- The Siwa Oasis is located in Egypt, between the Qattara Depression and the Great Sand Sea.
- It is 348 miles (560km) west of Cairo. It lies in a Depression, 50 miles (80 km) long and 12 miles (20 km) wide, which is below sea level.
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.
Alexander the Great
- In February 332 BCE, Alexander the Great visited the Oasis and consulted the Oracle.
Lost Army of Cambyses
- In 542 BCE, according to Herodotus (3.26) Cambyses II of Persia invaded Egypt and sent an army 50,000 men to the Siwa oasis.
- En-route they were caught up in a Sandstorm and the whole army was buried.
Siwa Oasis, Egypt