324 



NOETH-EAST AFEICA. 



The Siwah Oasis. 



The Siwah oasis, where spoke the renowned oracle of Amnion, consulted on one 

 occasion by the Macedonian conqueror, rivals in beauty that of Dakhel, although 

 the limestone hills forming its outer enclosure cannot be compared with the 

 picturesque heights of the Bab-el- Cailliaud. Nevertheless they present scarcely 

 less fantastic forms. In certain parts of the plateau the cliffs terminate in flights 

 of steps with perfectly horizontal slabs and of uniform depth, like those leading to 

 some palatial structure. The strange effect is heightened by the colour of the 

 stone, which contrasts vividly with the white sand strewn over the steps. In the 



Fig. 97. — Chains of Oases West of Egypt. 

 Scale 1 : 7,500,000. 



DA.S/S Of S/0^>l// 

 Siwah 



é^^'^' 



CAIRO, 



jC. Septra ^^ 



y>' Baoui'ti 



Kasr Farafrah' 



' O/IS/S Of FA/iAFKAH 



\^r 



OAS/S Of OA/r//£I. 



25' 



26° 



L . oT breenv 



OAS/S Of Ar//AfiOf// 



120 Miles. 



depression enclosed by these remarkable cliffs the steep heights rise to the level of 

 the plateaux, of which they originally formed an integral portion. They now 

 stand isolated amid the cultivated plains and palm-groves, some crowned with 

 edifices, others disposed in ramparts and turrets presenting the appearance of 

 fortifications. The blue lakelets scattered over the verdant plain impart to the 

 oasis of Jupiter Amnion the aspect of a pleasant retreat from the interminable 

 wilderness. But the traveller's anticipations are presently dashed by the brackish 

 taste of the waters and by the miasmatic exhalations rising from the surrounding 

 marshy tracts. Near the saline springs flow some streams of fresh water, though 



