Mersa Matruh
Matruh Governate
Egypt
February 23, 2020
Despite our itinerary to spend only one night in Mersa Matruh, I decided to spend two.
I was exhausted after the journey across the desert from the Siwa Oasis.
Except for meals, I never left my hotel room.
Why leave? The hotel was called the Belle Vue Hotel.
The view was beautiful across the beach and the Mediterranean Sea.
El Alamein War Cemetery and Military Museum
Al Alameen City
Matrouh Governate
Egypt
February 23, 2020
Fifteen years ago, a thought came to mind as I wandered through the rows of gravestones of British soldiers at the Htauk Kyant Second World War Memorial Cemetery that lies 25 kilometers north of Yangon in Myanmar:
Britain had the largest Jewish population in Western Europe. Surely many Jews fought in the British army. Surely some of them were casualties in the battles in Southeast Asia. Are they buried here?
Siwa Oasis
Matrouh Governate
Egypt
January 21, 2020
I am shocked as I view the exposed ancient seabed in Great Sand Sea.
The rock formations are identical to the Boszhira Valley of Kazakhstan that lies 2500 miles (4000 km) to the east!
Siwa
Matrouh Governorate
Arab Republic of Egypt
February 18, 2020
Welcome to Siwa!
The urban oasis of Siwa lies 750 km (466 mi) west of Cairo and only about 50 km (31 mi) east of the Libya border. Consequently, the population of 33,000 is mostly ethnic Berber.
Siwa sits atop the aquifer that begins in Sudan and runs northward in an arc under the Western Desert. South of Siwa, towards Luxor, several other oasis cities lie along the arc and benefit from the springs.
Siwa is blessed with fertile soil, abundant date palms, lakes, streams, irrigation works and scenic hills.
Siwa
Matrouh Governate
Arab Republic of Egypt
February 19, 2020
In her book The Western Desert of Egypt Casandra Vivian writes “Siwa is different. It is not Egyptian, but North African. Most Siwans are Berbers, a people who once roamed the North Africa coast from Tunisia to Morocco as early as 10,000 BCE. The Berbers are the true Western Desert indigenous people.”
The Berbers had many visitors: Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Christians, Arabs, British, Germans, Italians … and Yours truly.
I visited four of the ancient sites:
Khartoum
The Republic of the Sudan
February 18, 2020
Hello,
Sadly, I must leave Sudan.
Before I leave, I will acknowledge the wonderful men, women and children I have met.
Here are the Faces of Sudan.
Jan
