As good as it gets

In Siwa, Rasha Sadek gets as close as one can to nature

---

Click to view caption

Gabal Shali, the old town of Siwa, illuminated with captivating colours at night; Siwa from atop Gabal Al-Mawta; hospitality at the tent of Abu Shrouf; the ruins of the Temple of Amun; a plunge in Cleopatra's spring; Siwa's ecolodges overlook the Great Siwa Lake

Hundreds of thousands of stars dispersed in the dark but clear blue sky. As we gathered in a circle stretching our hands out to the fire we set to warm ourselves, I tilted my head upwards watching star constellations. Although my knowledge is scarce when it comes to astrometry, the blessing of ignorance widened my scope as I imagined new patterns and formations.

Sweet potatoes are ready to be eaten; they've been roasting in the fire for 20 minutes now. We were not, by the way, in the desert surrounded by sand dunes and sleeping bags. We were in the backyard of a hotel in the oasis of Siwa.

Actually, we could have been anywhere in Siwa -- and loved it all the same. When in Siwa, enjoy the lack of luxury. You will eat in simple but good enough restaurants, offering food at criminally low prices. You'll stay at hotels that are clean but basic. You can roam the city on a rented bicycle for LE5 a day. Remember, Siwa is not designed for hurrying.

Siwa offers you the opportunity to engage in various moods and activities with one binding element: nature. In the morning you might be Lawrence of Arabia on a horse or camel exploring the Great Sand Sea, and later in the day watch the sunset from the top of a sand mountain and sandboard or parasail your way down. You might go swimming or wreck-diving in one of the springs, have dinner in one of the few restaurants, or tea in a baladi coffee shop downtown, watching life pass by.

DOWNTOWN: To many people, Siwa is a deserted land with nothing but sand, a spring or two, a couple dozen palm trees, goats grazing nearby and a few primitive mudbrick houses at the far end of the horizon. Allow me to rectify their image.

Siwa Oasis is like a small city, its downtown area buzzing with life until midnight. It is composed of a number of wide streets, easy to explore. The main street embraces many shops selling Siwan handicraft, the most popular being embroidered shawls in bright colours, colourful baskets and stores for hibiscus, mint and henna. Numerous shops vend dates and olives. Since Siwa established its reputation on these two, I couldn't miss the chance to indulge in the high-calorie experience of all kinds of dates: pressed dates, dates with almonds and dates with chocolate. The latter drove me out of my mind. As delicious as chocolate and dates taste separately, they are combined into one heavenly sweet bite, though hellish in consequences.

Back in Cairo, my devilish mind led me to share this experience with all whom I love -- or envy their figure. Half a kilogramme of dates with almonds costs LE6.5, with chocolate LE5.5. Dates and pressed dates can be bought for LE3.5 and LE2.5 respectively. My bag upon arrival in Cairo was 11 kilos heavier than when I left. A saint, ain't I?

Downtown Siwa is like a painting. Consuming the background is Gabal Shali that is lit at night by spotlights reflecting light colours of green, yellow, blue and brown in the ruins of what were once the old houses of Siwans. Here, Shali is an interesting story. During the Middle Ages, Siwans suffered from attacks by Berber and Arab Bedouins. In 1203 AD, they left the old village of Aghurmi and settled in a new fortified village for greater security. They called it Shali, meaning "the city" in Siwan. However, in 1926, heavy rain, which continued for three successive days, caused the collapse of many houses -- which had a high concentration of salt in their bricks -- rendering most Siwan houses unsafe. That's when residents moved down the hill and built their houses around it, leaving a beautifully lit mural that can be seen several kilometres away.

Walking down the city of Siwa is pleasurable, especially with everything within walking distance. The oasis is a small and closeknit community so it's very safe. Am Abdu's East West restaurant, well-known in Siwa, is a humble diner parallel to the main street, offering pasta, chicken, fetir and pizzas. Stay away from the meat though. It might have been stored for quite some time before being served to you. Open air baladi cafés look out the main street. You can smoke your shisha while your eyes never stop tracking Siwans in their white galabiyas, tourists (mostly Koreans when I was there in mid-January), or the karruza. These are donkey carts, the chief means of transport in Siwa. You can hire a karruza for sightseeing in Siwa for LE20-30. It can seat up to two adults and two children.

A sore point is animal waste. So look carefully where you tread.

