Tag Archives: Faiyum

Karanis

Founded ca. 270 BC- abandoned ca. AD 650 The village of Karanis is located in the northern part of the Fayum Oasis, south-west of today’s Calro; the modern name of the place is Kom Aushim, easily to be reached on the highway to the Fayum from Cairo. After approx. 60 km from the pyramids of Giza, you see the remains of ancient Karanis on your left-hand side. Like many other villages in the Fayoum, Karanis was

Continue reading Karanis

The pedestals of Biahmu

Al Sanam -The Idol

Eastern Pedestal amidst the fields.

The remains of two large stone pedestals that once supported colossi of Amenemhat III stand just north of the small village of Biahmu, some 7 Kilometers north of Fayoum .The two large pedestals somewhat ruinous, but essentially complete stone ,light yellow in color and now partly supported by Department of Antiquities bricks. 

Hawara Pyramid ( The Last of the great Egyptian Pyramids )

Sphinx of Amenemhat III
Sphinx of Amenemhat III

 Amenemhet III was the last great ruler of the Middle kingdom as numerous inscriptions on monuments from Syria to the third cataract on Nile testify

Hawara’s historical site is not only famous for its pyramid and its mortuary temple. It’s also famous because in 1888 professor Petrie discovered in the tombs around the pyramid, the first of the famous fayoum portraits, the incredibly lifelike portraits that were attached to the mummies of the deceased settlers of roman era in the fayoum. portraits were found in other parts of the fayoum and in other parts of Egypt but most of those we now see in museums around the world were found here at Hawara.