Egypt
PR-GB.com
- Siwa - An Oasis Like No Other
Egypt Today (Erika Sherk) There is no place in Egypt like Siwa. Tourists and residents alike are well acquainted with the chi-chi five-star resorts on the North Coast, the chill-out beach camps on the Red Sea and the environmentally-friendly ecolodges...
- Siwa - How To Save An Oasis
Global Post (Theodore May) Few had heard of Siwa before Neamatalla decided to begin investing there in the mid-1990s. The oasis is a nine-hour slog from Cairo in the middle of the western desert, a stone’s throw from the Libyan border. Siwa is widely...
- Travel: Alexandra To Siwa
analysis-online.cn A peculiar piece of travel writing - I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It is an absolute monologue of thoughts and feelings, about both Siwa and the people the author was traveling with. In general he is more intersted in...
- Travel: Siwa. Date Palms And A Toy Gun
WA Today At the gateway to the Great Sand Sea, David Wroe is enchanted by a remote Berber oasis that time (almost) forgot. The long drive south from the Mediterranean coast to Siwa, Egypt's farthest-flung oasis, is bleak but beautiful - at least...
- Feature On Siwa Oasis
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/728/tr1.htm A feature on Siwa oasis discussing everything from the archaeology and natural history in the oasis area to the best hotels and "ecolodges" in which you can stay. I never had much motivation to visit Siwa,...
Egypt
Travel: Siwa Oasis
PR-GB.com
I've stopped posting even short travel posts to travel stories along the lines of "the pyramids were big and I rode a camel", but this piece might be of interest to anyone thinking of travel to Siwa. It's not long but it is informative.
The first thing you will see when you arrive at the Siwa Oasis is Shali, the remains of the old fortress, rising above the town square. When you climb up to the top of the hilly outcrop through the labyrinth of alleyways you will see the entire oasis below you. It is very lush after the arid desert with its springs and lakes, and beyond that you can see the mountains and the Great Sand Sea of the Sahara Desert stretching apparently forever.
The best way to explore the oasis is to hire a bicycle or hire a donkey cart, and for a few pounds the local boys who drive the carts will take you to Bedouin villages, Roman ruins, Cleopatra's bath, and the Hill of the Dead where you will find ancient Egyptian/Roman era tombs, some still containing mummified remains.
A visit to the Temple of Amun is a must do, and if you want to go further afield then the hotels will organise jeep safaris.
It is important to remember that Siwa is still a traditional society, and it is courteous to conform to the rules. Shorts, bikinis and brief tops should not be worn. It is sensible to be covered up, and women need to cover their upper arms, and wear one piece bathing suits with a long shirt if they bathe in a public place like Cleopatra's Bath.
The writer also offers the truly invaluable piece of information that there is no bank in Siwa, so if you plan to spend money, take it with you. See the above page for more.
- Siwa - An Oasis Like No Other
Egypt Today (Erika Sherk) There is no place in Egypt like Siwa. Tourists and residents alike are well acquainted with the chi-chi five-star resorts on the North Coast, the chill-out beach camps on the Red Sea and the environmentally-friendly ecolodges...
- Siwa - How To Save An Oasis
Global Post (Theodore May) Few had heard of Siwa before Neamatalla decided to begin investing there in the mid-1990s. The oasis is a nine-hour slog from Cairo in the middle of the western desert, a stone’s throw from the Libyan border. Siwa is widely...
- Travel: Alexandra To Siwa
analysis-online.cn A peculiar piece of travel writing - I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It is an absolute monologue of thoughts and feelings, about both Siwa and the people the author was traveling with. In general he is more intersted in...
- Travel: Siwa. Date Palms And A Toy Gun
WA Today At the gateway to the Great Sand Sea, David Wroe is enchanted by a remote Berber oasis that time (almost) forgot. The long drive south from the Mediterranean coast to Siwa, Egypt's farthest-flung oasis, is bleak but beautiful - at least...
- Feature On Siwa Oasis
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/728/tr1.htm A feature on Siwa oasis discussing everything from the archaeology and natural history in the oasis area to the best hotels and "ecolodges" in which you can stay. I never had much motivation to visit Siwa,...