Siwa Oasis; It is located in the central part of the desert in western Egypt. Oasis; It is among the places that attract attention with its desolate nature, magnificent salt lakes and the original culture of the locals living in the region. This oasis in the middle of the Sahara, which seems to be isolated from the whole world, is famous for its diversity in tourism trips. Siwa oasis, which is almost a paradise in itself, receives thousands of visitors from all over the world for history, health and adventure tourism.
Siwa Oasis is located about 800 kilometers from Cairo, the capital of Egypt. The region has unique opportunities with date trees, olives, palm trees, natural hot spring pools, structures built with a mixture of salt and mud. B.C. A small town is located in the oasis, where life has been located since the 29th century. Siwa has always been a famous stop for travelers and nomads throughout history.
The people living in the region have a mixture of Egyptian and North African nomadic cultures. They speak the Moroccan nomadic language “Berber” and “Siwi”, which is derived from “Amazigh”. Today, due to its trade and growing tourism, its connections with the outside have increased. For this reason, they usually speak Arabic.
Magnificent Salt Lakes, Source of Healing
Due to the salt mines in the region, almost all of the lakes have a salt concentration of 95 percent. Due to the high concentration of salt, millions of tons of salt are produced, which are exported to Europe. The salts extracted from the region are known as the salt with the highest concentration in the world. At the same time, due to the salt concentration in the lakes, people can easily stay on the surface of the water even if they do not know how to swim. For this reason, many people who want to experience this experience visit the region.
The salty lakes of the region are of great importance in terms of both treatment and tourism. Lakes are seen as natural treatment centers for eye diseases, skin problems and sinusitis. It is also used as a treatment method in psoriasis, rheumatism, digestive system diseases and joint inflammation diseases.
Apart from the salt water pits in the region, there are 4 large salt lakes reaching a depth of 4 meters. The largest of these is Lake Zeitoun. The region has natural hot springs with a temperature of up to 60 degrees. These natural hot springs are preferred especially in the cool nights of the desert.
What to See in Siwa Oasis
Cleopatra Pool, one of the other structures in the region, is one of the must-see places. This eye-like pool when viewed from above is also known as the “Eye of the Sun”, “Eye of Juba” or “Eye of Cleopatra”. It is said that the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra visited Siwa and swam in this pool.
Another must-see in Siwa is the Mountain of the Dead. On the mountain are tombs dating from the 26th dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Many tombs are robbed and scattered.
One of the other important structures of the region is the Temple of the Oracle of Amun. It is said that Alexander the Great wanted to visit this temple. Built by a priest, Amun, this temple was built to honor the Sun God Ra. Seen as the home of Amun, the oasis is also known as Amun Ra Oasis.
Siwa is a rich attraction due to the unique natural resources found in the region. Due to the historical and natural beauties of the region, there are many different activities that can be done day and night.
