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Oasis in Matrouh, Egypt
Photo: Roland Unger, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Siwa is an oasis and town in the Western Desert of Egypt. It is the most remote of Egypt's five western oases. The oasis is 80 km long by 20 km wide, with a population in 2016 of some 33,000. It has a scattering of villages but only one large settlement, here referred to as "Siwa town" for clarity. Its main sight is the Temple of the Oracle, which even Alexander the Great came to visit.
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Fort of Shali
Siwa's original town, founded early 13th century and remaining the chief settlement until the 1920s. Parts of the old town walls and gates survive, along with houses and a mosque from 19th C. Wander the tiny alleys, then you can climb the hill just west which has Graeco-Roman rock tombs.
Aghurmi
The temple, built perhaps in 570 BCE, was dedicated to Amun, the same deity as Zeus or Jupiter / Jove. The priestly oracles pronounced on propositions put to them and in 331 BCE Alexander the Great came to ask if he was the son of Zeus. He sent everyone else out of the room before receiving the answer, and afterwards enough gold was distributed to ensure that the answer was yes as he had claimed. It is called "leadership", and thus he legitimised his rule in Egypt. He intended to be buried here but lies in Alexandria at an unknown site. The temple is undecorated except for the Hall of the Sacrament. It never had a tiled roof, but palm trunks were overlain. The area became built over and the temple was lost sight of until rediscovered in 1853.
Umm Ubaydah/Temple of Amun
This temple was probably built by Nectanebo around 380 BCE. It too was dedicated to Amun, and in the 18—19th century became a decoy: explorers looking for the Temple of the Oracle thought this must be it. They made detailed sketches of its layout and decorations, fortunately, because in 1897 the Ottoman governor decided that the limestone masonry would be much better employed for a new police station, so he blew it up. Only one wall remains and various large fragments. The origin of the present temple name is uncertain, but "baydah" means white.
Mountain of the Dead
Limestone hillock with many rock-cut tombs, mostly from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The highlight is the group of four tombs on the northeast slope (no photography within). These are the Tomb of Si-Amun with beautifully colored reliefs; the Tomb of Mesu-Isis is little decorated but contains a mummified skull; the Tomb of Per-nj-pa-thot has inscriptions and drawings; and the Tomb of the Crocodile where the wall paintings are deteriorating, but the yellow crocodile is probably the deity Sobek.
This is a limestone scarp west of town; you can climb it for the view. There are several rock tombs, but they're plain with no inscriptions or decorations. The thing to do here is to have yourself buried in hot sand for 20 minutes, it's supposed to be good for rheumatism. In October there's a village festival here, but it's a Siwa family reunion not a tourist event.
A village 25 km west of Siwa with Graeco-Roman graves. They are undecorated.
Has extensive rocktombs and a ruined Doric Temple. This is sometimes claimed as Alexander the Great's burial site, which it is not.
A secondary oasis dotted with rock tombs and scraps of temple ruins, and there is a prehistoric human footprint. The area is fertile, though the lake it surrounds is very salty. Here you are close to the border, so the military may curb your explorations. The aquifer continues northwest under the border to re-emerge at El Jaghbub oasis in Libya.
Well No. 1
A lake and garden surrounded by sand dunes, almost a cartoon image of an oasis. A spring feeds a pool at 30°C and you can bathe here, though the minerals will stain your costume and towels; the nearby lake is cold.
Sun Pool/Pool of the Sun at Ammon
A natural hot spring feeds this rock pool at 29°C. It is a popular swimming hole for locals and visitors alike, with a cafe. The association with Cleopatra is entirely fanciful. Another spring feeds a smaller pool just north, called Ain Gubba.
This has become joined to shore as Lake Siwa silted up. Bathe in the hot smelly spring, have tea at the café, relax amidst the greenery and watch the sun set over the lake. It is usually idyllic but the bugs can be pesky.
Small, popular place. Offers a breakfast and a variety of entrées such as pasta, vegetable stews, couscous, meats, and salads—all freshly made, so be prepared to wait.
Fresh fish, pigeon, and pizzas.
Tables set under the palm trees. Pancakes, smoothies, stuffed pigeon. Sheeshas, live music.
Pizza, vegetable stews, great chicken and curry. Slow service.
Set in a beautiful palm grove. Usual food. Sells traditional clothes and crafts
Popular cafe.
Great place for sheesha and backgammon.
Nour El Waha is a popular hang-out in a palm grove opposite Shali Lodge. The food is a mixture of Egyptian and Western cuisine. Sheesha is available at night. Enjoy the food & the music & the traditional siwa tea in a romantic ambiance.
Very good grilled chicken & Kofta (½ chicken ~LE20).
Good food & dessert (feteer (meat/veg) @ LE15 ½ chicken @ LE20. Do not miss the Konafa and the date chocolate fluf cake. You can have a drink on the roof.
Probably the best value in Siwa. Staff will only clean rooms when requested to do so.
Bed bugs have been reported. Opt for the "chalets" rather than rooms in the main building. Bathrooms can be quite grotty, and don't count all of the toilets being functional. Very large, nice garden with trees and fire pit, where the staff will sit at night with guests. Roof terrace with a view of the oasis and Shali, can be used to hang clothes to dry if needed. Laundry done at LE1 per piece.
Boutique hotel. Albabenshal offers 11 guest rooms on three levels, connected through a network of alleyways and terraces that look over central Shali and the palm groves beyond. Inside, guest rooms are furnished and decorated in authentic Siwan style, with colorful Bedouin carpets, palm frond chairs, tables and beds, and linens of fine Egyptian cotton embroidered by women of the oasis (Siwa Creations). On the main terrace, the Albabenshal Restaurant serves a diverse offering of Siwan dishes.
16 rooms. Just a few minutes’ walk from downtown Siwa along a palm-covered dirt road, the 16-room Shali Lodge has simple yet elegant rooms furnished with palm frond chairs, tables and beds, complemented with colorful Bedouin carpets. Highly regarded restaurant with several different places to eat. Specialities include date omelet, lamb casserole or vegetarian tajin, each flavored with fresh herbs of the oasis.
Overpriced and tacky. Bungalows and main building. De luxe hotel with air conditioning, cafeteria, restaurant, swimming pool. Visa card is accepted
Traditionally restored boutique hotel. Run by an English family who live in the oasis.
Peaceful boutique garden hotel in the palms near the Amun Oracle and Amun Temple. With restaurant, swimming pool, roof terrace and small bazaar. 13 unique guest rooms. Request one of the upper rooms with skylight windows for a special sleeping under the stars experience. Request one of the lower rooms with small backyard gardens for your own outdoor privacy.
8 rooms. A more intimate and more luxurious version of the Adrere Amellal. Large spring-fed swimming pool in lush garden. Some rooms are made entirely out of salt, including the bed and bedside tables.
By road
550 km west of Cairo (but 750 km by either road) or from Alexandria, the best approach is by the coast road to Marsa Matruh, then it is 300 km southwest across the desert to Siwa.
By bus
By taxi
A taxi on the Marsa Matruh route might cost LE1,000.
By donkey cart
Donkey cart drivers are mostly children who have been riding donkeys for several years.
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