IN ANCIENT mythology the great lake of Fayoum was identified with Nun, the primaeval ocean, the origin of all life, while the high land around the capital, Shedet, was the primaeval hill where life first came into existence. A legend recorded by Diodorus tells of how Menes, first king of a united Upper and Lower Egypt, was hunting in Fayoum when his own dogs attacked him near the lake. His life was saved by a crocodile, which carried him across the water to safety. In gratitude, he declared the lake a sanctuary for crocodiles and founded the city of Shedet (later Crocodilopolis, now Kiman Faris), which became the cult centre of the crocodile god Sobek. It is claimed that the lake's name is taken from the Arabic word qarn, or horn. and indeed E W Lane in the 1820s recorded the name of the lake as Berket Al-Qarn, saying it took its name from the horned peak on the island at its centre. Popular legend, however, says the lake and the temple take their name from a character who is once supposed to have lived there, and who is mentioned in both the Bible and the Quran. He had rebelled against Moses and was promptly punished by God by being swallowed into the earth along with his house and possessions. He was the one exultant in his richness, who finally met the wrath of God. The records of the French traveller Paul Lucas state that in 1714 his Bedouin companions told him Qaroun ruled the area, and that what is now desert then boasted several towns and more than 3,000 villages, with the best climate and the most fertile land in the world. Yet this evil ruler used magic to bring destruction to his land and turn it into the most sterile desert in all Egypt. As much of this area was cultivated until the decline of Roman rule in Egypt, in addition to the evidence of the existence of Roman and Ptolemaic towns in this area, Qaroun may have been a particularly unpopular Roman governor whose careless rule led to the desertification of this land. source: Fayoum: History and Guide, by R Neil Hewison.
