Banner
عربيHome
Biodiversity Habitats & Flag species Wild Life Eco-tourism & protectorates Indigenous people Conservation
Gebel Elba
Mountains and Wadis of the Eastern Desert
Red Sea Littoral Habitats
Red Sea Islands
Red Sea Marine Habitats
Mountains and Wadis of South Sinai
Central and North Sinai
Mediterranean Wetlands
The Nile Valley and Delta
Gebel Uweinat and  Gilf Kebir
Sands and Dunes of  the Western Desert
Western Desert Depressions and Oases
Western Desert Mediterranean Coast
Mediterranean Marine  Habitats
 

Between the coastal zone and the Western Desert proper are numerous groves of Acacia tortilis raddiana. These groves stretch from the Nile Valley to the border of Libya and can vary in size from a few to several hundred trees of assorted sizes. Acacia trees can live in areas that get 10mm rain or less annually and are apparently able to survive for long periods on the mere memory of moisture. Many ephemeral herbs grow in association with the trees and form an important food source for highly mobile herbivores such as Dorcas Gazelle, Gazella dorcas.
      There are seven major depressions in the Western Desert, of which the most northerly and by far the largest is the Qattara Depression, which covers an area of 19,500km² and encompasses sabkhas (salt flats), lakes and salt marshes of 5,800km². At its lowest point this depression is 134m below sea level. This vast depression is very sparsely inhabited and due to the inaccessibility of much of its area, is refuge for otherwise rare species such as the Cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, and the Dorcas Gazelle, Gazella dorcas.
      Siwa Oasis, which lies to the west of the Qattara Depression, has a long and checkered history. Although there is no evidence that it was known during the Old, Middle or New Kingdoms, it is possible that it was colonized during the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (664-525 B.C.). By 331 B.C., when Alexander the Great went there to consult the Oracle, Siwa was known throughout the Mediterranean region.
      The earliest name for Siwa was Sekhet-imit (the Place of the Palm Trees). It could well be called that today, for this 82km-long, rather narrow depression abounds with palm groves and its dates are famous throughout Egypt. Palm trees, which do well on brackish water, olives and a few vegetables are the only crops grown in Siwa because, although there are many lakes and more than a thousand springs, the water is very saline.
      Other major depressions have potable water and have been settled and cultivated for thousands of years. The Fayoum Depression is closest to Cairo and has a history that goes back to the Old Kingdom (2613-2181 B.C.) of Ancient Egypt. This depression receives its potable water from the Nile by means of three canals: the Ibrahamiya and Bahr Wahbi canals and the Bahr Yusuf, which is very ancient and may be a natural branch of the Nile. The Fayoum has been known since earliest times for its agriculture. It is also famous for its extraordinary assemblage of fossil animals, among which is a Hyrax, Megalohyrax, as big as a pony. Another elephantid called Arsinotherium was 2m high at the shoulder and had immense horns on its nose.
      Among the characteristic birds of these habitats are the Rufous Bush Robin, Cercotrichas galactotes, and the Turtle Dove, Streptopelia turtur. Many small migratory species take advantage of these habitats and feed on the mosquitoes for which some of the depressions are notorious.
            In the dry sabkhas of the depressions and surrounding desert, a few reptile species are found, including the Fringe-toed Lizard, Acanthodactylus scutellatus, and the Desert Monitor, Varanus griseus. Twelve species of mammals have been recorded in the depressions but none is specific to this eco-zone. Henley's Dipodil, Dipodillus henleyi, is found here together with the Nile Rat, Arvicanthus niloticus, and the Swamp Cat, Felis chaus. While the Nile Rat may have been introduced, it is possible that the Swamp Cat in Farafra and Dakhla Oases is a relict species.

Of the smaller depressions, Wadi el-Natrun is 50km long and a maximum of 8km wide. In early pharaonic times natron, a naturally occurring chemical mixture of carbonates, chlorides and sulphates, was mined here for use in the mummification process. Since the fourth century of our era the wadi has been noted for its association with the Christian Church. 
 
First Back 6 of 6 Next Last
Rose of Jericho. Anastatica hierochuntica

Mary is said to have clutched this plant while giving birth to Jesus. Thus, its Arabic name is Kaff Mariam (the Hand of Mary). In the dry season, the leaf stems curl round the seeds to protect them. When it rains, the stems uncurl and release the seeds, which grow into small leafy green plants with white flowers.