ultramarinus – beyond the sea

Posts tagged “nightscape”

NIGHTSCAPE, Siwa Oasis, Egypt

2006.06.03.

Spending the night in the oasis town of Siwa was not as dramatic as sleeping under the Milky Way in the Great Sand Sea. Nonetheless, it was an exceptionally peaceful experience to stay the night in Siwa. In the evening, there wasn’t many people on the streets. Alcohol was almost non-existence. While most locals stay in their homes, some tourists would spend their evening smoking shisha or devouring a cup of coffee or tea at a tea house After a delicious couscous dinner, I wandered around the oasis town with my tripod and film camera to document the tranquil nightscape of the oasis. The Shali Fortress was always the focal point no matter where I went in the town centre. Under strong floodlights, the majestic ruins stood proudly above the the new town centre. Each of the eroding structure once contained generations of desert culture and forgotten memories of the ancient Berbers.

With powerful flood lights, the Shali Fortress dominates the nightscape of Siwa Oasis.
Below the Shali Fortress, residents of Siwa Oasis lead their peaceful lives.
Staying in town centre offered me numerous choices for restaurants and internet cafes.
After dinner time, Siwa
Restaurants and guesthouses dotted along the base of the Shali Fortress.
The Great Mosque is probably the most prominent building of the oasis town.
Despite a number of restaurants, tea houses and cafes opened till late at night, there wasn’t many people at the town centre at night.
After devastating rain in 1926, the Shali was abandoned and remained as the iconic backdrop of the oasis town ever since.

December 3, 2020 | Categories: Africa: Middle East, Egypt, Middle East 2006, Siwa Oasis | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment