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Famous for the Alexander
the Great's visits to the Amun Temple, the Siwa oasis is one of
the most spectacular places in Egypt. Situated on the Great Sand
Sea` s edge, the oasis is populated by the Siwans who speak Siwi, a Berber language and have
their own customs and culture. The women in Siwa are dressed in
traditional costumes and wear silver jewelry; the tourists can
see these costumes and jewelry at the Siwa House Museum. If you
want to buy traditional robes, rugs, jewelry, baskets or head
dresses beautifully decorated with ancient coins, Siwa is the
perfect place to find them. Siwa` s foundation was Shali; now
only the ruins of the ancient Shali fortress can be seen. Before
the salt lakes, the olive orchards, the springs with fresh
water, the palm groves or the walled gardens, the first thing
that can be admired in Siwa are the remains of the antique Shali.
These ruins rise on the square of the modern town, a town that
attracts people with its beautiful landscapes, palm trees, the
Amun temple's ruins, the Cleopatra's Bath, the Birket salt
lake with the Fatnis Island. The Cleopatra` s Pool is famous for
its bubbling water where the visitors can bath. The wonderful
image of the whole Siwa Oasis can be seen in whole its splendor
if you climb up to the ruins` top trough the alleyways
labyrinth. You will see the Sahara Desert` s Grand Sand Sea as
well as the mountains, the lakes and the springs. The mosque in
Siwa is actually the principal mosque of Shali; the mosque has
two minarets, one is quadratic and the other one was built
respecting the patterns of the Egyptian oases. The mosque's
passageway was made from palm logs.
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