Protectorates not protected - The Siwa Oasis

Al Masry Al Youm (Hoda Baraka)

Siwa Oasis became a protectorate in 2002 as per Prime Ministerial decree number 1219, although nowadays visitors would have a hard time noticing any overt measures meant to be in place to ensure that the environment in the area is in fact protected. Such measures are much needed since Siwa is particularly rich environmentally and in cultural history.

Siwa houses a distinguished set of touristic attractions, some of which include Amoun’s temple, the Dead Mountain in Aldakrour area, which has some ancient tombs. There is also the Deheba area, which includes tombs engraved in the rocks from the Greco-Roman era, and the remains of Shali Fortress in the city center.

The biological variety of Siwa, on the other hand, is characterized by the existence of more than 40 species of wild plants, including medical and pastoral. Some of them have significant genetic origins. Moreover, there are around 28 species of wild mammals, some of which are threatened with extinction, such as the hyena, the Egyptian deer, the white deer and the red fox, in addition to 32 types of reptiles and around 164 species of birds.