Travel: The Green Fields of Faiyum

Tiny flatfish sold by the highway, iridescent green bee-eaters swooping over tangled telephone wires and mud-brick pyramids in the midst of farmland – in Fayoum Oasis, ancient culture and abundant nature combine for the perfect weekend adventure.

Under two hours drive from the capital, the area is home to some of the country’s most interesting wildlife. The reason is the oasis’ unique habitat. Connected to the Nile by a canal, the saltwater Lake Qaroon provides food for a huge number of birds, including various species of herons, waders and in the winter months, flamingoes.

Lake Qaroon itself used to be filled by the floodwaters of the Nile, and was freshwater. However, in 2,300 BC the channel that linked the valley with the Fayoum depression was made into the Bahr Yussef canal, constructed to provide a permanent supply of Nile water and silt to the farmland in the area. The lake provided a way to store water during high floods for around 2,000 years, but when the nearest branch of the Nile silted up, Lake Moeris (as it was then called) receded to its present size. With a limited amount of freshwater coming in and evaporation from the desert sun, salinity increased, and the lake became saltwater.

Nevertheless, certain species of fish have found the lake a perfect habitat, and every day fishermen on the calm waters of Qaroon pull out flatfish, Grey Mullet and Tilapia to sell on the roadsides and in the markets of Fayoum City and Cairo. Hundreds of canals now link the area to the Nile Valley.

As a visitor, if you are using public transport, your first stop will probably be Fayoum City. While it does have a certain unusual charm, owing to the canal running through the middle of town and the wooden waterwheels, the ‘city’ is a fairly unremarkable provincial center. There are hotels in town, and for an easy weekend trip to see the archeological sites, staying there would be a good option.