Remembering Firan Oasis

CAIRO – 12 June 2017: Despite the hundreds of palm tree trunks on the ground and the ones standing without any greenery upon it, some passer bys still make quick stops at the famous Oasis of Firan at Al Qalyubia Governorat to take pictures of the slopes of the mountains and buy souvenirs. But without those few passer bys, Firan Oasis would be completely dead.

Due to the severe dry spell that was cast upon it years ago and due to years of neglect, Firan Oasis has been almost completely abandoned. With only 20 families residing there, the oasis does not receive any tourists or new residents. Only passer bys who would take pictures of the dry palm tree trunks or climb the slopes of the surrounding mountains.

The Bedouins of the area try as much as they can to bring visitors to Firan oasis, yet still fail to take advantage of the oasis’ full touristic potential. Dair al-Banat (The girls’ Monastery) is one of the most prominent locations in the oasis that is not taken advantage of.

The residents have a map with 16 archaeological sites that are not taken advantage of either. So, they dream of tourists returning to their oasis and using the land and its sites to the maximum potential. The residents have stated that they would like to act on that dream by building a touristic center to utilize the oasis’ wasted treasures.