Siwa is quiet on Friday
Siwa, Egypt
June 07, 2013In Egypt, Friday is a holiday. It is a day when kids do not have to go to school and most businesses are closed. But, we were able to get up early and tour the city before things shut almost completely down in the afternoon.
It was Omar's turn to try and put some meat on our bones. Our meal consisted of dates, cheese, falafel, pita, juice, tea and omelette. I have decided that I am going to power through and eat even though I really do not have any appetite yet.
We met Khaled, Hanny and Mohammed after breakfast. They were having their tea in the cafe in front of the hotel. Our first stop on the tour was a walk behind our hotel which used to be the Shali (the name of the city before it was called Siwa) Fortress or Old City Playing at the Cleopatra Spring. Khalid explained that karshiff bricks were made from salt and mud and were used in the construction of the old city. These bricks do not stand up to heavy rain (they typically have 3 days of rain all year). In 1926, there were three consecutive days of rain and wind that destroyed the historic city that had been around for 800 years. It is interesting to note that our hotel was constructed this way too, so I hope it does not rain while we are here!
In Siwa we are 18 metres below sea level and near the water table. So, that is why it is an oasis and they are able to grow many things like dates, olives and palms.
We were able to walk around the site of the old city and get a nice view of the two salt lakes, the mountain of the dead, mosques, homes, businesses, ect.
Khaled explained that throughout history, mostly Libyan (only 90 kilometres away) and Berber people (Tunisian, Moroccan and Libyan) live here, not Egyptian Shali - Old Town. The 22,000 residents here still speak the Berber language amongst themselves and do not share it with outsiders. The old name of the city, Shali means My Home. The name of our hotel is translated to The Door of My Home.
Our next stop was really interesting and is a must see! The Mountain of the Dead has been used for tombs since people have lived here. They were also used by the Italian army as a camp during WWII.
We went into two tombs, but were not allowed to take photos. The two tombs belonged to Si-Amun and to one of his wives. The remains of the mummies (the tombs had been plundered by visitors) are now located in Cairo. In Si-Amun's tomb we could see the coloured paintings of the sun goddess, the Jekyll, stars, Greek, Roman and Pharaonic influences, hieroglyphics, and the cartouche. Khaled told us that Si-Amun had a Greek wife and an Egyptian wife. So one son is depicted in a Greek style and one son is depicted in an Egyptian style Learning of the Temple of the Oracle of Amun. This site has a couple of photos and some drawings to give you a better idea of what we saw: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/si-amun.htm
There is a three kilometre underground path to the Temple of the Oracle of Amun. An Oracle was a wise person who could interpret dreams, fix your bad luck and give you advice. He was not a religious person.
The Oracle became popular after Alexander the Great came to him in 331 BC. Alexander asked "who am I?" and the oracle answered, "the son of Amun (god/Zeus)". He also asked, "who killed my father?" And the oracle answered, "that is between you and god". The message that Alexander the Great left with the Oracle was that it was his wish to be buried in Siwa.
We saw the ruins of the temple of Obaida or Umm Ubaydah Sunset at the Oasis. It was destroyed in 1821 and in 1897 one of the Ma'murs used the large stones were used to build the army/police station, school and mosque. All that remains is an altar or pillar for Amun.
We visited one of the 275 natural springs here. It was called a few different names: Sun Spring, Cleopatra's Spring, and Spring of Juba. We had refreshments (mint juice and water) while the boys and men had a great time jumping and wrestling in the pool.
We went back to the room for a short break, and then Hanny brought us to Abdu's restaurant for lunch. I ordered lamb and Bill ordered beef. It was really good and came with a salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, tahini, and warm flat pitas. I treated myself to mango juice and it was delicious!
To stay out of the heat, I spent most of the afternoon in the breakfast room using the internet and updating the blog Tombs on the MOUNTAIN OF THE DEAD. Bill joined me for a while and then headed to the room to watch bad English movies on our tiny TV.
We met Hanny and Mohammed at 6:00, but Khalid was unable to join us as he was having car troubles. Could this be the curse of Tutankhamen following us?? So, Mohammed Ali joined us to guide us to the Island.
It was a short drive to the island, but maybe it is an peninsula? I don't recall crossing a bridge or getting into a boat?! Anyway, we had a nice cup of tea while watching the sunset.
Back at the hotel we had a lovely rooftop dinner with lentil soup, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives (tasted like kalamata, but were a pale green), lamb, rice, beans and melon for dessert. It was all very good and very filling.
We spend the rest of the evening enjoying the cool breeze on the rooftop. What a welcome relief after such a hot day (41 degrees).
Pictures & VideosView over the Oasis from the MotD
