Walking on the Mountain of the Dead in Siwa

If visiting Siwa Oasis in Egypt, you should climb Gebel Al-Mawa, the “Mountain of the Dead”, which is an ancient Greek and Roman graveyard. This is a hill where the soft sandstone rock is pockmarked with hundreds of holes that once housed tombs for the dead.

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Over the years everything inside the tombs has disappeared leaving a cratered landscape on a hill. You can climb up to get a fantastic and windy panorama over Siwa Oasis.

Any treasures have long since vanished at the hands of tomb-robbers. However, an old Siwa manuscript mentions a hidden tomb containing the treasury of King Khuaybish. The passage to this may be found through some long forgotten tomb.

I hope you enjoy the video below of the panorama from Gebel Al-Mawta or the Mountain of the dead in Siwa

If you can’t see the video above, view it on my blog here

Viewing the preserved tombs

We arrived in the late afternoon on our way to see the sunset from Fatnas Island, but found that the ticket booth was closed for the day. Unable to buy a ticket which would have allowed us a look inside some of the painted tombs, we had to return the following day. The guide let us have a look inside those tombs that were preserved, although I was not allowed to take any photos.

The painted tombs at Gebel Al Mawta

There are four tombs that unlike the rest are locked up and must be viewed with the guide. Inside you can find painted chambers with alcoves where the mummies of different family members would have been placed.

The walls and ceilings were covered in paintings in ochre, red and cobalt blue, of the Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses and inscriptions about those who were buried within.

In more recent times, the empty tombs were used as shelters during the Second World War. This was when the German, British and Italian troops fought over this part of the Egyptian desert.

You can easily visit Gebel al-Mawta on the edge of Siwa town. If you make a tour of the ancient monuments of Siwa, this will be included. I’d recommend coming with an English speaking guide who can tell you all about the Mountain of the dead, as there are no information signs.

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This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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