Siwa oasis, Egypt

The-oasis-of-Siwa-Egypt
Siwa is in the middle of nowhere, in the desert about 850 kilometers from Cairo and very close to the border with Libya. It is one of the most isolated areas of Egypt and, despite being little frequented by mass tourism, it is one of the most beautiful places in the country. In an enclave worth seeing, it is surrounded by a palm grove on the desert dunes and on a salty lake. Its streets are still trafficked by wooden carts and donkeys.

To get around it, one of the best options is to rent a bike and go down the sandy paths of the palm grove to reach the famous Oracle of Siwa , which is located on a peak of rocks that are visibly eroded. From the top, a spectacular image of the palm groves meeting the shore of the lake and the dunes falling to the limits of the osasis. In any palm tree you can take one of the many clusters of dates that hang and that are so typical in the country.

Once you have seen the Oracle you can go to the thermal bath that Cleopatra used to frequent to relax and bathe in crystal clear waters with large bubbles that sprout from the bottom. Another place worth visiting is the temple of Amun Ra and the ancient medieval fortress in Siwa, which dates back to the 13th century and was built with earth bricks, plaster and salt.

In the history of Siwa is Alexander the Great , who after founding Alexandria set course for the Oracle of Siwa to reaffirm his belief that he was a descendant of the god Amun Ra, something that his mother had told him, and that when he got there the Oracle He recognizes as a divine being and that is why he was proclaimed Pharaoh of Egypt before leaving to conquer Persia.