Saturday Abdallah introduced us to Munir, who was visiting Siwa from Cairo. He is involved in the development of the “eco lodge” and nature reserve just across Birket Siwa, which was officially opened with an international conference in May. Josie, Viv and I were invited out to the informal party which would mark the completion of visitor accomodation and facilities at the reserve.
A caravan of Munir’s friends and associates from Cairo had made the trek to Siwa to watch a dream take shape and incidentally help with a few pleasant days of facility testing and fine tuning.
Link to Party Music [Zaggalah Band]
Only a few days ago, we swept out to the reserve in the back of Abdallah’s landcruiser during a sandstorm. With the four students who are looking at the development of tourism in Siwa, we spent the afternoon at the site, admiring the way that existing buidings had been blended with new construction in the vernacular style, and a cleverly designed lodge had been laid lightly on the slope at the base of a dramatic sandstone outcropping. The eco-lodge will provide accommodation in Siwan style buildings for visitors interested in environmental and cultural tourism, but will probably ask for a degree of active participation from guests- no electricity, cars only to the boundaries of the reserve. Munir hopes to encourage guests into a more intimate interaction with and undertanding of local ecology and culture than most would experience in any other way. We think this project will also be a showpiece for those interested in encouraging a greater interest in vernacular architecture and environmetal preservation amongst visitors, both from within Egypt and from abroad.The impression we got from our first visit was of an exciting project, but it seemed to be quite a way from completion.
However, and lept back into the open landcruiser. The sandstorm of 48 hours earlier had settled and it was a beautiful night. I love driving in the desert at night- your eyes adjust to the dark, your sense of smell sharpens. Millions of stars appeared as we left the lights of town and the wind whistled through our headscarves. As we rounded the base of the sandstone outcropping and moved through the gates of the reserve we could see more clearly in the light of the new moon and the stars than we had in the sandstorm the other day. Past the plantings of hundreds of new trees, past the mature date and olive groves along the lakeshore. Stars and torchlight were reflecting off the lake and the sandstone cliffs lighting up the most dramatic sight. The ecolodge come to life! What had been incomplete was now beautifully furnished with the exquisite palm frond furniture made by a local craftsman. Where empty rooms abutted the cliff base there was now a cosy but roofless room, lit by lanterns, floor laid in Bedouin carpets, open to the stars. The guests from Cairo were relaxed on soft cream coloured cushions. We joined them for hors d’oeuvres served in the Egyptian style. One woman had brought two types of Doukka, something which I had heard about but never tried- a mixture of dried roasted spices and seeds. You take a piece of bread, dip it in olive oil- which in this case was the hand pressed oil being produced on the reserve- then dip it in the spice mixture- delicious!
Talking to other guests, we were asked what we found particularly interesting about Siwa that would keep us here for several weeks. After discussing this for a bit, Munir invited everyone to follow him out to an adjacent courtyard, whre a huge bonfire was lighting the play of a group of local musicians. They were playing for the guests, but enjoying their own jamming hugely! We heard a combination of Egyptian and Siwan music, local ballads were punctuated with instrumental breaks. They wove sound with drums, a reeded flute, an instrument which sounded like a chanter and stringed instruments which I did not recognize.
Guests returned inside, and eventually we all went up the stairs to enjoy a fine dinner served in the European style in the new dining room, and to have a chance to talk more about the eco-lodge project. We didn’t leave until about 2:00 am, and it was a wrench to leave the lantern lights and head back to town, but the real grief was the knowledge that we would have to be up in just a few hours because the coach from Siwa to Alexandria leaves at 7:00 am and waits for no woman!
Travelling back to Alexandria for 8 hours dozing, listening to recorded verses from the Koran which gently filled the coach and watching bemused Siwans watch the film Braveheart with Arabic subtitles was an abrupt and slightly surreal ending to our Siwan experience. As we hit the suburbs of Alexandria I think most of us were feeling a wrenching sense of having been pulled away from a fascinating world we were just getting to know. Most of the students say that one way or another they will go back to Siwa. I know I will.
-Teri Brewer