Siwa

An old town built of salt mixed with mud stands half melted by rain. The material gives way to water, and three days of rain once took much of it down.

This is where Alexander is said to have come to consult the oracle. Placed on high ground, it overlooks the palm groves together with the salt lakes.

Water gathered in worked out salt pits has left pools rimmed in white. A body floats without effort in them and a rinse is needed afterwards.

A round pool walled in stone keeps filling from the bottom. The water is lukewarm and bubbles rise and cling to the skin.

Tombs cut all over the hill leave it pierced like a honeycomb. A few keep wall paintings and the colour is still sharp.

West of the oasis the dunes run without end. Four wheel drives cross them and a board carries a rider down the slope.

A narrow strip of palm covered land reaches into the salt lake. Toward dusk the palm shadows stretch long across the water.

Between the dunes a hot well and a cold lake sit side by side. Out in open desert the night sky fills with stars.

Olive trees are planted among the palms so the crops grow in two layers. The palms throw shade and keep the olives from burning.

Blocks cut from salt serve as bricks and mud holds them together. The salt draws moisture out of the air and keeps the inside cool.

At the foot of a rocky hill south of the oasis, people are buried to the neck in midsummer's baking sand. It is said to help aching joints, so Egyptians come from all over. Afterwards you cool off in a tent over tea.

The ruin of an Amun temple in the fields below the Oracle Temple, with a single wall standing and its hieroglyphs intact. In the late nineteenth century an official blew up the rest for building stone. It is close enough to walk down to from the Oracle Temple.

A clear pool welling up among the palm groves east of the oasis, its water transparent to the bottom. It draws fewer people than Cleopatra's pool, so you can soak in peace. Shade around it is scarce, so late afternoon suits it better.

The square before the mosque below Shali fortress, ringed by shops selling dates, olives and embroidery. Donkey carts called karetta pick up passengers here and work like taxis. From the square you watch the fortress turn red at sunset.