- Cambyses II, King of Persia, invaded Egypt in 525 BCE. According to Herodotus (3.26), the Priests at the Temple of Amun at the Siwa Oasis revolted against his Rule.
- Cambyses II then sent an army of 50,000 men in 524 BCE, from Thebes to the Siwa Oasis, to quell the Revolt. Seven days into the Desert, the Army was caught up in a Sandstorm and every man lost, never to return.
Siwa Oasis
- The Siwa Oasis is located in Egypt, between the Qattara Depression and the Great Sand Sea.
- The Siwa Oasis is located 348 miles (560km) west of Cairo.
Temple of the Oracle of Amun
- The Temple of Amun at the Siwa Oasis was famous in the Ancient World for its Oracle of Amun.
- Visitors would arrive by sea at Mersa Matruh known as Ammonia, and then cross the Sahara to reach the Temple known as the Ammonium.
- February 332 BCE, Alexander the Great visited the Oasis and consulted the Oracle.
Sandstorms
- Sandstorms occur in the Sahara Desert in Africa, and other desert regions including the Arabian Peninsular.
- The Sandstorm is characterised by its sudden onset, appearing as a wall of solid clouds, where the sun becomes obscured, visibility drops to a few feet, and high winds arise.
- The leading edge of the sandstorm can be a wall of sand up to one mile high. Heavy objects can be picked up in the high winds and dropped.
How the Army of 50,000 could have been Lost
- In a Sandstorm, people are easily separated, lost and disoriented, and must huddle together and shelter on the ground, covering their eyes nose and ears with a cloth.
- Prolonged exposure to sand in the eyes can lead to blindness, and in the mouth to asphyxiation.
- Survival consists of being covered with a blanket, and protecting the head with the arms or clothing.
- The story may be a myth, but no Army without the knowledge of this technique of survival would have been able to survive.
Siwa Oasis, Egypt