A fabulous oasis
From swimming, rowing and fishing, to desert hiking, birdwatching and sightseeing, Rasha Sadek discovers that Fayoum's richness of activities makes it the perfect place for an unforgettable winter escape
Why go now?
Fayoum is a city with a quiet reputation yet much to offer -- particularly at this time of year. From October till April, Fayoum enjoys a warm climate (22-28 degrees Celsius), also offering the opportunity to escape the noise and crowd for a weekend. The list of activities available in Fayoum is long. Did you know, for example, that you can follow the traces of Alexander the Great on camel in Fayoum? Or that the city offers 600km of desert hiking trail, and that you can get closer there to birds than anywhere else? This is, of course, in addition to the usual sightseeing programmes to various historical sites.
About 90 kilometres from Cairo (a one-hour drive from Giza), this 12,000 square kilometre area owes its existence to Bahr Youssef Canal linking the Nile with the Fayoum depression. It is not, however, a "real" oasis since it depends on Nile water for irrigation instead of underground springs and wells. Bahr Youssef runs through the centre of the city and irrigates the land through smaller canals.
In an attempt to diversify the city's tourist attractions and preserve its natural surroundings, the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Cairo funds a preparatory phase for eco-tourism projects in Fayoum. The programme aims at introducing Fayoum as an eco-tourist city and raising awareness of its ecological and cultural richness. The Fayoum Eco-tourism Project organises trips to Fayoum for both Egyptians and foreigners interested in exploring the city from a different perspective.
Getting about
Just a one-hour trip by private car, bus or train, the road to Fayoum is pleasurable with its lush green surroundings. The Cairo-Fayoum road starts near the Pyramids of Giza, whose silhouette sinks below the horizon as the road moves towards a barren plateau dotted with army bases -- 76km later reaching the edge of the Fayoum depression. Once here, you come across the Ptolemaic-Roman site of Kom Oshim (to your left), before you sight Lake Qaroun and cruise down through Sinnuris into Fayoum city, driving past the Obelisk of Senusert I.
You can use Upper Egypt bus service from Cairo's Ramses and Giza terminals for LE4. Buses leave every half-hour between 6.15am and 6.45pm. Buses from Fayoum to Cairo leave every half-hour from 7am to 7pm from the station under Kubri Al-Misalla in Madinet Al- Fayoum. You can also take a service (microbus) from Fayoum bus station to Cairo for LE4 to Giza or LE5 to Ramses Square. The eco-tourism project provides cars from Cairo to Fayoum and back, in addition to transportation within the city.
For transportation within the city, green and white mini buses cover all parts of the city for PT25. They can be found at the Al-Hawatim terminal south of the Bahr Youssef Canal.
For those with more time on their hands, the daily third-class train from Cairo's Ramses and Giza stations takes two or three hours to reach Fayoum Central Station for LE3.
City fact file
The Fayoum depression has played an integral role in every culture that has swept through Egypt, from the Pharaohs to the Greeks and Romans, to the Coptic Christians and finally the Muslim Arabs. Beyond its human history, the area has long been distinguished by its natural beauty; its lakes, palm trees, pristine desert areas, fossil remains, bird sanctuaries, and rural quietude, offering an unmatched natural richness to visitors.
The Fayoum governorate falls into five smaller cities. Fayoum is the capital and largest city, lying at the centre of the depression. The governorate has three main characteristic landscapes: the rural centre, the surrounding desert and the lake shores of Wadi Al-Rayan and Lake Qaroun. Fayoum, the capital, was first known as Crocodilopolis -- referring to God Sobik of Fayoum represented by a man with the head of a crocodile. It has also been called the Venice of Egypt due to the many canals that run through it from Bahr Youssef.
Lake Qaroun is Egypt's largest salt lake. Despite having shrunk over the past few thousand years, it's about 215 square kilometres. The lake was historically a fresh water lake, but since it receives drainage water from the canals in Fayoum, it has turned salty. It is considered an excellent site for water sports such as windsurfing and rowing, fishing and bird watching.
Check-In
There aren't many hotels in Fayoum, however, there are two four-star hotels directly overlooking Lake Qaroun.
Auberge Du Lac Hotel 00+(2084) 572 001, a four-star hotel that still maintains its 1940s style. The hotel offers double rooms for Egyptians for LE240 on a half board basis and $72 for foreigners. Day-use rates are LE160 for rooms and LE125 for chalets, inclusive of two meals. Rooms and chalets accommodate up to four persons. There's a pool, a health club and two meeting rooms in the hotel. The hotel facilitates buses to Wadi Al-Rayan, Ain Al-Silin and the capital.
New Panorama Hotel 00+(2084) 830 757, another four-star hotel that offers flats and double rooms for LE145 per person half board. It also offers day-use from 10am till 6pm for LE65 per person including lunch. The hotel has a pool, tennis court, billiards and a mini-golf course.
Honey Day Hotel 00+(2084) 341 205, a two-star hotel that lies at the entrance of Fayoum, offers double rooms for LE85 on a bed and breakfast basis.
