The Great Sand Sea
An Ancient Wilderness
West of Siwa stretches a vast ocean without water: the Great Sand Sea. Rolling dunes rise and fall like waves, their crests shifting with every breath of wind. At sunrise they glow gold, at dusk they deepen to amber and violet, and under moonlight they shine pale as silver. To stand here is to face infinity.
The Great Sand Sea covers more than 70,000 square kilometers, a labyrinth of dunes that has challenged travelers for millennia. Caravans once threaded cautious paths across its shifting ridges, guided by stars and instinct. Beneath the sands, explorers have found prehistoric tools and even fossilized sea life—a reminder that long before the desert, there was ocean.
Experience It
Stories cling to this place. Some say lost armies vanished into its depths—like the fabled Persian host swallowed by a sandstorm. Others speak of hidden oases and forgotten routes, lying buried beneath the dunes. The desert keeps its secrets, offering only silence to those who cross it.
For Siwa today, the Great Sand Sea is both a challenge and a wonder. Travelers venture out by jeep or camel, climbing dunes that tower like mountains, listening to the hush of sand shifting beneath their feet. At night, the sky unfolds in endless stars, and the desert feels less like emptiness than eternity itself.
Experience silence, burning stars and an ancient wilderness.