Archaeological site · Egypt
Qasr Qarun Temple
معبد قصر قارون
Temple of the crocodile god Sobek near the western edge of Lake Qarun, whose sanctuary is lit by the rising sun on 21 December.
Where it is
29.4056, 30.4183
Why go
Near the western edge of Lake Qarun in the Fayoum, this temple's sanctuary belonged to the crocodile god Sobek, and a winged sun disk crowns its entrance. Each year on 21 December the rays of the rising sun align on the sanctuary, an event described by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The Fayoum governorate marked the alignment publicly on 21 December 2024.
Near Qasr Qarun Temple
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.
32 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Archaeological site
Qasr el-Sagha Temple
Unfinished, uninscribed Middle Kingdom temple in the desert north of Lake Qarun, once close to the ancient shore.
33 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Museum
Wadi Al-Hitan Fossils and Climate Change Museum
Museum at the Wadi Al-Hitan World Heritage site, built around the largest intact skeleton of the ancient whale Basilosaurus isis.
42 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
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.
49 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