Page 14: Egypt - Baharyia Oasis

Egypt - The Desert 2010

The Bahariya Oasis

On our first day in Egypt we head off to the Bahariya Oasis, gateway to the Western Desert. Our guide today is a Coptic Christian who has much to teach us about Egypt. We are also accompanied by a driver. The first step before leaving Cairo is to register with the tourism police so they know who we are, where we're going and when we're expected to return. We are expected to confirm our return to Cairo with the tourism police. We're not sure why this is done, but it provides us with a greater feeling of security.  

The drive to the oasis takes all morning and the landscape is barren.

Finally, we arrive at the oasis. It is very small, dilapidated and poor. All tours to the Black and White Deserts go through the Baharyia Oasis, but it must be a quiet time of year for tourism because we don't see any other tourists. From what we can see the standard of living seems to be very low and many buildings look like they are falling apart. 

This seems to be the norm in terms of housing.

We are taken to a resort that looks clean and modern on the outside...

Our room, however, is very basic. The towels and facecloths are grey and stiff, but everything looks clean enough.

We still have a whole afternoon to explore the area around the oasis.  First we are taken to a tomb that is just now being excavated.  Our guide takes us down a very rough stairwell and we have to climb into a narrow aperture to get into the tomb.  

I'm a bit worried of going down these stairs as there is no indication of where we are or what we will see, but our guide encourages us to take the plunge.

Again, I'm a little afraid of climbing through this little hole in the ground.

But once we're inside, it's very rewarding. This is the tomb of a rich person - not a king or a queen. Our guide explains that the Baharyia Oasis has just recently revealed a number of tombs of the upper classes that are just now being excavated. We are very much surprised at the high quality of the pictures drawn upon the walls and the brightness of the colours. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to take pictures inside the tomb. 

Next, we are taken to an area where there are two buildings, both looking liked dilapidated warehouses.

Under one of the buildings, there are 3 or 4 men hiding from the sun and conserving their energy given that they cannot eat nor drink and it is about 39 degrees outside. 

One of the men comes out from under the building and leads us to the other warehouse and unlocks the door so we can enter. Our guide is very secretive and does not let us know what we're about to see, so again we're a tad worried. 

Surprise of surprise! Inside one of the rooms there are a dozen glass cases and in each case is a mummy.  We are told that these are some of the Golden Mummies that have just recently been found in the Baharyia Oasis. Of course, we cannot take photos, but we spend quite a while going from case to case and listening to our guide as he explains who each might be and the circumstances of his of her death.  Very interesting.

As we leave, our guide indicates that I should have my photo taken with the guard who opened the door for us.  He is adamant that he will not have his photo taken with a woman. When I promise him that I will not touch him, he gives in, but takes a few steps ahead of me before he agrees to pose for a photo.

Next stop is a temple built by Alexander the Great who was passing through the area on his way to Alexandria around 330 BC. It is the only temple built by Alexander the Great in all of Egypt. 

As you can see it's not a grand temple, but getting to see this rarity is awesome! Again - no photos allowed.

Next and final stop of the day is a camel ranch, where camels are saddled up for a 30 minute ride in the desert.  We meet the rancher's very young daughter Myriam. She is quite sweet and we communicate with her through our guide.

My friend Merion had given me a fuschia boa to wear during our camel ride (à la Sex in the City). I do get a few funny looks from the camel rancher. Myriam is very intrigued and is enthralled with my pink toes and the fuschia boa.

It takes quite a while for the rancher to catch two camels and saddle them up. The camels are quite recalcitrant and ornery. They do not want to be ridden.

When you get atop the camel, the beast is sitting on its haunches. He first gets his hind legs up and then his front legs. Each time, the rider is perilously close to being tossed off. Once we're on, though, it's not very comfortable, but exciting nonetheless.

Our camels were very grouchy, but I became quite a camel whisperer and eventually my camel was cooperative.

Just before we leave I give the boa to Myriam. She is very happy!