Wadi Hitan or the Valley of Whales is a remote valley in the Western Desert of Egypt. At 150 kilometers southwest of Cairo, The Valley of Whales lies about 80 km from Fayoum City, there is considerable evidence which indicates that the basin of Wadi Hitan was submerged in water some 40 to 50 million years ago. At that time, the so-called Tethys Sea reached far south of the existing Mediterranean. The Tethys Sea is assumed to have retreated north and over the years deposited thick sediments of sandstone and limestone visible in rock formations in Wadi Hitan, Today, the area is occupied by numerous excavation sites of whales, sharks, petrified mangrove bushes, a wide variety of fossil plants and various other remains of the prehistoric sea. One is bound to come across petrified corals, shark teeth and fossil remains scattered all over the valley. The landscapes are just as impressive and amazing. The valley lies in the midst of an attractive and distinctive desert landscape of wind-eroded rock platforms surrounded by sand dunes and hills, The ancient and rich collection of whale fossils in Wadi Hitan demonstrates an important element and proof of the evolution of the whales from land animals to a marine existence. The site contains over 390 known whale skeletons of five different varieties
IWNTA - SIGHTSEEING - Visits near Cairo - Wadi Hitan
