Siwa Oasis Travel Guide

The historic town of Siwa stands on an isolated oasis situated in the Western Desert region of Egypt, approximately 550 km west of the capital Cairo, 305 km south-west of Marsa Matruh and some 50 km from the border with Libya. Extending some 80 km in length and 20 km in width, the oasis is one of the most isolated settlements in the country. Siwa nonetheless holds a special appeal for many travelers on account of its isolation and unique character, its natural beauty and its historical associations. The town has a population of around 25,000.

The inhabitants of Siwa Oasis are ethnically Berber and their mother tongue is a Berber language called Siwi, though nearly all Siwis speak Arabic as a second language and many can also speak some English. They speak language known as Siwi. Siwa is the westernmost of the 5 major oases of Egypt and can be reached by car from Baharia or from Marsa Matruh, on the Mediterranean coast. In comparison with the other oases, the most striking feature of the Siwan landscape is the presence of many salt lakes, that diminish in size during the summer.

However, the salt also impregnates the soil, creating a big problem. Mud bricks have been used for centuries to build entire village  fortresses, and are called "qasr" in Arabic, such as Shali in Siwa, Qasr in Farafra, Qasr Dakhla in Dakhla and Qasr Kharga in Kharga.

The city offers to the tourist, a wide range of traditional products: some of them, baskets made of palm fronds and decorated with coloured threads, dresses and embroidered fabrics, and also the famous and highly prized Siwan silver jewels, including elaborate necklaces with pendants of several shapes, large incised bracelets and rings, and heavy earrings with chains and bells, being also heavy to be worn as earingss, they are left hanging on both sides of the head suspended from a leather strip.