Wadi El Hitan

Dr. Mohamed Sameh Antar And Dr. Mohamd Talat EL Hennawy

 Wadi El Hitan, also known as Valley of the Whales, in the Western Desert of Egypt, is the most
significant fossil site in the world to show the evolution of land mammals to ocean going whales. It
contains invaluable fossil remains of the earliest, and now extinct, suborder of whales, the
archaeoceti.

 Between about 250 million and 35 million years ago, most of present day Egypt was covered by the
Tethys Sea where a variety of marine life thrived.

 Scientists believe that the abundance of life at Wadi El Hitan suggests this was a stable environment,
perhaps for hundreds of thousands of years. During this time, there was a slow accumulation of
whales that probably died naturally of old age, disease, stranding by tides or predation by other
whales. Prevailing winds may have concentrated carcasses of dead whales by blowing them toward
the shallow bays.

 Following this stable period, the most recent of our planet’s great extinctions occurred at the end of
the Eocene Epoch, about 37 million years ago. At that time, temperatures declined. Life cycles and
food chains in the oceans were reorganized. Scientists believe that Basilosaurus, an 18-meter whale
became extinct, while Dorudon, a 6-meter whale, may have given rise to the modern whales that
have thrived since the cooling period.

Today, Wadi El Hitan has a world class Open Air Museum, where visitors can walk on pathways in the
desert and discover this ancient past.

From Cairo, it takes about 3hours to drive to Wadi El Hitan. A normal car can easily make the journey.
Visitors enjoy peace, solitude, spectacular beautiful landscapes, and the best fossils in the world! A
cafeteria, WCs and gift shop are available. At Wadi El Rayan, visitors can also see the waterfalls and
beaches.

Challenges:

The remote location and boundaries of the site

Wadi El-Hitan is located in a remote desert area out of basic facilities of water supply, electricity,
roads…etc. The undefined boundaries except by geographic coordinates makes it very difficult to manage.
Extensive efforts had been made to deliver utilities (transported water supply for drinking and domestic
use; installing a solar system station for generating power for general and domestic uses; an extended
natural road of 34 km after the terminal nearest paved road for visitor ease of access).

Vehicular Access
Unregulated vehicular traffic was an important threat to the site in the past.
Important efforts were undertaken to address the issue of vehicular traffic in the World Heritage part of
the protected area, at least in the area open to visitors (the so called open air museum). A new 34 km
access track was built to the valley from the central tarmac access road which crosses the protected area.
The access track currently enables access by 2X4 vehicles to the World Heritage site, whilst before access
was only possible with 4X4 vehicles. The new road not only makes the site accessible to a larger public,
but also spontaneously reduces random access by 4X4 vehicles. At the entrance of the valley, a car park
was installed and the open air museum is only accessible on foot, on designated paths. At both ends of
the valley, a barrier of large stones was put (4 km), to avoid random access from other directions and
barriers were also erected in the mountains giving access to the valley. Through these measures, vehicle
access to the open air museum or to the core of the site is now impossible.

Visitor management and infrastructure site interpretation

Important efforts were undertaken to develop management and visitor infrastructure. As mentioned
above, a new access track was built and footpaths were made in the site. Visitor facilities now also include
a ticket office, cafeteria, camp site, lavatories and small interpretation center at the entry of the open air
museum. Furthermore, several shaded rest points were built along the footpath, which house interpretive
signs. Management infrastructure includes a police post and a permanent staff accommodation. In line
with the recommendation at the time of inscription, efforts were undertaken to create infrastructure that
limits intrusion and blends in the landscape. For this, architectural designs were developed prior to the
constructions, and since then, architectural guidelines have been implemented as a policy for the site.
These include a zoning of the area and guidelines on the design. The results is could be a model for other
properties. At the parking area and ticketing office, there are several panels explaining the values of the
property and also referring to the World Heritage status. Visitors can also buy a brochure which provides
detailed information on the different fossils that can be seen in the open air museum. For visitors that do
not want to buy this brochure, information panels along the visitor circuit provide basic information about
the key aspects of the site (evolution, sedimentology, paleoecology, geology, paleontology research, wind
and water erosion, modern whales). Other interpretative materials are available (brochures, video etc).

