Solstice sun
Light in the sanctuary.
Einsamer Schütze — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Einsamer Schütze — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Einsamer Schütze — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Roland Unger — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Roland Unger — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Roland Unger — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Einsamer Schütze — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Einsamer Schütze — CC BY-SA 4.0
A Ptolemaic limestone temple at the western end of Lake Qarun, dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god who was Fayoum's great deity; the town around it was called Dionysias in Greek and Roman times. People in the Islamic era named it Qasr Qarun for its closeness to the lake. It is among Fayoum's best-preserved temples, with a plain, massive facade and inside a maze of dark passages and rooms on two levels, and stairs up to the roof, which looks out over the desert, the ruins of the old town and the remains of a nearby Roman fort. The temple is known for an astronomical event each year on 21 December, the winter solstice, when the rising sun's rays reach in to light the sanctuary deep inside, and visitors gather to watch. A foreign visitor's ticket costs about a hundred and fifty Egyptian pounds according to the ministry list, and it opens from eight to five. Bring a torch for the dark rooms; it pairs with Lake Qarun and Wadi El Rayan.
Light in the sanctuary.
Two levels of rooms.
Views over Dionysias.
Near the western end of Lake Qarun, about forty-four kilometres from Fayoum city
Every year at sunrise on 21 December; the temple gets crowded that day, so arrive early.