Wadi al Hitan – Valley of the Whales is an archaeological site in the Fayoum Oasis of Egypt, a region of El Fayoum Governorate, in the Western Desert, approximately 150 km southwest of Cairo.
The Wadi Al-Hitan has thus become the most important site in the world demonstrating one of the major changes in the history of life on Earth: the evolution of whales, marine mammals after having been land mammals. More than forty million years ago, the Tethys Sea covered the south of the current shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It gradually withdrew towards the north, depositing thick sediments of sandstone, limestone and shales, visible at Wadi al Hitan.
About 1,000 tourists a year visit Wadi al-Hitan by car. Most of them are foreigners. The visit is strictly regulated, as the valley falls within the protected area of Wadi al Ryan. This means that the movement takes place only on established paths. This valley owes its name to its numerous fossils of the suborder of whales archaeoceti which have been discovered there..Wadi Al-Hitan has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since April 2005.
Access : Coordinates: 29.333333, 30.183333 / Wadi Al-Hitan located in the western desert of Egypt, west of the Fayoum, 150 km southwest of Cairo.
Highlights :
- Hundreds of fossils from the earliest forms of the whale, the archaeoceti (extinct subspecies), have been found.
- There is no other place in the world with such a high concentration and well-preserved fossils , which is why the paleontological site has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- This unique treasure makes an appearance in the open world game Assassin’s Creed Origins, in which we can find the aforementioned fossils scattered around the stage as an “easter egg”.
Go next : Wadi El Rayan is a unique nature protectorate in Faiyum Governorate / The Faiyum Oasis is a depression or basin in the desert immediately to the west of the Nile south of Cairo in Egypt.
