Bir Wahed is 'the' tourist attraction of Siwa. It sounds a mysterious and exotic name, but it actually means, well no. 1. So the story goes it was drilled by the Russians, or Americans, depending on who you talk to around 20 years ago. They were looking for oil and they struck water instead and left a perfectly formed oasis 12 km's south of the edge of Siwa in the Great Sand Sea. Most people come and visit around 2 or 3.00pm in the afternoon when it can get quite crowed, especially if there is an Egyptian holiday. If you stay out in the desert on one of our overnight tours you will visit Bir Wahed at first light where you can swim in the hot spring and stair out at the huge dunes surrounding you with out another person in sight. If your visiting Siwa in the summer, the large fresh water lake is a great escape from the heat of the day.