Mudawara Mountain

Overview

 The terrain southwest of Cairo drops into a large depression often called the Fayoum Oasis. Within the area, are a number of lakes, Egypt's only permanent waterfall, and the unusual Mudawara Mountain (Jebel al- Mudawara), located to the west of Al Fayoum Lake. Although it is more of a rock formation than a true mountain, there are three distinct summits, with another lower point or two to the west. Its layered appearance is beautiful, with a certain symmetry to the feature that draws your gaze to it.  Interestingly, with Al Fayoum's surface at an elevation of 118 feet below sea level, the top of the peak, if Google Earth is to be believed, is itself at slightly below sea level. Although I have severe doubts about the accuracy of this, the peak, nevertheless offers several fun scrambles, each affording a wonderful view of the surrounding terrain.

Getting There

 Mudawara Mountain is located only a couple of hundred meters to the south of Wadi El Rayyan Road, just after it passes to the north of Al Fayyum Lake. It is about 150 km south west of Cairo. You can park at the edge of the road, or some people actually drive across the desert to the base of the formation.

Route

  Although some might argue its designation as a mountain, it has three main summits with a few bumps rising to the west. The easternmost is a short spire of rock with a surprising pit dug into the summit. It has a small enough footprint that Google Earth doesn't even register its presence. Interestingly, it is the hardest summit to reach and most likely has a top below sea level!
Again in conflict to Google Earth, the middle summit is the highest, and can be ascended by a number of short, fun scrambles. As already noted, it provides a magnificent view of Al Fayoum Lake and other surrounding features.
The westernmost of the three main peaks also provides fun scrambles to its summit. Google Earth records its summit elevation as 10 feet below sea level.

Red Tape

 There are no current restrictions on scrambling or climbing on this peak. Due to the recent political unrest in Egypt, many of the tour groups operating trips in the region receive a police escort. There is a small fee to enter the area which makes up a part of the Wadi El Rayan Protected Area. For foreigners, it is roughly 15LE (US$3).

When to Climb

The mountain can be climbed at any point in the year. It is quite hot here in the summer.

Camping

There is camping at Wadi El Hitan and likely other places in the surrounding desert.

Al Fayoum Waterfalls

 There are several other interesting sites in the vicinity of Mudawara Mountain each of which require small entrance fees. Just to the east of Al Fayoum Lake is Egypt's only permanent waterfall. It was formed in 1970, and is a popular place for site seeing and just splashing around in the water. Not far away, there is beach access to Al Fayoum Lake.

Wadi El Hitan

   
Some 30 km to the west of the mountain, Wadi El Hitan is one of the World's premier fossil sites. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, it contains hundreds of whale fossils from the time some 40 million years ago when this area was a shallow sea. It is an instrumental place for evolutionary biology, as many of the whales found here are intermediate between land dwelling creatures and modern whales. Although there are spectacular rock formations here, I seem to recall that rockclimbing is forbidden, as it should be, given that the rock is extremely soft and brittle. Any attempts to ascend the rocks would irreparably damage the dramatic formations, so don’t do more than admire the gorgeous scenery here from the well designated trails…

Medinet Maadi

 About 20 km to the east of Mudawara Mountain are the extensive remains of Medinet Maadi, dating from the reigns of Amenemhat III and IV (1855 - 1799 BC). They are reputed to contain the only intact temple from the Middle Kingdom. Together, the sites listed here make for a nice day trip from Cairo.

External Links

 

A number of tour operators provide access to the region. These include the following:

Memphis Tours

Right Egypt Tours

Tours by Locals

Viator Tours

Presence on this list is not an endorsement of the company or the tour. I used Memphis Tours to go there which provided friendly and pleasant service.

Images

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