Home -> About Siwa
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Siwa is the northernmost and westernmost of Egypt's five major oases of the famous Western Desert. 800 km from Cairo, 300 km south of the Mediterranean coast, Siwa offers the discerning traveller a unique experience.
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Legend tells that the Temple of Amoun housed an oracle, visited by Alexander the Great. The centre of the oasis town is dominated by the ruins of the old town of Shali which dates back to the 13th century and was in full use until 1926.
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For centuries Siwa has been the home of a Berber community, a trading post for Bedouin and a stopping place for pilgrims on the long trek across North Africa to Arabia. In the 20th century Siwa was well known to the long range desert patrols of the German and British armies as they fought for supremacy of Egypt's sands.
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Siwa is the northern gateway to the Great Sand Sea of the Sahara Desert, and the first staging post of desert safaris that extend south to the oases of Bahariya and Farafra, the black desert, the white desert, the oases of Dakhla and Kharga and on as far as the great Gilf on the border with Sudan.
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Remains of the Temple of Um Ubaydah
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Temperatures in Siwa
November to February:
nights are cold ... below 10 Celsius; days are bright, sunny and warm in the sun but a jacket is advisable... 15-25 Celsius.
March to May:
nights are warm ... 15-20 Celsius; days are warm and dry with no humidity... temperatures 20-30 Celsius... delightful! This is sandstorm season... so it can "cloud" over and blow ... usually for 6-12 hours or so;
June to September:
nights are very warm ... 20-30 Celsius; days are hot... 30+ Celsius but there is no humidity.
October... is perfect.
