El Hassana Dome Protectorate - Giza

El Hassana Dome Protectorate - Giza

Announced in 1989, El Hassana Dome Protectorate is located in the Giza governorate in Egypt and is a geological protected area covering a land area of one square km. reaching the place is very easy from Cairo which lays just 23 kms away from the protectorate.

The Hassana Dome is often referred as a museum or a specialized scientific institute which helps in the study of geology and a number of geological formations including foults, folds and also comparing these formations with other places. The dome is a perfect area for the study of fossil science due to the existence of fossils gathering preserved here in perfectly reserved colonies. The climate change which characterizes the area also helps in the studies greatly. The morine fossils found here depict a complete record of the ancient history.

More about the history of the reserve

The reserve is located in the Cairo-Alexandria road at Abu Rawash and lies around 8 km from the Great Giza Pyramids. The distinguished history of the reserve is depicted in its topographical merits and its geological makeup. It’s the only reserve near Cairo that has remnants from the crustaceous age dating back to about one million years. The rocks found here belong to the Stone Age and are believed to have been formed 60 million years back and from the rocky age about 40 million years back.

Area the reserve covers

The Hassana dome covers an area of one square km and the highest point here lies at 149 meter above sea level is referred as the Al Hassana dome and is located in the western desert. Meanwhile the highest point in the eastern part rises to about 109 meters above sea level.

The name of the reserve comes from its dome shaped hills which are located at the foot of the Hassana valley. The reserve meanwhile is divided into two by the Cairo- Alexandria highway. The protectorate is one of the smallest one in Egypt and is not very popular among tourists. Also the urbanization and pollution has taken a toll over the same. The New Giza housing project is very near located. The protectorate is referred as a purely geological protectorate and you cannot find much here where plants, animals or wildlife is considered.

Excavation contents of the reserve

The quarried content of the Al Hassana Dome gives it a distinguished meaning where the components are gathered as a well preserved canton. The place represents an open museum that displays a complete record of ancient life, its climate and the environment during the late cretaceous age which dates back to about 100 million years.

The Dome reserve is also known to have some of the rarest plant species found only in northern Egypt.

To any person who is not a geologist or doesn’t have any love for nature might find the Dome Reserve something very ordinary. But to the specialists and those having a keen eye for nature the Hassana Dome truly does resemble an open-air prehistoric museum.