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Siwa Oasis
The oasis of Siwa was famed in antiquity for its Oracle of Amun, consulted by Alexander the Great. Today, Siwa is known for its fine dates and its unique way of life. In this already classic work, renowned archaeologist Ahmed Fakhry reviews Siwa's past and present. Beginning with a survey of the deserts and oases of Egypt, the book moves on to look at contemporary life in Siwa, then traces its history from palaeolithic times to the present, and concludes with a documentation of the antiquities of the oasis.
- GenresEgyptNonfiction
226 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1973
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 23, 2020
Interesting. I was hoping for more on the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman times, he does spend a decent amount of time describing Alexander the Greats visit and goes through the ruins at the end of the book. A lot of the book, almost all of the first part, is "modern" account of life there (book was written in early 70's and a lot of his visits were in the early part of the 20th century). It was intriguing to glimpse life there in the 70's and hear about their culture (some of it was quite brutal-the men would fight from east and west side to settle dispute). Not exactly what I expected but interesting
April 30, 2025
An unexpectedly structured but nevertheless good overview of the Siwa Oasis by a man with a great deal of first-hand knowledge on Siwa.
Fakhry covers the key areas of interest regarding the Siwa Oasis, such as its geographical context, the modern town and culture of its people, the history of Siwa and its archaeological remains. I had initially expected this book to focus more on Siwa's history during the Ptolemaic/late Egyptian period (twenty-sixth - thirty-first dynasties), instead these areas are balanced with a detailed discussion on the current town of Siwa (or at least current during the time of publication) and the customs and traditions of its people. Although this was not what I expected, I still found this aspect of the book quite interesting, given the somewhat unusual customs of the Siwan people, perhaps due to its distant position and as such disconnection from mainstream Egyptian culture.
The ancient history of Siwa is covered in adequate if slightly brief detail. Fakhry is most interested in the antiquities and surviving ancient architecture at Siwa, which accounts for about half of the book. The overview of key remains, such as the temple of Amun and tombs of Jabal al-Mawta, are well covered. Fakhry's authority on these particular archaeological remains is aided by the fact that he had visited them on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, much of the remains have been damaged since European travellers first recorded them in the early 19th century. This means he relies on these accounts greatly to supplement the lost knowledge of these remains. The use of images such as sketched ground plans and wall decorations was particularly helpful in this section of the book and helped create a clear visual image of the temple and tombs.
The accuracy of all of Fakhry's claims is hard to verify given my lack of expertise in Siwa or Egyptian history in general. However, there were a few claims that stuck out for me, such as the claim that Alexander's remains were intended to rest at the temple of Amun in Siwa and that the Siwan people are likely partial descendants of a Nordic people. This book was published in 1973, but his work on Siwa dates back to 1938, and as such, some of his ideas and theories on Siwa may be slightly outdated by now. At other points, Fakhry shows a great deal of critical thinking, particularly regarding Alexander's trip to the oracle at the temple of Amun. The story of which has seen a number of later literary additions by Greek authors.
Overall, this was a well-structured and well-written overview of Siwa as a whole by someone who had dedicated his life to studying the town and its remains. However, it is not intended for those solely interested in the ancient history of Siwa, as it delves into aspects of the modern town and the customs of its people.
Fakhry covers the key areas of interest regarding the Siwa Oasis, such as its geographical context, the modern town and culture of its people, the history of Siwa and its archaeological remains. I had initially expected this book to focus more on Siwa's history during the Ptolemaic/late Egyptian period (twenty-sixth - thirty-first dynasties), instead these areas are balanced with a detailed discussion on the current town of Siwa (or at least current during the time of publication) and the customs and traditions of its people. Although this was not what I expected, I still found this aspect of the book quite interesting, given the somewhat unusual customs of the Siwan people, perhaps due to its distant position and as such disconnection from mainstream Egyptian culture.
The ancient history of Siwa is covered in adequate if slightly brief detail. Fakhry is most interested in the antiquities and surviving ancient architecture at Siwa, which accounts for about half of the book. The overview of key remains, such as the temple of Amun and tombs of Jabal al-Mawta, are well covered. Fakhry's authority on these particular archaeological remains is aided by the fact that he had visited them on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, much of the remains have been damaged since European travellers first recorded them in the early 19th century. This means he relies on these accounts greatly to supplement the lost knowledge of these remains. The use of images such as sketched ground plans and wall decorations was particularly helpful in this section of the book and helped create a clear visual image of the temple and tombs.
The accuracy of all of Fakhry's claims is hard to verify given my lack of expertise in Siwa or Egyptian history in general. However, there were a few claims that stuck out for me, such as the claim that Alexander's remains were intended to rest at the temple of Amun in Siwa and that the Siwan people are likely partial descendants of a Nordic people. This book was published in 1973, but his work on Siwa dates back to 1938, and as such, some of his ideas and theories on Siwa may be slightly outdated by now. At other points, Fakhry shows a great deal of critical thinking, particularly regarding Alexander's trip to the oracle at the temple of Amun. The story of which has seen a number of later literary additions by Greek authors.
Overall, this was a well-structured and well-written overview of Siwa as a whole by someone who had dedicated his life to studying the town and its remains. However, it is not intended for those solely interested in the ancient history of Siwa, as it delves into aspects of the modern town and the customs of its people.
October 24, 2024
The book binding was of low quality and the pages are starting to come loose from the spine. However, the content was very interesting. The author gave a good (although short) overall summary of the history, culture and the major Egyptian murals. Ahmed Fakhry did not shy away from mentioning the history of accepted cultural homosexuality, even though the description was brief. However the book left me wanting *lots* more information on all the things that were just touched upon. Since the author was a man in a Muslim culture, there was really no information on the traditions of women, since they live so secluded.
October 28, 2025
Every archaeologist with an interest in Siwa should read this book. It is a primary reference for much of the archaeological material. Every Classicist should read this book for the importance of the Oracle of Ammon in Libya (Siwa Oasis). Every tourist should read this book in order to appreciate what they are seeing on the ground. This definitely is a volume worthy of purchase and I’m sure I will refer to it during my upcoming visit.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews