Faiyum

Faiyum is a city in Mid Northern Egypt, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) southwest of Cairo. It is located in the Faiyum Oasis and serves as the capital of the modern Faiyum Governorate. Because of its important position, Faiyum is one of Egypt's oldest cities. People have lived there for a very long time, making it a place of great historical interest.

Name and etymology

The city was first built by ancient Egyptians and called Shedet. Today, it is known as Faiyum, Fayum, or al-Faiyūm. Sometimes it was called Madīnat al-Faiyūm, which means "The City of Faiyum" in Arabic.

The name Faiyum comes from an old language called Coptic. It means "the Sea" or "the Lake," referring to a big lake nearby called Lake Moeris. An ancient elephant ancestor called Phiomia was also named after this lake.

Ancient history

Main article: Fayum mummy portraits

Main article: Zenon of Kaunos

Archaeologists have found evidence that people lived around Faiyum as far back as the Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic times. Important excavations have taken place on the north shore of Lake Moeris.

The city began around the fifth millennium BC and was called Shedet during the Old Kingdom. It became an important place for worshipping the crocodile god Sobek. Later, Greeks called the city "Crocodile City" or Krokodeilópolis.

During the Ptolemaic Kingdom, the city was renamed several times, ending up as Arsinoë. A new town called Philadelphia was built nearby, designed like a typical Greek city.

Under the Roman Empire, Arsinoë became part of a region called Arcadia Aegypti. With the arrival of Christianity, the city became an important religious center.

Faiyum is famous for its special painted death masks or mummy portraits made during Roman times. These portraits show the faces of people buried in the area and mix Egyptian and Greek styles.

The construction of Philadelphia was recorded by a man named Zeno, who wrote many documents about daily life and business in the city. These papers, called the Zenon Papyri, help us learn about life in the third century BC.

Modern city

Faiyum is a lively city with many markets, mosques, and baths. A canal called the Bahr Yussef runs through the city, and houses line its banks. There are two bridges over the canal—one with three arches for the main street and bazaar, and another with two arches that holds the Qaitbay mosque. North of the city are mounds marking the place where ancient people once lived and worshipped a special crocodile. In the center of the city, you can find four waterwheels, which are a symbol of the area. The city is also home to a football club called Misr Lel Makkasa SC, which plays in the Egyptian Second Division.

Main sights

• The population of Faiyum Governorate is 4,164,914.
• The Hanging Mosque, built a long time ago by prince Marawan bin Hatem
• Hawara, an old place of interest 27 km (17 mi) from the city
• Lahun Pyramids, just 4 km (2 mi) outside the city
• Qaitbay Mosque, located in the city; built by the wife of the Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay
• Qasr Qarun, 44 km (27 mi) from the city
• Wadi Elrayan or Wadi Rayan, the largest waterfalls in Egypt, around 50 km (31 mi) from the city
• Wadi Al-Hitan or Valley of whales, an important paleontological site in the Faiyum Governorate, about 150 km (93 mi) southwest of Cairo. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Climate

The climate in Faiyum is classified as a hot desert.

The hottest temperature ever recorded there was 46 °C (115 °F) on June 13, 1965, and the coldest was 2 °C (36 °F) on January 8, 1966.

Notable people

People from Faiyum may be known as al-Fayyumi. Some famous individuals from this area include Tefta Tashko-Koço, a well-known Albanian singer, and Youssef Wahbi, a notable Egyptian actor who helped shape Egyptian cinema and theater.

Other important figures are Mohamed Ihab, Egypt's most decorated weightlifter and a World Champion, and Mariam Fakhr Eddine, an Egyptian actress known as "The Screen Beauty" for her unique looks, who appeared in over 240 films. Also from Faiyum was Pope John XVIII of Alexandria, who served as Pope from 1769 to 1796, and several talented football players like Magdy Atwa and Sayed Moawad.