Siwa Oasis - Egypt
From Travel Information and Popular Attractions: TravelName.com
Siwa is the most fascinating and authentic oasis in Egypt and until recently it was most inaccessible of all Egypt's oasis. Siwa Oasis lies about 60 feet below the sea level , situated in western desert close to the Libyan Border, around 650 Kms West of Cairo. The width of Siwa oasis varies between 5 and 27 kilometers and the total area of the depression is square 1088 km. Within this larger area there are 5 separate other deeper depressions. There are more than 300 fresh water streams and springs. Siwa Oasis has a nice climate, chilly in winter, hot in the summer and moderate in the spring and autumn. In this Islamic community for the people who travel here it is important to respect values and women should follow certain dressing rules and drinking alcohol is not tolerated.
Historic Significance and Culture:
The Siwa Oasis site carries a great tourism and historic significance. The Oracle of Amun has much of its fame from Alexander the Great's visit in 331 BC. After consulting the oracle, he claimed to be the son of the god Zeus Amun, and chose to be buried in Siwa. The King of Persia lead a 50,000 man army to the area to destroy the oracle, but the entire army was lost in the desert. Siwans have developed their own distinct Berber culture. Siwans speak their own language, rather than Arabic and their jewellery and crafts are exquisite. Many women still wear traditional costumes and silver jewellery like those displayed in The Traditional Siwan House museum in the town center. Siwa remains one of the best places to buy jewellery, rugs, baskets and traditional robes and head-dresses decorated with antique coins.
Siwans live in a tribal system and the governing body consists of 11 sheiks. This is broken up into two main groups, the East tribe and the West tribe. There are ten tribes within these two groups and In the case of disputes between members of different tribes, the respective sheikhs arbitrate using the Siwan law and the Koran.
It's a wonderful place to relax, swim and eat some olives. The old town of Siwa dates back to the 13th century and its mud and brick architecture looks gnarled and quite unique. The original settlement, Aghurmi, was superseded by Shali, founded in 1203. Built of salt-impregnated mud of kharsif, the fortress-like community expanded upwards rather than outwards . Climb through the ruins of the old city for magnificent views of the whole Siwa Oasis. There are numerous sights and bathing places. These include 26th Dynasty tombs with murals and inscriptions at Jebel al-Mawta (The Hill of the Dead) and the Oracle of Amun, and acropolis temple dating from around 550 BC. In 1926 a series of violent rain storms caused few buildings to disintegrate.
There are many different safari guides in Siwa who will take you on an adventure into the desert. Siwa is a small and close-knit community so it is very safe and you can trust the guides. The guides will arrange everything for you, from your food to official permission to sleep in the desert. There are some hotels nearby where tourists can stay (like Siwa Paradise hotel - siwaparadise.com) which also organize the trips. Tourism for Siwa Oasis, Egypt has been flourishing with time.
