Wadi al-Hitan

Out in the middle of the desert, far away from the Nile, nowhere near the Mediterranean, past the far western edge of Lake Qarun, lies a Global Heritage site. This site speaks to the long, rich history of this land, one that stands out from the rest. That is not an easy thing to do in Egypt, as there is so much human history. Everywhere you step you find antiquities. Everywhere you look you see a monument to the peoples of the past. Everywhere you go you find memories from three thousand years ago, or older.

Except this particular site is not a testament to human history.

This site goes well beyond the time of the pharaohs.

This site predates what we know of as Egypt.

This site was formed before there was the land we would call Egypt.

Welcome to Wadi al-Hitan.

Or as it is known globally, Valley of the Whales.

Yes, whales. Out here, out in the middle of the desert, out far away from any visible water, particularly any water that could contain a whale. Here is where we see remains of what Egypt was like millions of years ago.

33 million years ago, and older, to be precise. Late Eocene.

During the Eocene, much of the Earth's land masses had taken shape to look quite similar to what we see on Earth today:

Map courtesy http://www.stromboidea.de/ (copyright Ron Blakey)

The map above shows that the areas of northern Africa were largely underwater. The arid Sahara desert was once home to marine life, inundated with water for millions of years. The vast desert sands were an ancient sea floor. This had great implications for the Egypt we know of the pharaohs, but for now we concentrate on the time before humans.

As the Earth continued to change, the lands rose and Africa took the shape we now recognize. This meant the sea over northern Africa receded, and the ocean floor gave way to the desert. But all the life that was caught on that floor, and the remains of the creatures that died there previously, stayed in place. And that is how whales came to be found in the deserts of Egypt.

As an archaeologist, I often get jokes (and sometimes not as jokes) about me going out and digging for dinosaur bones. I don't do that, yet here I was surrounded by creatures from millions of years ago. So what was I doing there?

In early December 2012, my team decided to take a sight-seeing trip from our site out to Wadi al-Hitan. The purpose? Just that, sight-seeing. Many of us had already been in Egypt working straight for two months by that point, and as a cohesive group we chose to travel to see the wonders of this country. As work units, we were often separated. One team was excavating neolithic sites, while the other worked on the Roman materials. This was an opportunity to bond and spend time together. And there was a great interest from everyone to see this important site.

So on a bright, sunny day, we all piled into the project truck and new vehicle and headed west. Along the way we picked up Egyptian police assigned to us to keep us safe. And we continued along the lake, catching a glimpse of life so far removed from Cairo. Past the fishermen selling the goods caught in the lake.

So many police they were piling atop each other

And we kept going. The further we drove from the lake, the more sand we encountered until that is all we saw. And we kept going.

Why am I looking so angry?

Jason, team photographer. He smiles because another team member is hanging on the back of the truck with his crotch right in Jason's eyeline.

Entering the general area

Following our convoy.

Lake Fayum on the way to Wadi al-Hitan

The area is rather flat save for juts like this

At the site

Eventually we made it to the national park, but by then the sun was setting, and we could not see much. We still had dunes to scale and find a location to camp. But first, bathroom break.

It was like we were on Tatooine!

But we still had to find where to stay. This was out in the middle of nowhere. Other than these bathrooms, there were no other people or buildings anywhere. This was a camping trip, but where to camp?

At night, this is all I could see. The only lights available to us where from our vehicles. I couldn't truly take in where we were camping. But even with this minimal lighting, I could sense how amazing an experience this was turning out to be.

We set up camp, which for us meant building some fires and people finding places for their sleeping bags. And, of course, a barbecue and drinking!

Shish for the meat eaters, aubergine for the vegetarians. But most importantly, beer! Crappy Egyptian beer, but beer nonetheless!

After some eating, I had to find a bathroom. Out in the middle of nowhere, the whole desert is a bathroom. And it is dark, so no fear of anyone seeing you, but there is the fear of running into someone else who is going. You either had the option to hug the rocks and go around and around, or, as I did, go out into the middle of the darkness long enough until you are out of sight and out of audible range.

When I returned, we had more lights available, and now there was champagne. The lights came in the form of glow sticks that could be wrapped around wrists or other body parts. I saw these and got creative.

But why the champagne? Turns out the whole trip was a ruse. While dinner was being prepared, two team members, two from the New Zealand team, went out for a walk alone. During the walk, there was a marriage proposal and a subsequent marriage acceptance. I was not in on the surprise, though many others were. I was still all too happy to join the celebration and drink champagne.

More partying, more drinking, more music, more food. People gathered and talked. I got the chance to speak to team members I hadn't gotten the chance to know. The Neolithic team (which consisted mostly of New Zealanders) went out far and worked on their own thing during the day. We did speak at night, but not like this. So we spoke more.

