Backpacking in Siwa Oasis - Egypt
Posted: October 3, 2024 | Tagged: Egypt
Siwa is a fly-blown oasis town in the Western Desert, 50km from the Libyan border. The road in, 497km from Alexandria, with endless police checkpoints along the way. This is the way the migrants come, those with one thing on their mind, EUROPE.
For the backpacker, Oasis is an awesome place for some exploring:
For the backpacker, Oasis is an awesome place for some exploring:
Scrambling around the ruins of the Oracle Temple in Siwa. Zero tourists, zero people, in fact. 360-degree views. I take my time. I hear donkeys, kids in the nearby school, a few motorbikes, and the wind, and then at just gone noon, the call to prayer goes out, coming in from all directions.
Looking west in the early morning from Shali Fortress in the centre of Siwa. Way beyond the sand dunes and the salt mountains lies Libya. Built in the 13th Century from 'kershef', large chunks of salt from Siwa Lake mixed with rock and plastered with clay. Originally, this labyrinth housed hundreds of people, but 3 days of rain in 1926 destroyed more than any invader had ever done, and since then, people have moved out into newer buildings. The mosque (of course) has been restored, as have a few other buildings, but mainly used for storage.
Despite my room at Palm Trees Hotel being the pits, Siwa is really OK. Relaxed atmosphere, things to do, a few other travellers but really not many. Trying to sort out onward transportation to the area known as the WHITE DESSERT. But since the killing of 12 Mexican tourists 2 months ago, you now need a permit that now costs 18US$ per person and the rental of a 4WD that will be 200US$ shared between 4, for the 400km of piste to the town of Bahariya.
The shared opinion favours returning to Cairo on the night bus and then heading south. 1 guy wants to go to the White Dessert, but overnight trips are not permitted now. I'm keen to push south, one other guy too, but maybe not as fast as me.
The shared opinion favours returning to Cairo on the night bus and then heading south. 1 guy wants to go to the White Dessert, but overnight trips are not permitted now. I'm keen to push south, one other guy too, but maybe not as fast as me.
Looking back to Shali Fortress from the hill centred in the above photo shortly before sunset. A rainbow is a rare thing in these parts. On the left, just below the horizon, is The Oracle Temple.
A short way north of town is Gebel Al-Mawta, Mountain of the Dead. Rock tombs dating back to the 26th dynasty, Ptolemaic and Roman times. The Siwans sheltered in the tombs when the Italians bombed Siwa in WW2. It is said that British soldiers paid the Siwans to chisel off part of the paintings within the tombs to keep as souvenirs.
Above, you can see how the tombs are incorporated into the Gebel (hill) and what the 'coffins' look like. The whole site was pillaged by everyone and anyone, but there are 4 tombs where the internal paintings remain, and with some baksheesh, the caretaker will manage to get up from the floor where he smokes and drinks chai all day long to open up for you. The second most impressive tomb painting can be seen below, taken through the bars of the steel door.