Siwa Salt Lakes

The Siwa salt lakes are a group of highly saline pools in Siwa Oasis, in Egypt's Western Desert near the border with Libya. They are found in the salt-extraction areas on the edges of the oasis and appear as rectangular or irregular basins of clear blue and turquoise water, surrounded by white rims of crystallised salt.

Siwa lies in a depression below sea level and contains large natural salt lakes fed by spring water and agricultural drainage. Strong evaporation concentrates the salts in the lakes and in the soil. The people of the oasis have used salt since early times, including in their traditional houses, which were built of kershef, a material made of mud and salt. The pools that visitors go to today were formed by salt quarrying, when the excavated pits filled with salty groundwater.

The water is so saline that the body floats on the surface without effort, which draws visitors to swim and take photographs. In recent years the pools have become one of the best-known natural sights of Siwa, alongside its springs, palm groves and sand dunes.