Travel: Siwa - Legends & Lifestyles in the Egyptian Sahara

Egypt Daily News (Review by Heba Elkayal)

“It is a study of largesse in both legends and lifestyles,” writes emerging author Rawah Badrawi in the introduction of her new book on the desert oasis town of Siwa.

The story by Badrawi and hobbyist photographers Omar Hikal and Khaled Shokry is based on a carefully curated selection of images and text that, in a charmingly poetic style, narrate the history of this isolated town in a manner that is both informative and visually contemporary.

Styled as a coffee table book, it is titled “Siwa: Legends & Lifestyles in the Egyptian Sahara.” At 148 pages, it is replete with guest contributions and testimonies by local and international personalities including actress Isabella Rossellini, architect India Mahdavi, Egyptian Prince Abbas Helmi and wife Princess Mediha, and artist Adel El-Siwi amongst other illustrious characters.

The book is a modern travel book in the sense that it is not simply composed of long passages of descriptive text, but of short informative essays and beautiful pictures. “Siwa” essentially vies to tell an enthralling story weaved from various sources.