Al Fayyum Governorate
Encyclopedia
Faiyum Governorate is one of the governorates
of Egypt
in the middle of the country. Its capital is the city of Faiyum, located about 81 mi (130 km) south west of Cairo
. It has a population of 2,512,792 (2006).
/ efiom/peiom (whence the proper name payoum), meaning the Sea or the Lake, which in turn comes from late Egyptian
pA y-m of the same meaning, a reference to the nearby Lake Moeris
.
Governorates of Egypt
Egypt is divided for administrative purposes into 27 governorates . Egyptian governorates are the top tier of the country's five-tier jurisdiction hierarchy. A governorate is administered by a governor, who is appointed by the President of Egypt and serves at the president's discretion...
of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in the middle of the country. Its capital is the city of Faiyum, located about 81 mi (130 km) south west of Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. It has a population of 2,512,792 (2006).
Etymology
The name Faiyum comes from CopticCoptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
/ efiom/peiom (whence the proper name payoum), meaning the Sea or the Lake, which in turn comes from late Egyptian
Egyptian language
Egyptian is the oldest known indigenous language of Egypt and a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. Written records of the Egyptian language have been dated from about 3400 BC, making it one of the oldest recorded languages known. Egyptian was spoken until the late 17th century AD in the...
pA y-m of the same meaning, a reference to the nearby Lake Moeris
Lake Moeris
Lake Moeris is an ancient lake in the northwest of the Faiyum Oasis, southwest of Cairo, Egypt. It persists in modern times as a smaller lake called Birket Qarun. The lake's surface is 140 ft below sea-level, and covers about ....
.
Geography
The governorate of Faiyum includes:- The large fertile Faiyum OasisFaiyum OasisThe Faiyum Oasis is a depression or basin in the desert immediately to the west of the Nile south of Cairo. The extent of the basin area is estimated at between 490 mi² and 656 mi²...
, which comprises farmland, Lake MoerisLake MoerisLake Moeris is an ancient lake in the northwest of the Faiyum Oasis, southwest of Cairo, Egypt. It persists in modern times as a smaller lake called Birket Qarun. The lake's surface is 140 ft below sea-level, and covers about ....
, and some cities. - South of the Faiyum Oasis, a smaller depression contains the town of El Gharaq el Sulţāni. It is also irrigated from the NileNileThe Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
. - A dry barren depression named Wadi ElrayanWadi ElrayanWadi El Rayan: Is a unique natural Egyptian Protectorate in Faiyum Governorate, under the supervision of The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency .-Geography:...
, which covers 280 mi² (725 km²), west of the El Gharaq el Sulţāni depression. - Desert and dry mountains, which mostly surround the depressions.
See also
- Bahr YussefBahr YussefThe Bahr Yussef, which roughly translates from Arabic as "the waterway of Joseph", is a canal which connects the Nile River with Fayyum in Egypt. This was originally in prehistoric times a natural offshoot of the Nile which created a lake to the west during high floods. Beginning with the 12th...
- Egyptian FayoumiEgyptian FayoumiThe Fayoumi is a breed of chicken originating in Egypt. Fayoumis are a very old breed in their native region, and are named for the Faiyum Governorate southwest of Cairo and west of the Nile...
Chicken. - Faiyum mummy portraits
- Faiyum OasisFaiyum OasisThe Faiyum Oasis is a depression or basin in the desert immediately to the west of the Nile south of Cairo. The extent of the basin area is estimated at between 490 mi² and 656 mi²...
- Lake MoerisLake MoerisLake Moeris is an ancient lake in the northwest of the Faiyum Oasis, southwest of Cairo, Egypt. It persists in modern times as a smaller lake called Birket Qarun. The lake's surface is 140 ft below sea-level, and covers about ....
- Wadi ElrayanWadi ElrayanWadi El Rayan: Is a unique natural Egyptian Protectorate in Faiyum Governorate, under the supervision of The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency .-Geography:...
External links
- Fayoum Governorate Official website