Translated by R. Neil Hewison

The legend of Kiman Faris was handed down by word of mouth through many generations. The following stories were collated to form this magical supernatural tale. It is a tale of love, revenge, magic and destruction!

The legend was probably a series of popular stories which were narrated by the locals of Fayoum and were collected in one story by Salah Wali. It was published in Arabic in Al Turath al- Sha’bi Magazine issued by the Folklore center of the ministry of information, Iraq in 1976.

We would like to thank Mr. R. Neil Hewison, the author of the Fayoum: History and Guide book who spent hours working on translating the legend bringing it to a larger audience of the English speaking community.

We used some stills from the classic film The Ten Commandments by Cecil B. De Mille to help you with imagining the legend in your head. It is worth noting that some scenes of the film were shot in the actual site of Kiman Faris in Fayoum! (Read more about the archaeological site of Kiman Faris in Fayoum city here).

“Once in the oasis of Fayoum, Egypt, there existed a village ruled by an alchemist named Faris”

Kiman Faris (Mounds of Faris) or Tilal Faris (Hills of Faris) is a village in the governorate of Fayoum, Egypt.

It is related that the ruler of this city, of which nothing remains but these mounds, was an alchemist and a summoner of spirits, and that the jinn worked in his service. Faris—for that was his name—worked in the royal palace as chamberlain and clairvoyant to the king, surpassing all kings with his magic to establish himself as ruler of the city.

“With the help of Jinn, Faris created a magnificent city and a magical flying pillar”

The jinn laid out for Faris the most beautiful city and the most wonderful gardens and set up for him there the pillar of deliverance—the flying pillar. From this pillar he could practice all his magical works over the whole city.

“Faris journeyed far and wide, seeking the noblest lady to be his bride”

Faris rode the pillar and passed over the mountains and the lowlands to choose the most beautiful and noble lady. The journeys of Faris on his flying pillar were many.

As he was flying he noticed a wonderfully beautiful young woman on a palace roof, so he set down his pillar there. The fair one trembled. He told her he came in peace, and the jinn did his work: the fair one was reassured. He spun an invented yarn that he was the son of a prince, likely to inherit the throne, but his father’s condition was that he must marry, and he had refused. But now he saw that his father was right—it was she that he would marry, and he would tell his father so.

“Faris spun tales of love, winning her heart with gifts and sweet words”

Faris repeated his visits to the beautiful woman many times, telling her tales of the beauty of his city and making the sweetest and finest professions of love, while the most expensive of gifts fell into her hands.

“But soon Faris vanished, leaving her in a state of longing”

But suddenly Faris broke off his accustomed visits. The moon rose, waxed, waned, went away, returned . . . but Faris did not come back, and the beautiful woman did not stop waiting for him every evening.

One night, the pillar landed carrying a servant of Faris. The beautiful woman approached him and learned from him that Faris was ill and wanted to see her—they would return before morning, because this pillar could cover the distance that ships or horses would take a thousand days over within the darkness of a night.

“Under the cover of night, they shared their love, unaware of the storm brewing”

The beautiful woman set off without thinking or looking. The pillar landed on the palace, and she saw her journey: the mountains and the lowlands, the desert and the rich lands, and the city of the vineyards—the city of Faris, her sick lover. She went in to him, greeted him, asked him how he fared, and why he had not let her know from the start. Their talk went on, interrupted only when twilight came and she must return home.

Thus passed the days, as talk of illness turned to talk of love, in romantic seclusion—and Faris now had the upper hand.

Faris stopped sending the pillar to her, and held himself aloof, and she was poisoned with the sufferings of love.

“Her father, suspicious of her late-night absences, sought the truth”

The beautiful woman’s father decreed the banishment of the sand reader who had told him that his daughter was pregnant by a stranger from a foreign land, to reach whose house would take a thousand days of travel by sea and sand, and to whom she flew every night.

How could the king believe him when he could see how long the journey was and how short the time? The fastest thing that the sorcerers had invented for him was that flying horse that they had recommended he use only in extremis. So how each night? But the father noticed his beautiful daughter’s belly growing bigger and he started to wonder.

“Meanwhile, danger loomed as merchants plotted destruction”

He recalled the sand reader and requested a consultation.

Ships laden with horses, cats, fire, and pitch crossed the seas and entered the river by one of its branches. Where the two branches met they stopped and the journey by horse westward in the desert began. Even though it took a thousand days, they arrived at the gate of the city, leaving the flying horse for him.

“Faris, with the help of the Jinn, turned the city upside down to save it”

Faris asked the jinn, who said, “The merchants are carrying fire and destruction, and they are on their way to you. We have no choice but to give you this salver. As soon as the merchants arrive, climb onto the pillar and turn the salver over on top of it. The city will be inverted under the ground and saved from destruction. And when the merchants return to whence they came, put the salver as it was, and the city will come back.”

Faris saw the caravan approaching.

The cats were painted with pitch and set alight and released toward the city. On the pillar, Faris turned the salver over, and the city sank down with all its inhabitants. The balls of fire found only sands.

“But the sand reader pursued him, determined to uncover the truth”

The sand reader followed Faris, who was on the pillar, with the salver turned over and the city under the ground. The cats died in flames on the sands of the city.

The sand reader went after Faris with the flying horse.

The sand reader could not catch up with Faris, considering the difference in speed, but the salver fell, and the pillar slowed. The flying horse almost caught up with Faris.

“In a final twist of fate, Faris fell, leaving behind the remnants of his magic”

Faris fell, and the pillar fell and broke at the Village of the Pillar, some fifty kilometers from Kiman Faris.

It is said that:

1. The sand reader went back to his people and told them the news. They tried to find the city under the ground, turning the area into hills called the Mounds of Faris or Kiman Faris.

2. The sand reader married the beautiful princess to put a stop to gossip and rumor.

3. The father of the beautiful princess killed the sand reader in front of the population in revenge of his honor after accusing him of treachery

4. If you visit the Village of the Pillar [Abgig Village] you will find something broken that resembles an ancient Egyptian obelisk, which is the pillar [or El Amud as the locals call it]. [The Monument of Abgig village which is thought to be the magical pillar, was moved to Fayoum city at the end of 1970s and it is currently standing in the Obelisk square.]

5. The Mounds of Faris cannot be cultivated, due to a spell put on them by the jinn . . . and no cats live there.