An ancient seabed is soon opening to the public. Mahmoud Bakr visited the Valley of Whales In an event organised by the Ministry of Environment, Mrs Suzanne Mubarak inaugurated the Valley of the Whales Protected Area in Fayoum. The valley is part of the Wadi Al-Rayan Protected Area, 150km southeast of Cairo and home to hundreds of fossils of maritime creatures that lived 40 million years ago, when the valley was covered by sea. "The Valley of the Whales was declared a natural world heritage area in 2005 due to its concentration of fossilised skeletons of whales and other maritime creatures," said Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Maged George at the event. "Remains of those extinct creatures shed light on the evolution of maritime life over millions of years." George said that President Mubarak has made the environment a top government priority. Article 59, recently added to the constitution, states that "protecting the environment is a national duty." Mustafa Fouda, chairman of the Natural Protectorate Sector at the Environmental Affairs Agency, said that the World Conservation Union has declared the area a world heritage zone. Egypt has submitted studies detailing findings in the valley to international organisations and, as a result, UNESCO described the area as the best region for whale skeletons in the world. The valley contains fossilise skeletons of whales that had been buried in what used to be the seabed. The fossils provide scientists with insight into the way whales evolved from land-based animals into ocean-roaming mammals. "The quality of the fossils and their concentration in one area are what makes this site so unique," Fouda noted. The valley has been attracting scientists for almost a century, but current improvements are going to make it more accessible to local and foreign tourists. Signs are being posted along a 38km dirt road and visitors will be able to buy miniature reproductions of skeletons at the gift shop. The entire area is being refashioned as an open-air natural history museum, allowing tourists a better chance to see the fossils without disturbing the sites. In 2007, nearly 7,800 visitors came to the valley, including the German deputy prime minister and the US, New Zealand, Chinese, and Czech ambassadors. An excavation mission by Michigan University has catalogued information about more than 400 whales and dolphin ancestors in the valley. Scientists have also found shell fish remains, the roots of fossilised mangrove trees and a Stone Age weapon stash. The valley is known not only for its wealth of fossils, but for interesting rock formations and rolling sand dunes that add to its natural beauty. A dry branch of the Nile has also been located in the vicinity. The first collection of whale fossils, varying between five and 22 metres in length, was found in the valley in 1901. Other fossils of sharks, turtles, and sea snakes can also be seen in the area.
