Siwa's lush green vegetation and cool and gentle breezes greet you upon arrival in this marvellously picturesque desert oasis located in Egypt's Western Desert some 300km inland from the Mediterranean to the southwest of Marsa Matrouh. Its tall palms bend with jewel-like red and yellow dates, and its many hot springs beckon with their sparkling waters that surge up from the depths of the earth in both summer and winter. Siwan homes rarely rise above two storeys high, and they use the colour schemes suggested by natural materials. Here and there are spice shops with displays offering the oasis' many types of figs and shops with Siwan handicrafts on sale. The colourful embroidery that is typical of the oasis uses the palette of the place itself: the green of the palm fronds, the yellow of the desert, and the red and black of the dates at various stages of ripeness. Siwa is an oasis that can cure the body, sooth the mind, and delight the eye. It is a treasure trove of natural and cultural wealth that should make it one of the world's leading tourist destinations, not to mention a sustainable economic resource. Siwa is also one of the most isolated spots in the world. But despite this remote location in the midst of the Western Desert, it is not a place where visitors get easily bored due to its many attractions of abundant palm groves, curative sands, mineral springs, white salt lakes, clean fresh air and splendid climate. Siwan Al-Ahram Weekly visited Siwa to shed light on its riches and to speak to local people about their aspirations for the future and the development of their home. It also spoke with economic experts to hear their assessment of the oasis' prospects and how to optimise its many resources.
WELLNESS IN SIWA: Siwa possesses all the ingredients for a robust wellness tourism industry that could contribute millions to the economy with proper investment and promotion. One of these ingredients is the hot sands of Gabal Al-Dakrour, Siwa's central mountain area, which are known for their curative properties in treating arthritic, circulatory and dermatological problems. The high season for Siwa's sand spas is from mid-June to the end of August, said Fathi Mohamed, involved in wellness tourism in Siwa. “The patient is buried mostly unclothed from his neck down beneath the sand for a quarter of an hour for three days in a row. Umbrellas are used to shade the patient's head and prevent sunstroke. After the patient is removed from the sand, he is taken into a tent, wrapped in woollen blanket, and given a hot fenugreek infusion to drink in order to stimulate perspiration.” The process helps rid the body of toxins and has proven effective in curing arthritic ailments, Mohamed said. Word of the treatment has spread, and Siwa's natural sand spas attract more and more tourists from around the world every year. Siwa's mineral springs are also famous, both as natural attractions and for the curative properties of their waters, especially for dermatological ailments. While there are many springs, the most well-known are Cleopatra, Fatnas and Kigar. “There are many tours of these springs,” Mohamed said. “They include a pre-sunset dip in one of the pools followed by a chance to watch the sunset while sipping a glass of tea flavoured with a blend of local Siwan herbs such as moringa, aloysia and mint. In addition to their delicious flavour, these herbs help relax the body, aid digestion, and ease intestinal cramps.” Siwa's unique rock salt lakes and handicrafts are among the most popular tourist attractions of the oasis The mineral spring tours are among the finest in the oasis, he said. “Tourists love them. There is nothing like watching a splendid Siwan sunset next to a natural spring, surrounded by palms, with a pot of Siwa's unique tea next to you.” Several rock salt lakes are located on the outskirts of the oasis. The four main ones are Al-Muasara to the northeast, Al-Zeitoun to the east, the Siwa Sea to the west of the town of Shali, and Al-Maraqi to the west of the oasis. There are also a number of smaller salt lakes. Local products are manufactured from the rock-like substance, such as lamps, although the rock salt is also sold in blocks in the local bazaars in raw form. The raw salt comes in various grades and is exported for industrial uses abroad such as in the manufacture of soap, synthetic fabrics, oil refining, spinning and weaving, chlorine production, and the making of caustic soda, glass, toothpaste, detergents, coolants, rocket fuel, gunpowder and thermal bricks. In Europe and North America, it is used to de-ice roads and airport runways in cold weather. One unique use of Siwan salt is in the special “salt caves” in the oasis built of rock-salt bricks and used for therapeutic purposes. A 45-minute session inside a salt cave “helps rid the body of negative energy, eases tension, and gives peace of mind”, explains Ali Abdallah, who manages one of them. “One session inside is enough to come out a new person filled with positive energy,” he said. Siwan CULTURAL TOURISM: In addition to its many natural resources, Siwa also has many historical and archaeological landmarks, the most celebrated being the Temple of Amun, also known as the Temple of Alexander the Great or Temple of Oracle. Located about 4km east of the city of Siwa, the temple was built in the late Pharaonic era to spread the worship of the god Amun among neighbouring North African tribes. The building itself was constructed to align with the spring and autumn equinoxes that fall on 20 or 21 March and 22 or 23 September, respectively. The temple was famously visited by Alexander the Great after his conquest of Egypt in 331 BCE. The Macedonian conqueror made a special trip to Siwa to visit the Temple of the Oracle, where the high priest of Amun conducted him into the dark inner sanctum where no one but the high priest and Alexander were allowed. According to historians, when Alexander re-emerged from the sanctum he appeared to be at ease, yet he refused to divulge what had happened inside. He merely told his friends that “I have heard what my heart desired.” Another important historical site in Siwa is the dramatic