Must see
The Obelisk of Senusert I situated at the entrance of Fayoum city and built by the 12th dynasty Pharaoh Senusert I. The Obelisk is 30 metres high and is made of granite.
The water wheels, there are over 200 water wheels in Fayoum. Since the city is located in a depression, self-powered water wheels were essential to help irrigate the surrounding lands. The one particular type -- exclusive to Fayoum -- began in Pharaonic times, turning into the city's symbol. There is a compound of three water wheels opposite to each other in the city's capital.
The temple of Qasr Qaroun, which lies at the far western end of Lake Qaroun dates back to the Roman period. The temple was once part of an entire Roman city, dedicated to the supreme God of Fayoum Sobik. The temple is remarkable, however, for its absence of inscriptions. There is a winged sun disc decorating the entrance portal, a symbol of Horus, the protecting God of the entrances of ancient Egyptian temples. The unique design of the temple is completed with four pillars that once supported a roof, and steps to the right and left, leading to the roof -- on whose wall is the temple's only engraving, of God Sobik. From atop the roof, the desert extends and the cemetery of the old town can be spotted, in addition to two wells. Entrance fees are LE1 for Egyptians and LE16 for foreigners.
Ain Al-Silin lies nine kilometres north of the capital towards Lake Qaroun and is a popular spot of natural beauty, hosting a park with fruit gardens and the dried spring of Ain Al-Silin.
The Hawara Pyramid, built by Amnemhat III, lies nine kilometres south-east of the capital. To the south of the pyramid is Amnemhat III's mortuary temple, also known as the labyrinth consisting of over 3,000 rooms. Today, the original construction is no more than a huge pile of debris. The area closes at 4pm and no entrance to the pyramid is allowed after 3pm.
Daily Excursions
Excursions in Fayoum can either be arranged with local guides from Fayoum or with the Fayoum Eco-tourism Project from Cairo. (Fayoum Eco-tourism Project, e-mail: ecotourismfayoum@nsce-inter.com. Tel: (02)735 1045.
Wadi Al-Rayan covers an area of approximately 1759 square kilometres in the south-western part of the city and 40 kilometres towards Bahariya Oasis. In 1989, Wadi Al-Rayan was designated a natural protectorate, along with Lake Qaroun, due to their geological importance and unique biodiversity. The two lakes of Wadi Al-Rayan are man- made wetlands formed in 1973, when a desert depression was inundated with excess agricultural drainage water. In Wadi Al-Rayan, the natural water springs, water wells, and impressive waterfalls, provide a visually sumptuous juxtaposition with sand dunes and rocky outcrops. There's a sandy beach that in a suitable weather is ideal for swimming. If you want to go on your own you could hire a taxi from Madinet Al-Fayoum for LE40 for a half- day; from Cairo it will cost about LE120 for a full day. There is an entrance fee of LE5 per vehicle payable at a toll booth on the edge of the protected area.
Camel trekking and desert hiking. Exploring the desert on the back of a camel is one excellent way to escape noisy Cairo, so is hiking to explore off-beaten tracks in the desert and Wadi Al-Rayan. Local guides and guides from the eco-tourism project accompany visitors on one day trips (or longer). The most famous traveller in the Egyptian western desert was Alexander the Great. On his way back from Siwa to Memphis, he is said to have cut across the Nile Valley through Wadi Al-Rayan. Today, travellers can follow the traces of Alexander the Great on camel.
Bird watching. Fayoum has a rich and varied bird life especially in Lake Qaroun and Wadi Al-Rayan. Species vary according to habitat type and season.
Villages of Al-Nazla and Tunis. Al-Nazla is located about 35km northwest of the capital Fayoum. The village sits atop a narrow valley. For many, it's a pottery paradise. Work is carried out according to very old and traditional methods that have not changed much since Pharaonic times. In the village's more than 15 pottery shops, pottery is produced in open-air workshops. Tunis is another small village located on the south- western part of Fayoum. It is famous as residence for artists, and presently is home to five pottery workshops that produce pottery with a modern method different to that of Al-Nazla. It started in the 1970s when a Swiss artist established a pottery training centre for children.
Dining out
Fayoum is a city famous for its fruits, vegetables and fish. Fruit gardens can be seen in many of Fayoum's villages and parks. Cabbage is widely planted in the city's fields. If you pass by one of the gardens, you can smell its fresh scent.
There aren't any chain restaurants or fast-food outlets in Fayoum. There are, however, a number of restaurants scattered around Lake Qaroun -- among them are Alaaeddin and Gabal Al-Zeena. The Auberge hotel has the Les Rois and Al-Lessan restaurants, and the Panorama has the Dananir restaurant serving international cuisine.
Into the night
Fayoum isn't much of a night city. Besides the Al-Pasha discotheque in the Auberge -- that opens Thursdays to Sundays at 6pm for an LE10 minimum charge to enjoy a belly dancer and DJ -- you can walk the capital and sit in one of the baladi cafes. It's advisable, however, to make maximum use of the day, sleeping early and enjoying the wonderful scenery and daytime excursions.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 23 - 29 October 2003 (Issue No. 661)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/661/tr4.htm