Egypt Tourism

Oases

The word oasis is often used to describe a place where you can forget the cares of everyday life, relax,rest and renew yourself.
Egypt's oases are just that: unspoilt refuges from the modern world, pockets of civilization in the dramatic setting of the desert. Surrounded by sand and sky, the oases have a sense of timelessness,rare in the 20th century.

Man and nature have co-existed here since the Stone Age,but the stars,the rock formations and the dunes defy the calculation of human calendars.
Egypt's oases are still the most varied in the world, each with a distinguished character of its own.

Wherever you stay, enjoy the tranquility of the Bedouin lifestyle, the date groves and pigeon towers. For adventure and excitement, explore the majesty of the desert by camel or jeep safari; spend a night under the stars. Take a morning dip in the hot sulphur springs, the water and silt which have numerous curative properties.

Fayoum oasis
The main town in the oasis is located 85 km south of Cairo, 75 km from Giza Pyramids and 105 km from Cairo Airport. Its name is probably derived from ‘Fayoum' meaning water. Although usually described as an oasis Fayoum is not fed by underground water,like the Western Desert oasis further south west but by water from the Nile transported to this natural triangular depression by a series of canals.


Having irrigated the oasis, the water runs into Lake Qaroun which despite having dramatically shrunk over the past few thousand years, is at about 215 sq km still Egypt's largest natural salt-water lake.

About 70,000 years ago the Nile flood first broke through the low mountains which surround the large Fayoum Depression and formed Lake Qaroun and the surrounding marshes. This is believed to be one, f not the first,site of agriculture in the world, as plants which grew around the lake were collected, land was fenced in, and dry and guarded storage areas were built. Even today, Fayoum is still famous for fruit and vegetables and its chicken. To describe food as Fayoumi, it means delicious.

The 12th Dynasty Pharaoh Amenemhet I (1991-1992 BC) first drained part of the marshes to develop the area for agriculture and also dug a large canal from the Nile controlled by a regulator at Lahun to the north west of Beni Swef.

The result of this and further developments by Amenemhet III (1842-1797 BC), who showed great interest in the area and built a pyramid at Hawara, was lake Moeris (Great Lake), twice the present size and teeming with fish, and an agricultural area to the south renowned for its rich and varied crops.

The Romans,who called the area Crocodilopolis (because of the crocodiles) changed Fayoum's previous system of crop rotation and forced the area to supply grain exclusively to the Roman market. Muslims believe that Prophet Joseph developed the area during his captivity in Egypt through the canalization of Bahr Youssef river and by building the world's first dam.

Although Fayoum's national strategic importance diminished with the canalization of the Nile Delta, it remains one of the most producer agricultural areas in the country.
The water level in Lake Qaroun had been falling for about 2,000 years, as it received less and less water until the construction of the Aswan High Dam led to greater stability in the level of the Nile.

By the Middle Ages, the lake had become far too salty to sustain fresh-water fish and new species were introduced. The shrunken lake now lies 45 meters below sea level since 70,000 years ago. It now appears that water table is rising again as houses and fields at the lakeside have been flooded in recent years.


The beach resorts around Lake Qaroun still attract the more affluent visitors to the region. The number of visitors is increasing and while half are Egyptians, about a third are Europeans. The season runs all year round, but from January to April it is considered too cold to swim. The highly motivated regional government is now studying new tourist desert sites to the north and west of Lake Qaroun,a wild life park and conservation area, and infrastructure is being developed. A conference hall is being built together with museums showing monuments, fossils and civilization.

As part of its efforts to persuade tourists to visit areas outside the Nile Valley, the Egyptian Tourist Association is trying to encourage tours from Cairo via Fayoum to both the Red Sea coast and Upper Egypt which would undoubtedly be a wonderful and fascinating tour.

The city of Fayoum, in the center of the depression, is the province's capital and the largest of its 5 small cities. The oasis population is 1.45 million. In Fayoum City itself the covered market place and the adjacent street of gold smiths found across the 4th bridge to the west of the central tourist office, are worth a visit .

Places to see in Egypt