Archaeological site · Egypt
Qasr el-Sagha Temple
قصر الصاغة
Unfinished, uninscribed Middle Kingdom temple in the desert north of Lake Qarun, once close to the ancient shore.
Where it is
29.5950, 30.6778
Why go
This small temple stands in the desert north of Lake Qarun. It was never finished and carries no inscriptions, so its builder is unknown, but scholars place it in the Middle Kingdom. It now lies about eight kilometres from the water, yet when it was built the lake shore was only a few hundred metres away, which makes the temple a marker of how far the ancient Fayoum lake has shrunk.
Near Qasr el-Sagha Temple
Archaeological site
Karanis (Kom Aushim)
Mud-brick ruins of a Ptolemaic and Roman farming town on the Fayoum's northeastern edge, known for granaries and finds of daily life.
23 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Archaeological site
Qasr Qarun Temple
Temple of the crocodile god Sobek near the western edge of Lake Qarun, whose sanctuary is lit by the rising sun on 21 December.
33 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Archaeological site
Medinet Madi (Narmouthis)
Desert-edge temple town in the southwest Fayoum with a rare inscribed Middle Kingdom temple, sphinx-lined avenues and later temples.
45 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Archaeological site
Meidum Pyramid
Meidum preserves an important stage in the development from stepped to smooth-sided pyramids.
52 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