Gameel's Observatory

Young astronomers from the Desert's Edge School, Saqqara (www.desertsedgecairo.com)

Our understanding of the stars and planets has been evolving for over three thousand years in a single unbrloken intellectual quest which has expanded our understanding of the heavens while simultaneously confounding us with revelations of ever deeper mysteries.

Sheikh Awaad Ecolodge provides a perfect centre for astronomical observation. At night, all lighting is through candles or oil lamps and the light pollution is minimal. Observation takes place in a circlular stone sitting area or in the adjoining garden.

By identifying the principal constellations, you will learn how to orient yourself around the celestial sphere. By picking out the Zodiac, you will identify the path of the sun and the planets. By looking carefully at stellar luminosities and colours, you will learn about the life and death of stars. By exploring the Milky Way, you will apprehend the awesome scale of the universe and our place in it.

Yallajabaleya! uses an 8" Meade LX90 GP Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope to get bright, high resolution views of binary stars, nebulae, globular clusters and distant galaxies. A GPS facility allows quick orientation to interesting objects.

Overnight accomodation is provided in the Ecolodge along with meals and the Bedouin hospitality of our host, Gameel. The Ecolodge has beautiful stone rooms with high palm log ceilings and traditional ventilation systems.

Please go to our Astronomy notes for relevant articles on astronomy in Egypt and a regularly updated calendar giving moon phases to allow you to choose the optimum date for your visit.

Gameel's Ecolodge and Observatory (El Karm)

A typical room in the Ecolodge

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