Siwa Oasis, a getaway to history and nature

It seemed the only sensible alternative at the moment to converse with my mystic writer, Gamal al-Ghitani, as I was reading his novel The Pyramids Texts.As the midnight bus still had five hours to go, my friends were fast asleep despite the voices screaming from the hanging video screen. "Each soul has a longing!" said al Ghitani.

"True! Siwa, the most distant oasis in the Egyptian Desert, more than 750 km away from Cairo, was my longing,"I replied."

"Passion is impossible without knowledge. " Don't we need to live the experience not to starve our passion? "The beginnings are of great importance and they are never repeated". Absolutely right! The first visit to a place is always the most exciting and you can never reproduce the same reactions twice.

"The morning is born out of the night..." At about 5 a.m. we reached the coastal town of Marsa Matrouh. A soft breeze from the sea welcomed us as we waited for our van driver to take us to Siwa - or 'Seeva" as my friend Ilka would say when we posed for the photo. Then we set south after having a hot morning drink. We still had 300 km to kill.

What are the people of Siwa like? "Aren't we all strangers?" Yes, but I did intend to mix and communicate to understand them. The guide book said they were mostly Berbers from North African origin and a minority traced its origin to the Arabian Peninsula. Luckily, I had the chance to talk to local men from both origins and was really impressed by their sense of honour . However, some of them have succumbed to the lure of incomers' banknotes and raised the prices of all services. It is typical of all places that suddenly experience an influx of tourists!

We checked into our simple hotel, five minutes away from Shali, the downtown area, and decided to start our local tour of nearby places of interest at about two in the afternoon. We were taking the traditional taxi: a donkey cart driven by a teenager. Ali was our friendly driver, always eager to please. He gave us his mobile number to call him any time we needed a lift.

The donkey cart might not be as comfortable as the car; but it was the best way to start communicating with Siwa. You could smell the air, listen to the sound of the wind, get used to the slower, less hectic beat of life, and above all to start getting used to the desert landscape in a 'vehicle' that is native to the surroundings.

Ali took us first to Dakrour Mountain, about 5 km south-east of the town centre. You can identify it from a distance by its flat triple peaks. Go ahead and climb half way up the hill because the spectacular view is worth every effort. Transcend the golden domain of sand you are treading to the greenery of the elegant palm trees sheltering the light blue Azmouri Lake in the background and extend your vision to the protective mountains of Siwa in the distant horizon. Nothing artificial blocks your range of view.

It was our first day and my senses still hurt from the jammed urban life with its grotesque buildings, annoying noise and polluted air. This mountain is the beginning of the remedy!

Our book said that many people come to Dakrour Mountain during the hot summer months to get sand cures from rheumatism and other joint pains. Patients come from different parts of the globe to be treated by famous local experts who specialize in burying them in hot sand baths for as long as 30 minutes for a few days. However, the book forgot to mention that the place provides a cure for the exhausted mortal souls. It is a pity that we were there just "for a visit; not for residence."

It was a hot afternoon and our next stop provided shelter from the sun in a traditional tent and a freshly- squeezed juice. Perfect timing! Siwa is famous for its cold and hot natural springs; but Cleopatra's Bath is the most famous of which because of its historical background. Originally, it was known as 'the Spring of the Sun' and was mentioned by travelers as early as Herodotus. It is believed that Cleopatra enjoyed bathing in the bubbling spring when she visited the oasis. It is now encircled by a round stone basin with some stairs leading into the water.

As it was a Friday, the local young people were enjoying splashing into the water on their day off. We had to move on because we were told that tourist sites get closed one hour before sunset and we still had another important attraction.