Egypt State Information Service

Whales' Valley Reserve On Natural Heritage International Map

Whales' Valley is considered the first Egyptian environmental site to be included in the international natural heritage list, among other 130 sites all over the world, under the auspices of the UNESCO.

On July 14,2005, the UNESCO, in cooperation with the International Heritage Committee, in its 29^th meeting held in Durban, south Africa, chose Whales' Valley in al –Fayyoum desert to be the most remarkable site in Egypt .

This choice came in reception for the ceaseless efforts exerted to preserve the natural wealth in Egypt.

Location:

Whales' Valley lies at the western north of al- Rayan valley in a desert area in al- Fayyoum governorate. Forty million years ago, al-Rayan Valley lay beneath a very huge ocean which, due to geological changes, ebbed and left behind a large number of sea animals including whales that were found in abundance. In addition, hundreds of skeletons of some kinds of whales and fossilized sharks, shells and other sea animals were recorded in that area.

Surrounding Areas:

Whales' Valley or “Hell Continent”, as it was called in the old times , lies inside al–Rayan Valley reserve in al – Fayyoum desert .The reserve includes a number of artificial lakes , t hat are considered the most recent of its kind all over the world , as follows :

The 65-Km2 -wide higher lake lies in an area called “ al Masakheet Valley”, 20 m above the level of the lower lake .The level of its semi- saline renewable water is 5m under sea level, at a maximum depth of 22m.

As for the 110-km-wide lower lake, the percentage of its water salinity is more than in the higher lake as it hits 2.8 gm / litre, at a maximum depth of 34m, 25m under sea level.

The area that connects between the two lakes is called the waterfalls area that is located in al – Qusaymat valley. It comprises three natural waterfalls where water falls at a height of more than 5m among papyrus woods, a scene that adds to the beauty and fascination of the whole area.

The reserve houses al-Medawarra mountain which is a circular-shaped high plateaus on the other side. In addition, the reserve comprises the area of Oyoun al- Rayan, located south of the lower lake on an area of 150 Km. It is a desert area that is called “Oyoun” as it houses some natural water springs in addition to long, heavy and movable sand dunes.

Whales valley… an open geological museum:

Whales valley is distinguished for a unique ecological system represented in the abundance of fertile lands, geological formations, water springs and rare fossils. Further more, the reserve is rich in a large number of whales; namely 406 skeletons, that date back 40 million years ago, dolphins, sea turtles and mermaid.

The valley is considered a unique open geological museum, distinguished for its matchless Flora and Fauna.

As for its flora, the reserve comprises more than 16 kinds of plants such as tamarisk, reed, rush and dates. As for its Fauna, the reserve is famous for comprising a rare collection of animals represented in Egyptian gazelle, White gazelle, red fox, fennec, Egyptian wolf, mongoose and wildcat. Furthermore, the reserve comprises 16 kinds of reptiles such as the varan and the lizard .

The reserve is also rich in birds such as teals, falcons, quails, ducks, seagulls, herons, flamingos, eagles. On the other hand, the area is known for the abundance of different kinds of fish such as cichild and the Nile perch.

The reserve also comprises a number of mountain- hewn monasteries constructed by some priests ages ago.

The inclusion of the Whales valley reserve in the international natural heritage list is only the beginning as Egypt has already proposed to the UNESCO with more than 26 sites to be added to the list within the world heritage list including the site of dinosaurs al- Bahareia Oasis, al–Baydaa' desert in al Farafra Oasis, Siwa Oasis in Matrouh , Qatrani mount in al- Fayyoum in addition to southern and smaller oases , not to mention Karkar and Dongol in Aswan, Qarat om as–Sagheer in Matrouh, al Natroun valley, the itineraries of migratory birds , al Bardaweel and az-Zaraneeq lakes in North Sinai, Salouga and Gazel islets , Nasser lake and Shayeb al–Banat mount in the Red Sea.