16 INCREDIBLE THINGS TO DO IN THE SIWA OASIS With its breathtaking landscapes and unique Amazigh culture, the Siwa Oasis is a stunning destination – and Egypt’s best kept secret. The Siwa Oasis is about a 10-hour drive from Cairo down a bumpy desert road full of potholes and cracks. The trip takes all night through endless stretches of foggy desert spotted with gas stations. Former president Hosni Mubarak once built a road to Siwa, but the larger forces of wind and sand overtook the thin stretch of tarmac. The oasis has always been either inaccessible or, despite the inventions of modern transport, inconvenient for travel. But Siwa’s inaccessibility is part of its appeal. Its remoteness means Siwa has preserved a distinct culture and unique traditions. Land of palms: inside the Siwa Oasis  When you arrive in Siwa, eyes blurred by the all-night drive, its profusion of palm trees seem miraculous after hours of pale Western Desert. Siwa boasts some 300,000 palm trees and they g...

  9 THINGS TO DO IN CAIRO’S CITY OF THE DEAD The often misunderstood City of the Dead is a hidden gem full of Mamluk architectural treasures – and some very clever graffiti. It’s an eerie neighborhood where people live “amongst the graves” and barefoot children play around crumbling tombstones. Riddled with crime and poverty, it’s decrepid with unnamed streets that are perfect for hiding fugitives. It’s a sinister place haunted by the spirits of the Mamluk sultans who lay buried there. The stereotypes about Cairo’s City of the Dead are straight out of  Indiana Jones . And there are plenty of dramatic adjectives that editors love to sprinkle into headlines – and mainstream tour guides love to get mysterious about. But if you’re looking for gorgeous Mamluk architecture, handmade crafts and authentic travel, then  you’re better off ignoring the drama. What is the City of the Dead? The City of the Dead is an Islamic necropolis that’s an 8-kilometer stretch of tombs and mausol...