SITES: Within the boundaries of Siwa lie some major historic sites.

Two temples survived time, witnessing the most important episode in the history of the oasis. The first is the Temple of the Oracle in the village of Aghurmi four kilometres east of Siwa. The tale behind the temple goes back to 331 BC when Alexander the Great, then king of Egypt, was seeking confirmation that he was the son of Zeus (whom the Greeks associated with the Egyptian Amun). Apparently affirmative -- as no history book ever documented the actual words of the Oracle -- Alexander then embarked on conquests in Asia, to die eight years later in Babylon.

The temple complex takes all of a mountain rising up from the oasis. From a distance, it appears like a white island floating on a sea of green palm trees. Unfortunately, there's little fascination in the temple structure itself as no wall paintings or inscriptions survived. However, make sure to enjoy the view of the oasis from the mountain.

The Temple of the Oracle is comparatively well- preserved if compared to the Temple of Amun which has seen worse days. Lying only a short distance from the first temple and constructed during the 30th Dynasty, all that remains is one wall with Pharaonic inscriptions and some white scattered rocks. On your way to the temples, you'll see Siwan houses built on a storey or two, painted in yellow, preserving their own style.

Cleopatra's spring -- now that's a name with a historic ring. However, there's no reason to believe Queen Cleopatra had anything to do with the spring. A metaphor for beauty, perhaps. The warm waters allow for a pacific swim. Attached to the spring is a little café and a handicraft bazaar.

Gabal Al-Mawta, literally the mountain of the dead, 1.5km from downtown, is truly one of the most impressive sites in Siwa. In addition to the marvelous view of the whole oasis from its top, it contains two remarkable graves. One is of Si-Amun. On each side, inscriptions tell that he was either a great landowner or a rich merchant. The ceiling is beautifully decorated. Nut, the goddess of the sky, is represented. Her body is coloured light brown, however part of her face was damaged during the discovery of the tomb.

The other grave is only for strong-hearted travellers. If you'd like to see skulls, skeletons and mummies, this cemetery is an adventure for you but it gave me chills. Mind you, the guards have strict rules about taking photographs inside. So don't ask. I did and it failed.

Gabal Al-Dakrour, five kilometres southwest of the centre of the city, is the healthiest place in Siwa. Sand from the mountain is used to cure people with rheumatic pains. Around September and October, a three-day festival is held for Siwans to settle old scores and generally make up, while young girls between eight and 10 get engaged.

SAFARIS: Now that's the fun part. The Western Desert opens its arms to travellers to the Great Sand Sea. However, safaris in Siwa aren't only about sand and mountains. Springs a few kilometres outside Siwa are fun, too.

Abu Shrouf is one of the most inviting springs on the way to the Great Grand Sea. Located 35 kilometres from Siwa, Abu Shrouf is fit for a warm swim and wreck- diving. At about five metres in depth, there's a wall built by the Romans, defining the ancient parametres of the spring. Abu Shrouf is the only one with fish of almost any colour. So bring your swimsuit the day you intend to go on a safari so as not to miss out on that experience. Without my own suit, I deeply regret not taking a plunge.

Next to the spring is a tent run by Siwans. They are hospitable and will offer you green and red tea, shisha and beer. Although fate prevented me from diving in the spring, it made it up for me on the ground. Again, make sure not to miss Abu Shrouf.

There are two hot springs in Siwa, temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius. As you take the land cruiser from the city up to the "Middle Road", a few kilometres before reaching Abu Shrouf, you'll find the first hot spring to your left. The other one is Bir Wahed, 18km inside the Great Sand Sea. In addition to its heated water, the well's water is sulphuric. The area of Bir Wahed is a small oasis of seven feddans and it too has a cold spring.

As long as you are in the mood for swimming, let me indulge you in two more water havens. Shiata, 120km west of Siwa, is a natural protectorate located behind Gabal Al- Hegara (the rocks mountain). You might spot a running animal at a distance. Shiata accommodates a few gazelles. Put your diving gear on again for you'll be plunging in Shiata spring to watch the wrecks of a Roman warship.

Fetnas, a few kilometres east of Siwa, is a peaceful romantic setting, should this information be of any use to you. It's entirely covered with palm trees except for the circular spring. To the back of the spring is a quiet shady area and a hammock. A dried lake is set at the very back of Fetnas. It's a beautiful view, especially with palm trees scattered in different positions around the lake. Fetnas is also a must-stop when you travel to Siwa.

