The reserve is located about 18 kilometers east of Al-Maadi neighborhood in Cairo, the capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt, specifically in New Cairo City (Fifth Settlement), north of the Katameya/Al-Ain Sukhna Road. Its area is approximately 7 square kilometers.

This area is a rare terrestrial (geological) relic with no equal in the world in terms of size and completeness. Studying the petrified wood here helps in understanding and documenting the Earth’s ancient life.

The Fossil Forest area was declared a natural reserve by Prime Minister’s Decision No. 944 of 1989.