City Description
One of the oldest cities in Egypt situated in the fertile Fayoum Oasis. Fayoum is home to countless natural wonders and historical places.
Back in ancient times, this Egyptian city was a key location strategically and was dedicated to the Egyptian God, Sobek, also known as the crocodile god, which eventually led to the Greeks referring to the place as Crocodophilus. The Greeks and the Romans later on annexed this ancient city to their respective empires.
Lake Qarun is one of the city’s main landmarks. It is a salt lake that was harnessed by the Ancient Egyptians to irrigate the city and surrounding areas through occasional draining, which eventually led to the formation of a unique ecosystem as the native wildlife adapted to this change in the environment. The variety of avian species in the salt lake region is sure to delight bird watchers, among which are the graceful flamingos, multiple varieties of ducks and gray herons.
Wadi el-Hittan, a valley in the city of Fayoum, and is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site not because it is a place that used to be Ramses II’s playground but more mainly because of archeologists finding evidence that life had existed on this area as far back as the Stone Age complete with good quality and quantity of unearthed fossils. Wady el-Hittan literally translates to “Valley of the Whales” because a lot of fossils found were whale fossils.
Against the backdrop of ancient ruins, obelisks and pyramids, the city is quite famous for its scenic villages, pottery and waterwheels. The waterwheel has now become the collective symbol for the present-day oasis and city of Fayoum.
Places of Interest:
• Wadi el-Hittan
• Wadi el-Hittan Fossil and Climate Change Museum
• Wadi Rayyan Protected Area
• Fayoum Pottery School
• Lake Qarun
• Pyramid of Hawara
• Pyramid of Maidum
• Tunis Village
• Gabal el-Medawara
• Quatrani Mountain
• Petrified Forest
• Qasr Qarun
• Qasr el-Sagha Temple
• Shakshouk Fishing Village