Adrère Amellal - sustainable tourism in Siwa
The Adrere Amellal ecolodge in Siwa is a new venue to be introduced our exclusive incentive travelers.
In 1997, EQI (Environmental Quality International) acquired 75 acres of palm
and olive groves at the foot of a mountain's cliff called Adrère Amellal (White Mountain in the native Siwa Berber language) overlooking Lake Siwa . Built out of indigenous material using traditional Siwan building techniques and styles so as to have a minimal impact on the land Adrère Amellal sets an example for eco-lodge development. Natural ventilation, which takes advantage of the dry desert climate of the area, has been adopted, thereby ruling out the need for expensive energy and maintenance intensive air conditioning. The lodge has been designed to rely on solar and alternative energies, and to recycle the waste and wastewater it produces. Food prepared at the lodge is organically and predominantly locally grown.
Adrère Amellal consists of traditional Siwan Kershef houses that have been
restored and reconfigured into 39 rooms, the annex, Tamazid, provides an additional 7 rooms. Furnishing is simple, but of the highest quality, drawing exclusively on local material and design to reflect Siwa's rugged spirit. Kershef , a mixture of sun dried salt rock mixed with straw, is used for wall building. Furniture and fixtures are made of palm trunks and fronds, while carpentry and accessories display the rich and colorful variety of the region's indigenous handicraft. Oil lamps and candles are used for lighting and coal-filled braziers are used for heating. A stone-built swimming pool is fed by a natural spring. Solid waste is recycled: food waste is composted on site, and local residents pick up recyclables. Wastewater is first settled in self-contained sedimentation tanks, allowing the supernatant to flow through perforated pipes into a wetland where indigenous papyrus plants are grown, to complete the biodegradation and waste reduction process. The wetland is completely sealed from the surrounding environment to avoid any possibility of contamination of surface and ground water resources.
Email us for information and itineraries: tourism@exceltrvl.com
published May 31, 2007
Source: EQI
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