Siwa Oasis is a magical land of beauty filled with natural living entities as old and as classy as time. The goal of this article is to offer every traveler all the facts and information about Siwa Oasis. This article was written by a group of a very knowledgeable and professional team of tour operators, tour guides, and travel consultants who will shed some light on Siwa Oasis. One of the most beautiful hidden places in Egypt is the Siwa Oasis as it is famous for being a piece of heaven, a greenish spot in the ocean of Sahara sand.
Siwa Oasis is totally worth visiting filled with a mixture of hot and cold springs, major sand dunes, enchanting history, and marvelous culture. All the local habitants of Siwa actually speak their own language which is similar to the Zenata language, which is more like the language spoken by the Berber than the Egyptian Arabic spoken in the rest of Egypt. The geographical location, ecosystem, and inaccessibility of Siwa have created a special and rare society separate from mainstream Egyptian culture.
Siwa Oasis of Egypt is very ancient and extremely enchanting with its own history and culture, there was found a human footprint that is thought to date back three million years, making it one of the oldest human prints in history. The name Oasis is an ancient Egyptian for palm land, and it was been to the Berber tribe and to the Asian (Falcon), a type of prey bird that was one of Amun-Ra Symbols which explain how the city gained the name Oasis of Amun Ra. It also gained quiet fame in 331 BC during ancient times as the home of the Oracle of Ammon who alexander the Great sought for her counseling.
The Siwa Oasis can be traced back to 10,000 BC showcasing the earliest signs of civilization and in the 26th dynasty around 525 BC the first signs of human existence in the oasis of Siwa were noticed. It became ancient greek made contact with the Siwa oasis in the 7th century BC plus the place served at the home of the oracle temple of Amun which was visited by Alexander the great while hunting wide birds across the desert. The Oasis was known as the Oasis of Amun-RA.
During the Ptolemaic kingdom, the ancient Egyptians called the Siwa oasis the Fields of Trees was called in ancient Egypt as the field of tress and by the famous historian Herodotus as the foundation of the sun, in the 12th century it was known to be the official home of the Berber. It was once the home for the entire population in a 13th-century mud-brick fortress called Shali until it was destroyed by a rainstorm in 1926.
It is an urban Oasis in Egypt between the great sand sea of the western desert and the Qattara Depression, about 50 km (30 mi) east of the Libyan border and 560 km (348 mi) from Cairo. The journey from Cairo takes about 8 hours by car. Siwa is one of Egypt's most isolated areas with a population of 33,000 people mostly Berber who have their own language called Siwi. It is a deep depression that reaches about 19 m (60 ft) below sea level. It is about 8 hours by car and longer by overnight bus.
Siwa Oasis is filled with olive and palm trees, crystal-clear springs scattered all over the oasis which offer a heavenly break from the harsh heat. There are many lakes and thousands of springs but the saltwater offers little agriculture as there are more than 300 freshwater springs and streams, shaded by an estimated 300 000 palm trees and 70 000 olive trees. There are some birds like turtle dove and Streptopelia and endangered species like Slender-horned Gazelle and Fennec Fox. The Oasis is also a natural habitat for the Cheetah, one of the most threatened cats in the world.
One of the most famous landmarks in Siwa Oasis is the temple of the oracle which dated to the 6th century BC. It was constructed by alexander the great who asked her about his fate and whether he was the son of Zeus and it is believed he was buried in Siwa. Near the town center is the mountain of death that holds more than 1500 tombs dating back from the late pharaonic and Greco-roman periods, the tombs showcase incredibly beautiful and ornate funerary drawings.
Siwa Oasis is one of the most beautiful, mysterious, and enchanting of all Egypt’s oases. Siwa Oasis is filled with a variety of things to do, places to visit, and unique attractions, such as:
The Shali
Shali is an attractive tourist attraction, where visitors can climb up a melted mound of mud and salt which is the traditional Siwan construction material used in the 13th century. Every traveler will have a glimpse of the view of dates and olives groves that stretches out for endless meters in each direction of the Siwa Oasis.
Cleopatra’s Spring
Cleopatra’s Bath of Cleopatra’s pool is located on the route leading to the Oracle temple. Cleopatra’s Spring is a natural spring water stone pool where tourists can enjoy the health benefits of a spring bath in the town of Siwa. Some believe that the spring belonged to Queen Cleopatra VIII herself. Being one of the most beautiful and best natural pools in Egypt, that's why it gets a lot of locals to bathe and visit the pool. it’s advised to wear appropriate swimming clothes to avoid any attention.
The Salt Lakes
The Salt Lakes is one of the most beautiful sceneries in Siwa filled with clean and transparently green plant life. The Salt Lakes is very magical which attracts people all year long because of its health benefit due to the high concentration of salt, floating and swimming in the Salt Lakes of Siwa is a very marvelous and majestic experience.
The Temple of the Oracle
Siwa was popular for the Temple of the Oracle which dates from the 6th century BC and was very famous throughout the Mediterranean region. Alexander the Great came to Siwa to consult with the oracle about his fate whether he was the son of Zeus or not. Some believe that Alexander requested that his generals bury him in Siwa. The ruins of thereat temple of the Oracle are still open to visitors to this current day.
Mountain of the Dead
Close to the center of Siwa is the Mountain of the Dead which is a rocky hill filled with more than 1500 tombs that date back to the late pharaonic period. Some of the tombs date back to the Greco-Roman Period as they are decorated with enchanting and ornate funerary drawings.
Fatnas Island
Fantas Island can be found located on the edge of the oasis on the shore of Lake Siwa about 6 kilometers from the center of the oasis. The hot spring offers the chance to t swim and enjoys the health benefits of the healing waters plus all the marvelous cafés and restaurants found across the lake at the moment of sunset.
The Great Sand Sea
The Great Sand Sea is at the front of the Siwa Oasis offering the beautiful scenery of sands in the shape of mountains found across the endless desert. A super safari tour is a marvelous chance to explore the beautiful springs and rock formations within these vast and heavenly sites.
The Siwa House Museum
The Siwa House Museum is a magical place filled with heavenly art and history. The Museum is filled with real artifacts belonging to the ancient Siwa population, which provided a deep look at ancient Siwan traditions and local customs such as the traditions of Siwa’s wedding which is known to last for 7 days where the bride wore a special outfit that can be found d inside the Siwa House Museum.
The weather in Siwa is very delightful & relaxing with warm sunshine covering the entire oasis most of the time. It is advisable to visit Siwa in the cooler months of the year during the winter, spring, and autumn, from October to April, as the temperature in summer can be hot especially in the heart of the Sahara.
Siwa is a very friendly place where women should keep in mind to dress appropriately to not offend and totally respect the local culture. Everyone should keep in wind to cover their upper arms and legs. Women who want to swim at the public springs like the popular Cleopatra’s Bath can expect some extra attention, so if you would like to avoid the attention then swimming in the desert hot springs is the most recommended option.
The Siwa oasis is one of the places that can't be missed, you will get to feel the allure and bliss of the ancient Egyptian culture and life when you discover all the historical artifacts in the immortal cities Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, and Aswan through our Egypt bespoke tours.
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