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Siwa |
| 550
km west of Cairo, 305 km southwest of
Marsa Matruh. Siwa oasis seems to
spring out of nowhere, its lush,
green orchards
glistening like a mirage
in the surrounding barren and
inhospitable desert. More than 300
fresh-water springs
and streams sustain this
remote desert oasis, feeding 300,000
date palms and 70,000 olive trees.
Huge saltwater lakes add to the
spectacular scenery. |
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Isolated
on the edge of the Great Sand Sea,
Siwa remained unchanged and
largely unvisited
for centuries. Roads
now link Siwa to Marsa
Matruh on the
Mediterranean coast
and to Bahariya
Oasis in the
southeast bringing
an influx of
tourists to the
area. The
ruins of the ancient
mud-brick town of Shali
tower above modern
Siwa’s main square. Built in
1203 to house the 40 survivors
of a tribal attack on the
nearby settlement of
Aghurmi, this
walled, illtop town
protected the entire Siwan
population for
centuries.
Though the
houses were
abandoned in 1926 after
heavy rain, the steep maze
of streets can still be
explored. Close to Siwa’s town
center, the House of Siwa Museum
displays a collection of typical
Siwan
clothing, jewelry and handicrafts. The museum was the brainchild of a
Canadian ambassador who feared
the threat posed
by tourism to Siwa’s traditional way of
life. A short distance north
of the town,
the limestone
Mountain of the Dead, or
Jebel al-Mawta, is
riddled with
tombs from the 26th
Dynasty and Ptolemaic
era. |
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When
fighting spread to Siwa
during World War II, the Siwans
sheltered in the
tombs from bombing
attacks. The
3rd century BC Tomb
of Si-Amun contains scenes
depicting the deceased - a Siwan
of Greek origins - with his
family and the gods. About
3 km east of Siwa,
the Temple of the Oracle,
built between 663 and 525 BC,
stands on a rock
that was once at the heart of the
ancient settlement
of Aghurmi.
The
Oracle’s
fame was widespread and
Alexander the Great came
here to consult it in 332
BC after liberating Egypt from Persian
rule. |
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| Though
the temple currently
lies largely in ruins, the steep climb
to the top is worthwhile for
the stunning views
it affords over the palm
trees and lakes below. Further east,
all that remains of the huge 30th
Dynasty Temple of Amun is a wall
decorated with bas-reliefs and a
large pile of rubble. The
temple was probably built
by Nectanebo II during the 4th
century BC. A short
distance away is
Cleopatra’s Pool. Despite the
name, Cleopatra
never bathed here, but
many people do venture into the
circular pool for a swim,
undeterred by algae floating on the
surface of the water and onlookers
watching from the busy path. A better
place for swimming can be
found on Fatnis
Island (also known as Fantasy
Island), on the salt lake
Birket Siwa, 6 km west of the town. A
narrow causeway leads to
the island, which is
covered in lush palm trees and
has an idyllic, secluded, freshwater
pool in the center. |
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