Fossil of 37 million years old whale skeleton (more than65ft long) Found in Wadi Al Hitan, Egyptian desert.
Wildlife
Wādī al-Ḥītān is also home to 15 species of desert plants, sand dunes, and about 15 types of wild mammals including the Egyptian wolf, red fox, African leopard, Egyptian mongoose, African wildcat, and dorcas gazelle. Fennec foxes are the most commonly seen mammal and regularly visit the camp site at night. Also, attracted by the lakes at Wadi El Rayan are recorded 19 species of reptiles and 36 species of breeding birds.[citation needed]
Sunset
Tourism
View of the hills at Wādī al-Ḥītān
Only about 1,000 visitors a year drive into Wādī al-Ḥītān by 4WD because the track is unpaved and crosses unmarked desert sands. For the most part, visitors to Wādī al-Ḥītān are foreigners, who usually camp in the valley on winter weekends. Because Wādī al-Ḥītān is within the Wadi El Rayan Protected Area, the same protection management plan restricts visitors to prearranged guided tours along a prescribed trail. Sustainable tourism is beginning to develop and grow in the area, and the 4WD are alternatively being replaced by foot or camel treks.[6]
Since part of Wādī al-Ḥītān was made into a tourist venue, walkways between the main fossils have been laid out and small shelters built. This public park is now regularly visited by tourist groups, and a small camp site is present.
The valley is located behind a mountain known as Garet Gohannam "the Mountain of Hell". In the light of the setting sun, the mountain seems ablaze with an eerie red light.[14]
The Egyptian government said that in July 2007 a pair of cars driven by Belgian diplomats entered a protected zone in this area and destroyed part of the whale fossil, causing 10 million US dollars' worth of damage. The Belgian government alleges no damage was caused by its diplomats.[15] The issue remains unresolved.
Wādī al-Ḥītān is also home to 15 species of desert plants, sand dunes, and about 15 types of wild mammals including the Egyptian wolf, red fox, African leopard, Egyptian mongoose, African wildcat, and dorcas gazelle. Fennec foxes are the most commonly seen mammal and regularly visit the camp site at night. Also, attracted by the lakes at Wadi El Rayan are recorded 19 species of reptiles and 36 species of breeding birds.[citation needed]
Sunset
Tourism
View of the hills at Wādī al-Ḥītān
Only about 1,000 visitors a year drive into Wādī al-Ḥītān by 4WD because the track is unpaved and crosses unmarked desert sands. For the most part, visitors to Wādī al-Ḥītān are foreigners, who usually camp in the valley on winter weekends. Because Wādī al-Ḥītān is within the Wadi El Rayan Protected Area, the same protection management plan restricts visitors to prearranged guided tours along a prescribed trail. Sustainable tourism is beginning to develop and grow in the area, and the 4WD are alternatively being replaced by foot or camel treks.[6]
Since part of Wādī al-Ḥītān was made into a tourist venue, walkways between the main fossils have been laid out and small shelters built. This public park is now regularly visited by tourist groups, and a small camp site is present.
The valley is located behind a mountain known as Garet Gohannam "the Mountain of Hell". In the light of the setting sun, the mountain seems ablaze with an eerie red light.[14]
The Egyptian government said that in July 2007 a pair of cars driven by Belgian diplomats entered a protected zone in this area and destroyed part of the whale fossil, causing 10 million US dollars' worth of damage. The Belgian government alleges no damage was caused by its diplomats.[15] The issue remains unresolved.
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01 October 2023
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