Siwa Oasis
Siwa Oasis
واحة سيوة | |
|---|---|
Clockwise from top: Shali Mountain village, Ruins of the Old Siwa, Lake Aftnas, Pigeon Towers, oasis near Siwa. | |
Location within Qattara Depression | |
| Coordinates: 29°12′19″N 25°31′10″E / 29.20528°N 25.51944°E | |
| Country | Egypt |
| Governorate | Matrouh |
| Area | |
• Total | 78 sq mi (201 km2) |
| Elevation | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2021) | 25,031 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EST) |
The Siwa Oasis (Arabic: واحة سيوة Wāḥat Sīwah [ˈwæːħet ˈsiːwæ]) is an urban oasis in Egypt. It is situated between the Qattara Depression and the Great Sand Sea in the Western Desert, 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of the Egypt–Libya border and 560 kilometres (350 mi) from the Egyptian capital city of Cairo. It is famed from its role in ancient Egypt as the home to an oracle of Amun, the ruins of which are a popular tourist attraction, giving it the ancient name Oasis of Amun-Ra, after the major Egyptian deity.