In the desert away from Egypt’s crowded cities, the Siwa oasis, known for its olives and dates, has been hurt by the country’s declining tourism trade.
Located just 50 kilometres from war-torn Libya, these days Siwa sees only a fraction of the tourists that once visited it.
A stunning landscape, the ancient fortress of Siwa was built on natural rock made of salt and mud-brick, natural material that is formed by the salty water of the lakes known in Siwa as Korsheif.
Residents of Siwa have struggled to get by after a decline in tourism since the 2011 revolution that ousted president Hosni Mubarak and ushered in years of political and economic turmoil.
In 2013, 9.5 million tourists visited Egypt, down from from over 14.7 million tourists in 2010, before the uprising.
While nationwide the situation is gradually improving and the government says tourism could recover to pre-crisis levels next year if regional turmoil spares Egypt, Siwa has yet to experience a turnaround.
