Few places on earth are as stunning as the enigmatic Egypt. It is enough to remember the mighty Nile, the magnificence of the pyramids or the mysteries still unsolved in the lives of characters like Cleopatra or Tutankhamun. Everything in that corner of the planet is fascinating. And, among its many attractions, we cannot fail to mention the whale valley in Egypt. Well then, The depths of the deserts not only hide sites from the times of the pharaohs. This nation also guards a wonderful biological legacy, evolutionary secrets that tell us about an old ocean and its true queens… the whales. Confused? Join us at to reveal the mysteries of Wadi Al-Hitan.
The Wadi Al-Hitan, what is it?
Let’s take a look at the past. A very distant time in which almost nothing that makes up our daily lives today existed. There, in the heart of Egypt’s western desert, stood the Wadi Al-Hitan. No one alive today could see it with their own eyes, but this reality has not stopped archaeologists, scientists, and researchers from becoming obsessed with it. To the point of bringing it to the present in fossils and in the imagination. The Whale Valley in Egypt was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century and, since then, it became one of the richest places in the world in fossils of prehistoric cetaceans.
Its history dates back to about forty million years ago, a time when this arid area of Egypt was covered by a dense ocean. The changes on the planet ended up extinguishing it and replacing it with the sandy surface we see today, but the remnants of past life still remain in its soils. The seabed of the Tethys Sea is hidden in the Wadi Al-Hitan desert, also known as the valley of the whales in Egypt.
This fantastic place, which is located about 200 kilometers from Cairo, is not only interesting for its archaeological and historical value, but also for the myths and legends that revolve around it. In fact, For decades, it was considered a haunted place, which people were afraid to approach.
1. What is the whale valley in Egypt like?
The Wadi Al-Hitan or valley of the whales in Egypt does not attract too much attention at first glance. It is a curious plain dotted with mounds here and there. But, there is something that makes your skin crawl and at the same time inflames you with nervous expectation… What is it that surrounds us? They look like small plateaus of strange shapes. Some appear to be the bodies of gigantic animals sunken into the earth. There are those who even see a giant turtle right next to something that is shaped like a crocodile. A few meters away, two snakes seem to rise.
Walking through Wadi Al-Hitan makes our imagination fly because, although not everything is fossils, the rocks sometimes draw samples of a past, of those days of the Eocene where prehistoric animals stood and that UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site.
2. Curses legends from Wadi Al-Hitan
The whale valley in Egypt is currently a true paradise for scientists, but before that, it was a corner of horror, a place considered cursed. Since the time of the pharaohs, all lands west of the Nile were considered places of death. The Egyptian necropolises were always located on the western bank of the great river, in the direction in which the sun set. It was in that place where the desert began, the domain of the feared Suty or Set, god of chaos and conflict. In that place, it is said, jackals lived, the incarnation of Anubis, the guide of the dead in the Hereafter.
All those legends about the Wadi Al-Hitan were building a kind of generalized terror in the Egyptian collective imagination, in which The place was associated with supernatural and dark forces.
3. How to get to Wadi Al-Hitan and what will we see there?
To visit the valley of the whales in Egypt we must do so on foot and following a path. It is there where we will see the multiple skeletons of the whales. There is, for example, a curved spine from a baby whale ‘Dorudon’. Also a gigantic spine of the whale ‘Basilosaurus’, which would measure about 16 meters long. Its lizard or dragon shape is especially striking, as well as its incredible and sharp teeth.
We can admire ourselves, of course, the petrified remains of turtles, swordfish and sea urchins found in the Wadi Al-Hitan. Also of the plant species embedded in the rocks: marine bushes, mangroves… wonders of the ocean depths that the sea of time has brought to the surface in a unique setting, as if from another world… a magnificent place to stage any film, as already It was done, for example, in Lawrence of Arabia.
One of the most striking specimens is undoubtedly the titanic whale Basilosaurus. You will be amazed to know that this cetacean had two delicate hind legs, like a three year old girl. All this shows us one of the most interesting curiosities of whales, since, clearly, our beautiful current whales are the result of a magnificent evolution. They descend from land mammals that once, millions and millions of years ago, walked on all fours. There are many biologists who investigate the large amount of data that continues to be obtained every day from the Wadi Al-Hitan, a wonder of nature that they call «The Rosetta Stone of the Ocean.»
The Wadi Al-Hitan is one of the best kept secrets of this nation, and one of those places that are well worth knowing. Far from the classic pyramids and sphinxes, or the traditional camel rides, The valley of the whales in Egypt tells us about the presence of magnificent animals, which dominated the earth in spaces much larger than those available to them today. If you are, like us, passionate about the mysteries of this fascinating land, don’t miss this selection of the best places to see in Egypt.