Travel Guide Nature Reserve Of Lake Qaroun

Originally a vast expanse of water, it gradually dried up for reasons that are still unclear: geological collapse, infiltration, strong evaporation due to climate warming... In Pharaonic times, its level dropped so much that Ammenemes I (2110 BC) undertook irrigation and drainage works that allowed the water to rise to the level we know today. The history of Fayoum (Pa-Youm in Coptic means "the lake, the sea") is obviously linked to that of its lake, on whose shores crocodiles proliferated in great numbers. As a result, the inhabitants worshipped the crocodile god Sobek (the Greeks later gave the name Crocodilopolis to present-day Medinat el-Fayoum). A richly populated region since ancient times, it reached its peak during the Ptolemaic period, serving as a holiday resort for the notables of Memphis, and supplying the kingdom with cereals, fruit, vegetables and dried fish. With the arrival of the Arabs, to whom the inhabitants put up fierce resistance, the Fayoum suffered a severe recession, due in particular to the destruction of a large part of the irrigation system. It wasn't until the 1950s that the region's resources were reclaimed - successfully, as you'll see - but without recovering what the desert had gained from the once fertile land. On the whole, Lake Qaroun is shallow, averaging 4 to 6 m in depth, with a few "pits" of around ten metres. It stretches 42 km from shore to shore, with a maximum width of 9 km. The salinity of its waters varies greatly from one point to another, making it unsuitable for irrigation. In fact, as you approach the river, the vegetation loses all its exuberance and gives way to bleak, desert-like plains, with the north bank being a vast desert. You'll certainly be offered a trip on the lake, in a boat or small sailboat. It's an excellent opportunity to take a swim, avoiding the often muddy banks. You'll be able to admire the contrasting landscape of this region: on one side, all the shades of green of the abundant vegetation; on the other, the raw, vivid aridity of the desert yellows.