Gebel Qatrani Area, Lake Qaroun

During my trip to Egypt in February and March 2025, I spent three nights at the Zad El Mosafer guesthouse in Tunis in the Fayoum and Lake Qarun region. I used Tunis as a base to visit Wadi Al-Hitan, Gebel Qatrani, and Soknopaiou Nesos. I organized all these activities through my guesthouse. What's more, they also arranged transport to Alexandria, with stops at the monasteries of Saint Pishoy and Saint Macarius the Great and Abu Mena.

On my second day in this region, the excursion organized via my guesthouse took us to the north shore of the lake. I had requested an excursion to Soknopaiou Nesos, the petrified forest, and the quarries of Gebel Qatrani. I was again with the driver who had accompanied me the day before to Wadi Al-Hitan, but this time we were sharing the vehicle with a second guide and a Russian tourist who was also able to act as interpreter, as she spoke both Arabic and English. As was the case on several occasions during my trip to Egypt, the excursion organized and negotiated with my guesthouse did not go according to plan.

After visiting Soknopaiou Nesos and the Qasr Sagha temple, we entered the protected zone of Gebel Qatrani. The boundaries of the protected area are well marked, so I'm convinced I've entered the future core zone of this WHS if it is inscribed in 2026 as planned. There are several signs along the roadside, with a map …

After reading the description of this place provided by Egypt on the official UNESCO website, I could not quite understand what is to be the subject of the proposal. The state party refers to the ancient quarries of Widan el-Faras and Umm es-Sawan, where the remains of prehistoric animals were found. However, there is little information on the Internet about these places. So I decided to see for myself.

Google Maps probably shows the wrong route to Widan el-Faras. In fact, it is impossible to get there from the north. You have to drive from the south, preferably entering the road to Soknopaiu Nesos, the ruins of an ancient, well-preserved city from the time of the Ptolemaic. A few kilometers from Soknopaiu Nesos is the entrance to Lake Qarun National Park. You have to pay 5 USD per person for entry (no discounts for children, but the guard allowed my two children for one ticket). The exit to Gebel Qatrani is about halfway between the entrance to the park and Soknopaiu Nesos. After about two kilometers we came across a building where a guard was sitting. The guard checked our tickets, wrote down our phone number and gave his. Thanks to this, he saved us from serious trouble!

A few minutes further we came across a junction. The road to the left led to Widan el-Faras, to the right to the Petrified Forest. We chose the latter and almost arrived when we got stuck in the …

This site, if inscribed will pose a dilemma for me and probably a few other community members. The road to Wadi Hitan from Cairo leads right through it, along the Qarun Lake. Thus, all those who have visited the whalebones have probably visited at least the nature reserve. I saw the lake and I stopped there for pictures. Therefore, I will probably have to count it. I did, however, completely miss the fossil part.

It was not an intentional visit. Back then, I did not look at the Tentative List, when planning trips. Just a nice stop on a long drive. The area is nice, but I wouldn’t have imagined this could become a WHS. It is an oasis and water and green in the desert is always special. But that’s about it. Will definitely be one of these WHS where you have to research before to grasp its value. I would really appreciate a review that points us to the places to be visited regarding the fossil part. If I get the information and this is inscribed, I will probably revisit. Along with the fantastic Wadi Hitan.

Iam responsible for this area. it is very important area in the presence of 13 order of 28 order of vertebrate fossils. it has a fossils of the ancestors of primates, elephants, hyrax, rats, bats and so on. beside the natural heritage site, it has the ancient paved road all over the world as a cultural site and some ruins of pharoans and Roman periods, there are a fantastic landscapes of varigated cloroured rocks, we need fund to protect this area.

I built asmall check point without any funding exept doonars

but we need furnature, workers salaries, sign posts and so on to protect this site.

Iam so sad becouse this area is ignores untill now and there is arodomely tourist tips and many factors gamage this

very important herritage site all over the world

if some body or authority ready to help in protecting this area

please call me on 02201004535453- mmm_517@yahoo.com