Staffing and budget

The protected area and the WH property is managed by the Nature Conservation Sector of EEAA. The park
receives a yearly operational budget allocation through the national environmental fund. The park also
has substantial income from entry fees.

The site is receiving substantial support from the Egyptian-Italian Environmental Cooperation Program.
The program has ensured the major investments in infrastructure and interpretation and is also
substantially covering the running costs.

Over recent years staffing to the property was increased. There are also several auxiliary staff (community
guards, drivers, security, etc).

Management planning and management effectiveness

The Wadi El Ryan protected area has a management plan which was initially approved in 2002 and
reviewed and updated in 2008 to include the World Heritage site and finally updated and endorsed in
2019.
Monitoring
A monitoring system for the fossil is in place. All fossils found are documented by photographs and its
geographical positions are registered. The data are included in a data base. Fossils are re-visited regularly
and their status checked on the basis of the photographic documentation. A formal MOU had signed
between EEAA and Mansoura University for regular assessment, monitoring, maintenance and long-term
research and education and still effectively implemented.

Opportunities:

Tourism

 Wadi El Hitan World Heritage Site is a good story about sustainable development.

 The globally important fossils draw tourists to the area from all over Egypt and the World. As a
result, Wadi El Hitan is Fayoum’s most important eco-tourism destination.

 However, to properly protect the site and manage increasing numbers of visitors (nearly 40,000 in
2019).

 Eco-architecture concept for the World Heritage Site was implemented. This means that the
buildings mimic the natural surroundings so that they fit into the landscape: they avoid “up-staging”
the natural surroundings. The building materials are natural: they are made of mud bricks with mud
plaster coatings comprised of sand, straw and clay materials. They are strong and quite resilient to
the weather, and easily repaired. The architecture and construction methods, including the dome
and vault roof designs, were inspired by Hassam Fathy, “Egypt’s greatest twentieth-century
architect” and author of the classic book “Architecture for the Poor” (AUC Press). The combination
of using local materials and local builders skilled in this method of construction means that the
structures are sustainable over the long term, low cost, and well suited for the location.

Education and Research

Open Air Museum, Fossil and Climate Change museum may represent the first of their own in the
Middle East, Africa and may be in the whole world. The ground for continuous research are available to
the national/international interests.

A national attitude/school for studying vertebrate paleontology is generated and ongoing through the
Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center in collaboration with the Egyptian Environmental
Affairs Agency Nature Conservation Sector that is in fact represents the first binding cooperation
between a governmental executive entity and a national university that currently generating young and
middle career professionals in that kind of science which is not previously available on the national level.
This is greatly enhanced and encouraged the scientific and applied science cooperation between Egypt
and abroad.

Society
The ultimate goal to create business opportunities for local communities and national eco-tourism
industry is in place through the Wadi El-Hitan World Heritage site (UNESCO) and IUCN green list site.

Best Practices:

- Applied Science for tourism

The outstanding exhibition of the fossils in an open air museum in situ in addition to the Fossil
and Climate Change museum generate extended research, study, tourism and recreation
opportunities in all national and international levels.

- The use of Eco-Architecture concept to design the site infrastructure and visitor facilities make it
on of the un-comparable eco-tourism and science destination not only in Egypt but also in the
world.
- A core permanent planning and implementation team (of 2 persons; scientific and management
planning) make the site sustainable and dynamic through continuous adaptation to the
national/international circumstances and ongoing operation effectiveness.
- Green concepts is mostly applied either in the governance of the site or through using clean
energy, waste management, architecture …etc.
- Binding the top university education with the executive entities is a flagship program that
experienced more than 10 years and still ongoing.
- Experience transfer and spreading the best practices that bind science with society need
creating business, financial and social opportunities throughout the national and regional levels
is currently ongoing.