Daily Photo - Wadi el Hitan, Faiyum

Obedient to Fred's promptings, here's a short explanation of today's photos. Wadi el Hitan, the Valley of Whales, is located within the Faiyum Depression. It contains the fossilized remains of plants and sea creatures which lived here when the area was the shoreline of the ancient Tethys Sea. Plant remains indicated that the area was very much like modern mangroves. The most important of the fossils are the whales, which provide data about the transition of these mammals from land to sea and the evolution of modern whales. The site was made a Protected Area in 1983, and became a World Heritage Site in 2005. It is beautifully laid out and well explained with detailed information boards. The surrounding scenery is very beautiful too.