After some hours of this, it was time for bed. With no structures in which to sleep, we camped outside. Many brought blankets. I had my handy sleeping bag that kept me warm. Looking around, the rest of the team was not as warm as I was. People slept in groups of two, or three, or four, or more, all huddled together, trying to stay warm. And even then it was a struggle.

As the voices died down, as heads started slumbering, as quietness filled the desert (aside from the occasional laughter from those who could not/would not sleep), I looked up and saw one of the most beautiful sights I had this entire trip.

I've seen some beautiful night skies on my trips. Camping out in the Sahara in Morocco. The middle of lake Rapel in Chile. Mountain skies in Vermont. And now this, the night sky of Wadi al-Hitan. And I am always amazed at the sheer beauty of it. How much we miss due to the light pollution of our cities. That is not a knock on cities and what they offer, as I quite enjoy that life, but getting out like this every so often really replenishes a person. It replenishes me. I could stare at it for hours, and on this night I feel as though I did. Sleep would come, that night sky would be gone in the morning.

It was a beautiful last image to fall asleep to.

The night was cold, but eventually I slept some. I don't remember it being a lot of sleep, but it was good enough. Dressed in full clothing, even wearing a hat, it was a cold night, with much shivering. Only a few hours to deal with and a lifetime worth of stories.

The next morning came bright and early. The sun hit our faces and stirred us from our slumber. We arose, many none too happy to be awake.

I took this opportunity to get a view of where we were, and our surrounding area, in daylight.

Somewhere out there is somebody's bathroom. Careful where you step.

For those willing to tackle the day, which, much to my surprise, included me, we went on a journey. An adventure. Geo-caching.

What is geo-caching? Why....I had no clue either, but the Kiwis were all too eager to share (as they are really nice people and a very warm group)! Geo-caching is, not exactly a game but a hobby whereby someone places a marker, or goods, or a gift, at a specific GPS point. Using GPS machines, or in some countries maps on smart phones, players will go hunting for those spots. And when they find it, they mark it in their list of accomplishments and move on to the next one. Geo-cache spots are everywhere in the world, and recently one was placed in the International Space Station. Some are listed as easy to find, others as difficult. Some, like Wadi al-Hitan, are far out where only a few people may find it. Others can be found in places such as, say, Central Park, NYC. Degree of difficulty is listed on the specific target's profile.

This was my first time participating in such an endeavor, and I was happy to join the group. So off for a walk we went, following the leader with GPS in hand.

The one lonesome tree found surviving in this desert

The GPS coordinates point to this area, so let us climb and look, as GPS des not account for altitude

As we climbed I looked out at our surroundings

Taking a break under dragon rock (we made up the name because of the fangs)

Success, the Brit found the box!

And inside were...

...a postcard...

...someone's French ID card...

...with a very cute and serious message on the reverse...

...and a notepad with great drawings.

We all signed the notebook to indicate we had found the geo-cache spot and booty. Though I did not have an account at the time, I took the chance by using a new name, 67.

As is customary for such endeavors, we locked everything up but included some new trinkets (I forget what was left), and returned exactly to where it was found. It shall wait there for another adventurer to find some day.

Since this was the only geo-cache point to be found here, we left and made our way back to camp. But on the way, we were treated to a re-enactment of the marriage proposal, and then a re-enactment from the movie Titanic.

This little side trip concluded, we made our way back to camp to enjoy breakfast. We had to get a move on if we wanted to the national park that held the whales, one of the reasons to come out all this way. We packed our belongings and went back to the entrance.

From here, I will post pictures with minimal text, so that the reader can try to enjoy the site without interruption.

The cafe/gift shop at the entrance

Eeyore has been to Wadi al-Hitan

Inside the park, some Kiwis went off to find another geo-cache spot. I wanted to see the park so I continued along my way.

Several hours spent at the park, wandering about, seeing the remains of whales. Breathtaking views. Memories for a lifetime. Time to head back home and begin the long journey back. Some of us were tired.

And some were riled up and attempted to take their vehicle up and over a sand dune. We watched with trepidation as we feared the vehicle would topple over taking everyone down. To our surprise, they made it!

The trip was amazing on so many levels. We had the area all to ourselves. We saw things most people will never see. We camped out and partied in a part of the world where the closest people were nowhere nearby. The trip was long, but well worth it. It was cold, but so worth it. The night sky. The fossils. The sights. Time spent with colleagues. Being part, sort of, of an engagement in a magical place. More adventures to relish.

And with that I leave you with views of our return trip.

And some panoramas of our camp site for good measure.