Fayoum is a peaceful fertile oasis located 100 Km south west Cairo. Fayoum cannot be considered a true oasis because it depends on the Nile instead of underground springs or wells. However, it is located in a depression that has its own wells, allowing the water to reach the surface from the underground reservoir. Fayoum is renowned for its year-round warm climate and two natural lakes that explains the high fertility of the land which makes it ideal for farming and harvesting. Birdlife abounds around Lake Qaroun bringing about hunters to the area. Fayoum has been traditional hunting ground since pharaonic times when Crocodilopolis, centre of the cult of Sobek, was the capita of the region.
Key Attractions:
Lake Qaroun:
Qaroun means "Lake of the Horn" it is a favorite beach resort. In winter, it is quite rough and teeming with ducks and geese, which brings the hunters to lakeside hotels. and it is possible to negotiate a price to get a row boat to the Golden Horn Island or to the north shore.
Ain Al-Siliyin:
Outside town at Ain Al-Siliyin, 9 km north towards Lake Qaroun, is a popular marvelous spot & park which has natural spring & streams, but it is overcrowded on Friday and holidays.
The seven water wheels:
The symbol of the oasis are the old water wheels, used to irrigate the fertile land.
Waterfalls at Wadi al-Rayan:
40km towards Bahariyya oasis, Wadi al Rayan is a place of outstanding natural beauty where two lakes of different attitudes meet making water falls with beautiful natural sceneries also suitable for swimming and picnics.
Pyramid of Hawara:
Known also as the Labyrinth, the Pyramid of Hawara (built by Amenemhet III) was the most visited sites of the ancient World. Herodotus claimed to have counted three thousand rooms in the pyramids funeral complex. Herodotus visited the pyramid during the 5th century B.C. and described it as follows:
"The Labyrinth has 12 covered courts -six in a row facing north, six south. Inside, the building is of two stories and contains 3,000 rooms, of which half are underground, and the other half directlyabove them. as they contain the tombs of the kings who built the Labyrinth and also the tombs of the sacred crocodiles. The upper rooms, on the contrary I did actually see, and it is hard to believe that they are the work of men; the baffling and intricate passages from room to room and from court to court were an endless wonder to me, as we passed from a courtyard into rooms, from rooms into galleries, from galleries into more rooms, and thence into yet more courtyards. The roof of every chamber, courtyard and gallery is, like the walls, of stone. The walls are covered with carved figures, and each court is exquisitely built of white marble and surrounded by a colonnade." He went on to write, "It is beyond my power to describe. It must have cost more in labor and money than all the wall and public works of the Greeks put together - though no one would deny that the temples of Ephesus and Samos are remarkable buildings. The Pyramids too are astonishing structures, each one of them equal to many of the most ambitious works of Greece; but the Labyrinth surpasses them."
Temple of Amenemhet III:
To the south of the pyramid is the Mortuary Temple of Amenemhet III which was known as Labyrinth in the classical days when it greatly impressed Herodotus who considered that it far surpassed the pyramids as a building. It was composed of over 3,000 rooms. About 6 Km off the main road lies the ruined pyramid of Senusert I (1897- 1878 BC) built by Amenemhet III's grandfather. It was built on a rocky surface on which limestone pillars were constructed and then covered over with mud-brick and finally encased in stone. A "sponge" made of sand and flint was placed around the base, in order to prevent any flooding. The unusual south-facing entrance did not deter the tomb robbers.
Temple of Narmuthis:
Located at Fayoum, Narmuthis is so vast it is not completely excavated. Built by Amenemhet III the temple is dedicated to the gods Sobek, Ernutet and Horus. Guarded by sphinxes and lions, the temples interior walls are covered with hieroglyphics and relief of Amenemhet III and Amenemhet IV. From an archeology viewpoint, this is considered to be the most interesting site in Fayoum.
Temple of Dionysias “Temple of Stones”:
Located at Fayoum, the "Temple of Stones" was built in the 3rd century BC for the god Sobek. This Roman fort was strategically located on caravan routes from the Libyan desert. The emperor Diocletian fortified the fort against the Bedouin tribesmen known as the Blemmyes. Unique for the temples of fayoum, this temple still has its roof. In the interior are fourteen room on either side of a central corridor that leads to three chapels. Thermal baths decorated with frescoes and glassworks were uncovered in 1948, but had once again been covered by the sand.
Karanis:
To the lake and 30 km from the city on the main road towards Cairo, Kome Aushim is site of the ancient city of Karanis. The results of excavations carried out in the 1920's by the University of Michigan are displayed, together with exhibits from other sites around Fayoum, in a small museum. The most interesting exhibits are the carefully resorted pottery and glassware. The remains of two temples dating from 1st Century BC have also been found, apparently built on the foundations of earlier temples. Mud brick houses have also been discovered although there are little remains of these.