Now most guides will take you round the springs before journeying on to the desert. By the time you reach the Great Sand Sea, it'll be a little before sunset. That'll give you the chance to climb a sand dune, with a camel, a horse or in a 4x4 to watch the fabulous view of the desert while the sun sinks. You can arrange with the guide back in Siwa to provide you with sandboards to slide your way down from the top of the sand dune, with an extra charge of LE50 for the whole group. Parasailing in the desert is amusing too, also requiring prior arrangement and an extra charge of LE150 for your group.

If you intend to head back to Siwa after sunset, the trip is going to cost you LE75. Add LE25 if you want to include dinner. However, if you want to take a camel or a horse a short way before the sand sea, the trip is going to cost you LE125. Also if you decide to spend the night in the Great Sand Sea, your guide will provide you with meals, tents and blankets. You'll get the chance to light fire and gaze at the stars. Excuse me if I can't speak of the beauty of the desert at night. It is beyond words. The cost of this trip is LE100 for Egyptians and $100 for foreigners. To arrange safari trips in and around Siwa contact Mahmoud Zedan (+2 012 710 0790).

ECOLODGES: In Siwa, two distinguished ecolodges make your trip even more colourful, wild yet peaceful, bringing you closer to the nature of the oasis and its culture. Taghaghien Island Resort, from its name, is an island amidst the Great Siwa Lake, located 13km from downtown. Opened only last year, the resort is composed of 30 bungalows. The decoration of the ecolodge highlights the intrinsic features of Siwa. The bungalows are made of rocks taken from the oasis' mountains, red bricks, clay and salt extracted from Siwa's lakes, while the ceiling is made of palm fronds. The interior of the bungalows is not much different from the exterior. It's coated with white paint and Siwan drawings. Bathrooms, made of red bricks, although not five-star standard, are hygiene enough.

The Taghaghien ecolodge, with palm trees scattered around, is dominated by olive trees used in the making of tables, chairs and swings, moving you one step closer to nature. Parts of palm trees are used as ropes and supporters. For you smokers, don't expect ashtrays to be made of plastic, iron or wood. Ashtrays on the island are made of salt. Coloured salt. And they're heavy.

On the island is a cold spring, fit for a summer swim, in addition to a felucca for a quiet ride along the lake. But mind you, the lake isn't a very good place to swim as salt is highly concentrated in its water. However the view from the bungalow of the lake outlined by mountains, mostly of white and yellow colours, makes for a superb sunset unmatched anywhere else. My lodge was only a metre and a half away from the lake, with a wooden swing and a palm tree kneeling down as if quenching its thirst from the lake. Outstanding view. On the island are also Oriental outlets and a Western-style bar, in addition to a bazaar selling Siwan handicraft.

Taghaghien envisions the concept of an ecolodge also in the selective and efficient use of resources and low energy consumption. Electricity doesn't flow in the island except after sunset. After you sleep, it's turned off. So make sure, if you want to charge any electric device, do it while the lights are on at night. Hot water, however, is one problem I faced on the island. Water heaters work only with electricity, so a warm shower wasn't an option for me until it was already night. The resort management promised a solution soon.

For honeymooners, I've got a surprise for you. For an unusual vacation with your partner, you can own an island for as many days as you want. As long as you are on the island you choose, you'll see nothing but nature and your lovebird. Let me explain. The Taghaghien, in addition to the main island, owns and operates six other smaller islands, and the only way to commute between them is the felucca. Eighty years ago, those islands were inhabited by Siwans but then they deserted them for the town. Whether they are all palm and olive trees or ruins of old houses, they surely make for unforgettable days. Arrange with the resort to provide you with tents for camping on the island.

For information and reservation contact Taghaghien Island Resort office (+2 02 634 4420).

The Adrere Amellal ecolodge, though not an island, is located at the foot of the White Mountain. Better known as "Gaafar" (I asked many locals why it's so called, but no one seemed to know), the ecolodge is located 12km from the Taghaghien -- 25km from downtown -- also overlooking the Great Siwa Lake. Composed of 35 double rooms and two suites, the ecolodge is only lit by candles and flambeaus. No trace of electricity at all. Gas, however, is used for round-the-clock hot water.

