Siwa Oasis attracts visitors for traditional healing

CAIRO – 19 June 2024: The therapeutic tourism season in Siwa Oasis begins right after the Eid al-Adha holiday, bringing a wave of rejuvenation and excitement to the oasis. The treatment with sand baths, known as "sand burying" at Dakrur Mountain, starts in July and continues until mid-September each year.

A significant number of visitors from various Egyptian governorates and abroad flock to Siwa for traditional treatments of bone and skin diseases, obesity, and to enjoy the enchanting nature of the oasis.

Sand baths help treat rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain, and moisture-related diseases. They also stimulate blood circulation and provide therapeutic benefits through salt lake swimming and sulfur spring baths.

Burying in the sands of Dakrur Mountain specifically aids in treating rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain, and moisture-related diseases, while also enhancing blood circulation. Traditional treatment centers provide accommodation, service, and care during the treatment period, which ranges from 3 to 9 days depending on the patient's health condition.

Mohamed Emran Giri, a board member of the Siwa Sons Association for Tourist Services and Environmental Preservation, stated that patients and visitors from all over Egypt and from Arab and foreign countries are welcomed during Siwa's therapeutic tourism season. He emphasized that people with heart diseases are prohibited from undergoing sand burial treatments, except those with high or low blood pressure.

Patients must follow specific instructions such as wearing heavy clothing, avoiding cold air drafts, not bathing, and refraining from drinking cold beverages during and three days after the treatment.

Giri highlighted that the traditional sand burial treatment has been inherited by the people of Siwa from their ancestors, who in turn inherited it from the Pharaohs. The best place for treatment is Dakrur Mountain, the highest and driest spot in Siwa.

Sand baths effectively treat rheumatism and related diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, joint pain, stimulate blood circulation, and help reduce liver fat while boosting immunity.

The hot sand treatment process involves digging holes in the sand every morning, leaving them under the sun, and in the afternoon, patients are placed in these holes for a sand session. After the session, patients enter a tent, which functions like a natural sauna.

Following the tent session, patients receive designated drinks and are then moved to a rest area where they are given soothing beverages to help them return to a normal state.