Wadi Al-Hitan
A desert valley about 150 kilometres south-west of Cairo, listed by UNESCO in 2005 for its hundreds of fossils of the earliest whales. The skeletons, some with small hind legs, show how whales moved from land to sea.
- Where
- Faiyum, Faiyum, Egypt
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 29.2708, 30.0439
Get the Wadi Al-Hitan stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Wadi Al-Hitan. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Faiyum volume with your photos and a note.
Near Wadi Al-Hitan
Wadi El Rayan 40 km
A nature protectorate in the Faiyum desert, known for two lakes joined by low waterfalls, a rare sight in Egypt. Around them lie sand dunes, springs and wide desert, under the care of the Ministry of Environment.
Faiyum Oasis 56 km
A broad basin in the desert just west of the Nile, about 100 kilometres south of Cairo, green with fields watered by the Bahr Yussef channel. Around its farms lie salt lakes, ancient pyramids and the old waterwheels of Faiyum town.
Lake Qarun 60 km
A salt lake in the Faiyum, all that remains of ancient Lake Moeris, which once filled much of the basin and was fed by the Nile. Today its shores are lined with reeds and birds, with the desert rising on the far side.
Bent Pyramid 127 km
The second of four pyramids built by the Old Kingdom pharaoh Sneferu, about 40 kilometres south of Cairo. Partway up, the angle of its sides changes sharply, a record in stone of builders learning as they went, and much of its smooth casing survives.
Red Pyramid 127 km
The largest pyramid at Dahshur and the third largest in Egypt, after Khufu's and Khafre's at Giza. Named for the reddish tint of its stone, it is thought to be Egypt's first successful smooth-sided pyramid, and its passage leads down into high corbelled chambers.
Dahshur 129 km
A royal necropolis in the desert south of Saqqara, where the pharaoh Sneferu worked out how to build a true pyramid. His Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid stand here, far quieter than Giza, alongside later pyramids of the Middle Kingdom.
Wadi El Natrun 130 km
A desert depression about 23 metres below sea level, with salt lakes and marshes rich in natron, the salt used in mummification. It is also home to old Coptic monasteries that have been lived in since early Christian times.
Pyramid of Menkaure 131 km
The smallest of the three main pyramids at Giza, with about a tenth of the volume of Khufu's, built as the tomb of the Fourth Dynasty king Menkaure. Three small queens' pyramids line its southern side, and signs of unfinished work suggest the king died before it was done.
Questions
Where is Wadi Al-Hitan?
Wadi Al-Hitan is in Faiyum, Faiyum, Egypt. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Wadi El Rayan (40 km), Faiyum Oasis (56 km), Lake Qarun (60 km).
How do I get the Wadi Al-Hitan stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Wadi Al-Hitan and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Faiyum volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Wadi Al-Hitan before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Faiyum volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.