Vally of the whales It is an area of fossils in the northwest of the Wadi El Rayan Reserve, dating back about 4 million years. Its fossils are fossilized by whales, shark teeth, shells and other marine animals that are considered fossilized, open and valid. The shura plant is petrified within soft rocks. ( Vally of rayan and water falls ) Wadi El Rayan, a deep Eocene limestone depression, is home to two large lakes, the Upper Lake and the Lower Lake, connected to Egypt's only waterfall.