Dr. James Henry Breasted, his wife Mrs. Breasted, and their son Charles beside the entrance to the great temple, Abu Simbel; the foot of one of the colossi is visible; photograph taken in 1906. The Oriental Institute of Chicago.
whales valley is a paleontological site in Fayoum city in the western desert of Egypt. It contains invaluable fossil represent one of the major stories of evolution the emergence of the whale as an ocean-going mammal from a previous life as a land-based animal. This is the most important site in the world for the demonstration of this stage of evolution. It portrays vividly the form and life of these whales during their transition. The number, concentration and quality of such fossils here is unique, as is their accessibility and setting in an attractive and protected landscape. The fossils of Al-Hitan show the youngest archaeocetes, in the last stages of losing their hind limbs. Other fossil material in the site makes it possible to reconstruct the surrounding environmental and ecological conditions of the time.
