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    Where there is water there is life

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    There are [5] photos and [0] stories tagged with "siwa oasis".

    Anwar and Mercedes wait for tourists to descend from the sacred mountain of Dakrour. After the Arab Spring, tourist numbers have declined dramatically and Anwar is lucky to earn enough cash to buy feed for Mercedes. These are worrying times for Anwar, not only may he have to sell his steadfast donkey but soon he must leave to join the Egyptian army for his mandatory 2 year service. by: dahlia Views[482] After her daughter returns from school, Aya enjoys one of her greatest pleasures, an afternoon stroll in the desert. For her and her child, these simple moments are golden as both suffer from chronic heart conditions. Aya, who sews traditional Siwan garments for a living, often has to wait dangerously long periods until she has enough money for blood transfusions, specialist appointments and medicines. by: dahlia Views[567] All appears calm as Mohamed and Fathi sip mint tea by Abu Sharuf spring and reflect on their olive and date business. Since ancient Egyptian times, their families have lived and worked in Siwa but with a crumbling Egyptian economy and rising salinity levels, in an oasis 17 meters below sea level, these two cousins have a lot on their minds. by: dahlia Views[468] In her last week of pregnancy, Besma spends her mornings kneading and baking bread to supply to a local hotel. She leaves her fate to Allah, saying “Insha Allah (if God is willing) I will give birth at home.” Home births are common in Siwa Oasis but if there are any complications, women face a long and crowded bus trip through the desert to the closest maternity hospital. by: dahlia Views[313] Those who have finished afternoon prayers stretch their legs at the half way stop to Siwa oasis, in the Egyptian Western desert. Siwa, known for it’s mystical powers, healing springs and quality dates has attracted travellers and merchants for thousands of years. Even Cleopatra and Alexander the Great were compelled to join caravans of camels that followed migrating birds across this formidable desert. by: dahlia Views[466]
     


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