remains of the Citadel of Shali, which in Siwan means “city”. Human settlement on the site dates back thousands of years. The citadel itself was constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries CE to repel the onslaught of Arab and Bedouin tribes. Another must-see destination in the oasis is the Siwa House, a museum opened in 1990 to exhibit items from the rich local culture, including embroidered Siwan clothing, silver jewellery, cooking utensils, handicrafts, pottery and other items. The building itself is testimony to local architectural traditions. Like the ancient fortress of Shali, it is constructed of karshif, mud bricks reinforced with rock salt harvested from the salt lakes that can maintain moderate temperatures inside the house. The roof is constructed of palm tree beams that support a framework of interwoven palm fronds. Siwa For fans of outdoor recreational activities, Siwa offers safari tours into the desert dunes surrounding the oasis. Mohamed Zayet, who operates jeeps used for such safaris, told the Weekly that “it is a fantastic experience, riding up and down the dunes like in a rollercoaster. It's an unforgettable adventure. But you need a driver with experience in handling the desert terrain.” According to Zayet, although the number of foreign tourists has declined in recent years, domestic tourism has picked up considerably. Most of the tourists who come to Siwa these days are Egyptians, he said. According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry's Facebook page, Siwa receives around 30,000 Egyptian and foreign tourists a year. However, these figures fall far short of the oasis' real potential. “Siwa's treasures have not yet been properly optimised for tourism,” said Khaled Al-Shafei, an economist and director of the Capital Centre for Economic Studies and Research (CCESR). Some government projects are in progress to develop Siwa, especially its infrastructure, and this should encourage entrepreneurs to pump more investment into it to create resorts, fairs, restaurants and other tourist attractions. Al-Shafei also believes that the construction of an airport in Siwa would stimulate higher tourism arrivals as the oasis would no longer be so remote. Noting that President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi has made the development of road and transportation networks one of his highest priorities, Al-Shafei said that “this will encourage investors to inject more money into new areas that had previously been out of bounds.” He also underscored the crucial role the media can play in promoting tourism to Siwa, urging it to pay greater attention to attracting tourists to the oasis. ‘There is nothing like watching a splendid Siwan sunset next to a natural spring, surrounded by palms, with a pot of Siwa's unique tea next to you' “We need to inform the world about this magical Egyptian oasis that contains such treasures and such beauty,” Al-Shafei said.
AGRICULTURE: Siwa is noted for its dates, olives and herbs, and economist Sherif Al-Demerdash said that any economic development plan for the oasis must seek to optimise the use of available natural resources and expand the industries related to them. “Egypt is one of the world's largest date producers. Rather than merely exporting them, we should develop factories for processing them, on the condition that these are environmentally friendly and do not pollute Siwa's pure air or water which are among its most important features.” Al-Dermerdash is optimistic about government plans to develop the New Alamein and Matrouh region that includes Siwa. Among the aims of these, announced in 2017, are to develop the cultivation of strategic crops such as wheat and to improve date farming in Siwa. The oasis has around a million date palms, each capable of producing around 120kg of dates, which means that they could produce around 84,000 tons of dates a year. Siwa's comparative advantage in date production means it could become a leading date-exporting hub. The government development plans include the establishment of a Siwan Research Station connected to the 70-acre Khamisa and 30-acre Tajzarti model farms for research and instructional purposes. Surveys of land and subterranean water courses and environmental studies have been completed, and programmes have been designed to improve the productivity of various crops. 400 model areas have been developed. Another area for investment is bottling and exporting Siwa's abundant natural mineral water. The oasis' many wells are said to boast the purest water in Egypt. Siwa is at the mouth of the Nubian-Egyptian aquifer system that begins in northwestern Sudan and extends northwards beneath some smaller oases until it reaches Siwa. This natural underground reservoir has drawn local and foreign entrepreneurs who have established bottling plants such as Siwa, Safi, Hayat and Aman. The expansion of this industry could yield great economic returns for the country as a whole. Siwa OTHER AREAS: Another way Siwa can be economically developed, situating it on the export map, is through the oasis' unique handicrafts, including its exquisite embroidery, klim rugs, and many different items sculpted out of rock salt. Siwa is known for its earthenware, especially cooking vessels such as the traditional conical casserole dish, as well as for its characteristic gold and silver jewellery often inlaid with precious or semi-precious stones. Ali Abdallah, who owns a bazaar in Siwa, told the Weekly that it could take months to embroider a single Siwan shawl which might then be sold for LE1,000, though this is still relatively inexpensive when converted into foreign currencies. More importantly, “anyone buying such a shawl will have purchased a work of art that breathes the soul of Siwa,” he said. Referring to examples housed in the Siwa House Museum, Abdallah said that “many of these manufactures have existed in Siwa since the dawn of the oasis but began to die out with the introduction of modern products from the city. For example, the earthenware cooking pots have been replaced by metal ones, and modern storage systems have replaced the reed and palm frond containers