Doors are made of palm trees while others from karsheef (mud taken from salt-impregnated soil, becoming white cement-solid after drying). Door knobs are made of olive trees while bathrooms are of red bricks taken from Fetnas. Beds, to my wonder, are made of palm fronds.

Adrere Amellal is constructed in high style, meeting the basic with the sophisticated at one point. Three restaurants, each designed uniquely, conceptualise the catchword of the ecolodge: diversity. One is called "the salt restaurant" using karsheef, while another is decorated with fossils from the Western Desert and the third uses mudbricks from Aswan. If you happen to spot a bed in one of the restaurants, don't be surprised. It's a decor.

Each room is set individually from the other, with distinct character and view, and different storey levels. Take your pick once you arrive. One of the two suites is built on two levels with six-person capacity, two bathrooms and a spacious Oriental seating. One bar lounge is made of rocks extracted from a nearby mountain decorated with Siwan engravings, while another lies directly under the mountain, giving you the feeling of sipping your drink inside a cave.

A rectangular pool is surrounded by palm and olive trees. Once a spring, the water is cold and salty. Adrere Amellal is also equipped with a horse track, and a stable for seven horses. Food in Adrere Amellal is planted a couple of feet from your plate. Mulokhiya, potatoes, dates, olives and almost all kinds of vegies are planted in the front yard of the ecolodge. Can't guarantee much healthier food.

For reservations contact (+2 02 736 7879).

HOTELS: All Siwa's hotels are located in and around downtown, most of which are low-budget. Amun, near Al-Dakrour Mountain, Arous Al-Waha, Qasr Al-Zeitouna and Reem Al- Waha are all hotels lying within walking distance to downtown. The closest however is Al-Nakheel with single rooms without private bathrooms costing LE15, while double rooms without bathrooms cost LE25 and those with bathrooms LE35 (prices apply to Egyptians and foreigners without meals). Another low- budget hotel lying downtown is Al-Kilani Hotel, offering double rooms for LE50 for foreigners and Egyptians, or LE70 with breakfast.

The Italian-owned Shali resort, opened just three months ago, lies near Gabal Shali with double rooms for LE150 for Egyptians and foreigners, without meals. Paradise Hotel, also near downtown Siwa, has two-room standards. Class A double rooms with AC and television are offered for Egyptians for LE305 and $55 for foreigners, half-board. Class B double rooms cost LE265 and $49 respectively, also on half-board basis. The hotel (+2 046 460 2289) is comprised of 77 rooms, two restaurants, a gymnasium, sauna and a warm water spring. However, a number of former guests at the hotel confided in me that they were uncomfortable with the hotel's management, something about inflexible conservatism, they said.

History

Until recently, Siwa was the most inaccessible of all Egypt's oases, perhaps not so bad in that the distance apart enabled Siwans to preserve their Berber culture.

Yet Siwa was, in its own way, the centre of Egyptian culture, for a temple built to honour the sun god Amun-Ra housed a divine oracle whose fame in 700 BC was widespread in the eastern Mediterranean. King Cambyses of Persia, son of Cyrus the Great and conqueror of Egypt, held a grudge against the oracle, probably because it had predicted that his conquests in Africa would soon falter -- as indeed they did.

In 524 BC Cambyses dispatched from Luxor an army of 50,000 men to destroy the Siwan oracle. The entire army vanished without a trace, buried in the seas of sand between Siwa and the inner- Egyptian oases, and to this day no sign of it has been found.

Until now, no record supports the spread of Christianity in Siwa. However, some historical sources hold that in fact, the Temple of the Oracle was actually turned into the Church of the Virgin Mary. This is conceivable given that along with political prisoners, the Romans banished church leaders to the Western Oases.

By 708 AD, Islam came to Siwa, with little success at first. Siwans fought the forces of Moussa Ibn Nusair and Tareq Ibn Ziyad. Islam did not prevail until probably 1150 AD.

In 1820, Siwa came under outside rule for the first time when it was conquered by the troops of Mohamed Ali, the Ottoman pasha of Egypt.

In 1203, the population of Siwa shrank to as low as 40 due to constant and vicious Bedouin assaults. In order to found a more secure settlement, they moved from the ancient town of Aghurmi to Shali. However, a fierce rainstorm in 1926 demolished many houses and made others unsafe, forcing people to leave. The ancient town is now almost in ruins, though its honeycomb nature is still clearly discernible.