Siwa Oasis put in the spot light
Eyes are turned these days to a dear piece of Egyptian land known to be the land of palm trees, olive trees and antiquities. Some 300 kilometres to the south west of Mersa Matruh lies Siwa Oasis whose resources need to be promoted.
One of the famous monuments of the oasis is Amon Temple which goes back to the 26th dynasty. The temple is not complete but its remains still bear bright inscriptions representing the gods' parades where the subject would offer sacrifice in honour and loyalty of god Amon.
Only parts of the temple were excavated because the people of old Siwa had built houses on top of the temple.
The temple was known as the temple of predictions as it existed in a world that strongly believed in prophecy. Many kings and statesmen of the old world used to perform pilgrimage there. The temple witnessed one of the most famous visits in history made by Alexander the Macedonian who wished to know about his future from the priests of the temple, Alexander was crowned as son of Amon in this temple. At its entrance the chief priest asked him to enter the shrine in order to consult Amon personally. Coming out, Alexander seemed happy and satisfied, but he refused to relate any of the secrets.
Among the famous stories related to the temple of Amon is that which involves the Persian leader Qambiz and his army. When the Persian armies took Egypt in 525 BC the priests of Amon were asked about the Persian invasion and the future of their rule. The priests prophesied that the Persians will leave and that their king would be severely punished. When Qambiz learned about this he insisted upon pulling down the temple of Amon. He sent an army of 50,000 men that headed to the south of the Valley reaching Farafra Oasis. They had orders to kill the priests and take those alive as captives. But the armies never reached Siwa. The priests said that the army was exposed to strong winds that destroyed the whole army. When Qambiz heard of this he went crazy and remained suffering until he died.
Siwa, as the Governor of Matruh said, needs to be converted into a nature reserve in order to retain its natural resources and architectural heritage especially that the oasis is an attraction area for tourists.