that used to be used to hold clothes and jewels.” However, he hoped that as much as possible of the old could still be preserved. “The oasis' customs and traditions are an important draw for tourists, who are keen to learn about different cultures. I think annual fairs should be organised in the oasis to display Siwan culture, including locally manufactured clothes, handicrafts and other items. This would help stimulate tourism.” The oasis cannot halt the encroachment of modern life and its effects on architecture and domestic and social life, however. “This has affected the local traditions, some of which have gone forever,” Abdallah said. “But the oasis is trying to preserve as much as possible in terms of the designs and colours of the houses, the calm simple lifestyle, and cherished rites and rituals.” Around 35,000 people now live in the oasis, most of them working in either agriculture or tourism. One of the traditions that Siwan society continues to preserve is the interdiction against women leaving their homes unless absolutely necessary. It is the husband who does the shopping, not the wife. If they are obliged to leave their home for some reason, women must fully cover themselves with a loose cloak like a garment and a face veil. Only a woman's husband and brothers are allowed to see her face. As a result, educational opportunities tend to be limited for Siwan girls, and their schooling generally stops after secondary school. According to Abdallah, in the past a bride on her wedding night would be taken to bathe in a spring called the “Bride's Spring” and dressed in an elaborately embroidered gown made specially for that evening. “Today, it is the bridal shawl that a girl begins to weave with her own hands in childhood. The main colours of this are black and orange. Apart from that, Siwan brides wear wedding dresses like those of other girls in Egypt.” Unlike most other Egyptians, native Siwans speak a dialect of Amazigh (Berber) as they are related to the North African Berber peoples. PARALLEL DEVELOPMENTS: The government has devised a number of plans to develop Siwa and stimulate the tourist industry. The plan to develop Egyptian archaeological sites announced by Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany in October 2018 includes a project to reconstruct the mediaeval fortress of Shali in Siwa. Minister of Tourism Rania Al-Mashat has also announced plans to support environmental tourism, one of Siwa's most important attractions. In February this year, a delegation from parliament's Agricultural Committee headed by MP Hisham Al-Shaini visited Marsa Matrouh and Siwa to study ways to ready Siwa to become the largest date exporter in the world. The delegation also addressed the problem of agricultural run-off water in the framework of plans to develop the oasis as a whole. In remarks to the press made during the visit, MP Ahmed Raslan said that “Siwa is a land of promise, and the government is focusing its efforts on transforming it into an oasis that can feed the world with the goodness of Egypt's high-quality dates.” The government has ambitious plans to transform the area into a major agricultural hub specialising in the cultivation and processing of dates. Egypt has the potential to achieve an unprecedented boom in agriculture in the framework of the far-reaching national development plans that President Al-Sisi has launched to channel investment into promising areas throughout the country, increase GDP, and improve the living standards of families in all the governorates, including those remote from Cairo. Parliament is also working to reduce obstacles to investment and development. It is in dialogue with bodies concerned with monitoring the problems that farmers may face in order to attract investments into the date industries, especially from the Gulf countries, in the light of the popularity of dates among Arab and Muslim peoples. According to Raslan, the production, packaging and export of dates could generate at least 20,000 jobs directly and another 20,000 jobs indirectly. Such industries have the potential to attract LE4 billion in investments, and they would also attract people to the border governorates, further enhancing their security. The parliamentary delegation also discussed the idea of constructing reservoirs to collect rainwater, thereby creating another water resource that could be used for agriculture. Because of Siwa's abundant subterranean water resources, thousands of acres could be reclaimed and put under cultivation. It should be borne in mind, however, that farmers in the area are being challenged by salinisation due to the rising levels of agricultural run-off water. Agricultural expansion has also led to the overconsumption of water from the Nubian aquifer. Siwa already produces more than dates. In addition to olives, the oasis produces various types of fruit and vegetables as well as grains such as wheat and barley. It also has some small fish farms. The oasis is also attracting investment in some date by-products, such as vinegar and date syrup, as well as in other products such as yeast, animal fodder and olive oil. These products compete favourably with their rivals in local markets and have great export potential as well. In recent years, Siwa has made considerable progress in infrastructure development and public services. According to a report by the Matrouh Governorate Information Centre, Siwa city's electricity capacity has risen to 787.4 million KW, paved roads have increased to 521km, and the governorate has ensured the provision of telephone services in the city. Healthcare and food subsidies are also widely available. In the light of recent accomplishments, projects that will be carried out in the coming years, and the optimistic forecasts of experts, Siwa is looking forward to a promising future for its infrastructure, investments, agriculture, tourism industry and local manufactures, all of which augurs well for a better and more prosperous life for the people of this emerald in the desert. All this will also contribute to government plans to develop the border governorates and to stimulate the national economy.
