautiful spring in Siwa. Trees and palm trees surround it and includes 10 sources from which water comes out. Its depth reaches about 7 meters.

7. Safari in the Dessert of Siwa:

It is a lovely activity you can do in Siwa, and many tourists worldwide enjoy the safari, organized in the Great Sea of Sand, south of Siwa. It starts with a ride in a four-wheeled car through the desert and sand, with supplies of firewood, water, food, drinks, and everything you might need on the trip.

The drivers drive at incredible speeds on the tops of mountains and hills and amid the sand. The first stop is standing inside the Sea of Sand to take pictures. They go to one of the high-altitude locations and cars park in front of it, and then they bring out the wood for tourists to sit on and slide on the sand from top to a distance of up to 300 meters, and the skiing continues for an hour. After that, the tea is prepared on firewood in the sea of ​​sand and with an added flavour from olive trees, which gives a beautiful flavour to the tea.

You can go to the hot springs and the cold lake to watch the sunset in the middle of the desert in the sea of sand and take some pictures surrounded by the beauty of the desert. After that, you can go back to Siwa after spending a great day full of activities in the desert.

8. Bir Wahed:

It is made up of three well-known springs, but only two of them are the most visited. It is inside an 800 km-long natural reserve area. The temperature of Bir Wahed reaches a maximum of 37 degrees Celsius as if it were a sauna or thermal complex. It is an underground spring that is effective in treating any skin diseases. Bir Wahed is a Sulfur hot water spring in the dunes in the Great Sand Sea and is located about 15 kilometres from Siwa.

These were the most magnificent and essential places to visit. Enjoy your time in Siwa, where you will love the oasis and all the nature surrounding you. Start your journey in the beautiful Siwa Oasis and have a great vacation in this small desert city.