Karanis Museum:
Many artifacts found within the Fayoum region are housed in the Karanis Museum. Displays include delicate glassware and pottery, females heads (as found in Alexandria) which are thought to have been used to model hairstyles, and a Fayoum portrait. Many of the mummies found in this area had portrait of the deceased painted on them. The museum is well laid out, and has recently been renovated.
Key Attractions:
Lake Qaroun:
Qaroun means "Lake of the Horn" it is a favorite beach resort. In winter, it is quite rough and teeming with ducks and geese, which brings the hunters to lakeside hotels. and it is possible to negotiate a price to get a row boat to the Golden Horn Island or to the north shore.
Ain Al-Siliyin:
Outside town at Ain Al-Siliyin, 9 km north towards Lake Qaroun, is a popular marvelous spot & park which has natural spring & streams, but it is overcrowded on Friday and holidays.
The seven water wheels:
The symbol of the oasis are the old water wheels, used to irrigate the fertile land.
Waterfalls at Wadi al-Rayan:
40km towards Bahariyya oasis, Wadi al Rayan is a place of outstanding natural beauty where two lakes of different attitudes meet making water falls with beautiful natural sceneries also suitable for swimming and picnics.
Pyramid of Hawara:
Known also as the Labyrinth, the Pyramid of Hawara (built by Amenemhet III) was the most visited sites of the ancient World. Herodotus claimed to have counted three thousand rooms in the pyramids funeral complex. Herodotus visited the pyramid during the 5th century B.C. and described it as follows:
"The Labyrinth has 12 covered courts -six in a row facing north, six south. Inside, the building is of two stories and contains 3,000 rooms, of which half are underground, and the other half directlyabove them. as they contain the tombs of the kings who built the Labyrinth and also the tombs of the sacred crocodiles. The upper rooms, on the contrary I did actually see, and it is hard to believe that they are the work of men; the baffling and intricate passages from room to room and from court to court were an endless wonder to me, as we passed from a courtyard into rooms, from rooms into galleries, from galleries into more rooms, and thence into yet more courtyards. The roof of every chamber, courtyard and gallery is, like the walls, of stone. The walls are covered with carved figures, and each court is exquisitely built of white marble and surrounded by a colonnade." He went on to write, "It is beyond my power to describe. It must have cost more in labor and money than all the wall and public works of the Greeks put together - though no one would deny that the temples of Ephesus and Samos are remarkable buildings. The Pyramids too are astonishing structures, each one of them equal to many of the most ambitious works of Greece; but the Labyrinth surpasses them."
Temple of Amenemhet III:
To the south of the pyramid is the Mortuary Temple of Amenemhet III which was known as Labyrinth in the classical days when it greatly impressed Herodotus who considered that it far surpassed the pyramids as a building. It was composed of over 3,000 rooms. About 6 Km off the main road lies the ruined pyramid of Senusert I (1897- 1878 BC) built by Amenemhet III's grandfather. It was built on a rocky surface on which limestone pillars were constructed and then covered over with mud-brick and finally encased in stone. A "sponge" made of sand and flint was placed around the base, in order to prevent any flooding. The unusual south-facing entrance did not deter the tomb robbers.
Temple of Narmuthis:
Located at Fayoum, Narmuthis is so vast it is not completely excavated. Built by Amenemhet III the temple is dedicated to the gods Sobek, Ernutet and Horus. Guarded by sphinxes and lions, the temples interior walls are covered with hieroglyphics and relief of Amenemhet III and Amenemhet IV. From an archeology viewpoint, this is considered to be the most interesting site in Fayoum.
Temple of Dionysias “Temple of Stones”:
Located at Fayoum, the "Temple of Stones" was built in the 3rd century BC for the god Sobek. This Roman fort was strategically located on caravan routes from the Libyan desert. The emperor Diocletian fortified the fort against the Bedouin tribesmen known as the Blemmyes. Unique for the temples of fayoum, this temple still has its roof. In the interior are fourteen room on either side of a central corridor that leads to three chapels. Thermal baths decorated with frescoes and glassworks were uncovered in 1948, but had once again been covered by the sand.
Karanis:
To the lake and 30 km from the city on the main road towards Cairo, Kome Aushim is site of the ancient city of Karanis. The results of excavations carried out in the 1920's by the University of Michigan are displayed, together with exhibits from other sites around Fayoum, in a small museum. The most interesting exhibits are the carefully resorted pottery and glassware. The remains of two temples dating from 1st Century BC have also been found, apparently built on the foundations of earlier temples. Mud brick houses have also been discovered although there are little remains of these.
Karanis Museum:
Many artifacts found within the Fayoum region are housed in the Karanis Museum. Displays include delicate glassware and pottery, females heads (as found in Alexandria) which are thought to have been used to model hairstyles, and a Fayoum portrait. Many of the mummies found in this area had portrait of the deceased painted on them. The museum is well laid out, and has recently been renovated.
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