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Tourists drawn to hot springs, natural beauty of Egypt's remote Siwa Oasis

Located near Egypt's western border with Libya, the Siwa Oasis offers visitors everything from healing hot springs and a nature preserve to archaeological treasures.

A view showing the 2,500-year-old ruins of Shally, the old city
standing above the new city known as Siwa, at the edge of the western
desert February 4, 2002. The oasis has about 230 hot and cold mainly
fresh water springs, and several large lakes scattered around the area,
which is a popular destination for tourists on desert safari trips.
REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby

AN/WS - RTR1849
A view showing the remains of Shali castle in the old city of Siwa, Feb. 4, 2002. — REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby

The Siwa Oasis is located 820 kilometers (510 miles) from the capital, between Cairo and the Egyptian-Libyan border. The eastern gate to the Amazigh lands, it is also known as the Palm Land, called Sekht-am by the pharaohs. Its hot springs are one of the best regarded tourist destinations in the world.

Yet, what most Egyptians and visiting tourists do not know is that most of isolated Siwa, which sits at 18 meters (59 feet) below sea level, is a virgin oasis unpolluted by urbanism nor exploited by businessmen. In addition to the therapeutic sulfur-rich springs and sand baths, Siwa is also a site for cultural and archaeological tourism.

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