In the far northwest of Egypt, only 30 miles (59 kilometers) east of the Libyan border and some 350 miles (560 kilometers) from the Nile Valley, the Siwa Oasis is one of the most remote areas in the country.

An agricultural land famous for its dates and olives, the oasis is has become more recognized for its tourism potential in the last decade. It is the easternmost door to the land of the Berbers, an indigenous people of North Africa whose presence spreads from the Canary Islands to Siwa. Medieval Arabic geographers mention their presence in the oasis in their written accounts that date back to 12th century. At present, they number around 25,000.

For centuries, the Berber population of the oasis was concentrated in the walled towns of Aghurmi, Gara and Shali, but they started to move to the surrounding lands long time ago. Today,  the oasis is thinly populated even after being annexed to Egypt in 1819, partly because its first paved road connecting to another city, Marsa Matrouh, was not built until 1984.

Siwa's insular nature has played a major role in allowing local Berbers to preserve their culture, one of the main expressions of which is their language, Siwi. Known under the generic name of Tamazight — the Berber word for Berber — the language is thought to be spoken by 10,000 to 15,000 people, though there has been no official census.