Fayoum (Wadi al - Hitan) from Cairo
Wadi El Hitan Excavations: A Journey Through 40 Million Years in the Heart of Fayoum
If you’re looking for a unique tourist experience that combines adventure and knowledge, then the Valley of the Whales in the Wadi El Rayan Protected Area in Fayoum Governorate is the perfect destination. This wondrous site, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, reveals secrets dating back more than 40 million years.
In the depth of the Fayoum desert, one of the strangest and the goals of natural archaeological sites in the world, is the whaling valley. This unique location, runway on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2005, reveals its visitors to the evolution of marine life million years ago, and gives them a rare opportunity to see giant whales that were swimming in an old sea.
Location and Scientific Significance
Wadi El Hitan is located within the Wadi El Rayan Protected Area, approximately 150 km southwest of Cairo. Its significance lies in its containing the largest and most complete collection of rare fossils of primitive whales that lived during the Eocene period, approximately 40–42 million years ago.
A Journey Through Time
Walking through the valley’s trails, you’ll find yourself amidst a magical desert landscape, strewn with the bones of giant whales, as if telling the amazing story of the transformation from land-walking creatures to fully adapted marine creatures.
