Tag Archives: Faiyum

Ten quarries of Ancient Egypt: 8 – The quarry at Widan el-Faras that disappeared

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Per Storemyr

Many of you know the Old Kingdom basalt quarries at Widan el-Faras in the Northern Faiyum Desert. Some of you are also familiar with the partial destruction of the quarries by modern basalt quarrying. When we first started to work at Widan, about 12 years ago, in a project headed by Elizabeth Bloxam at UCL, the breathtaking lava and escarpment landscape was still quite pristine. A few years later a substantial part of the quarries had been eaten by machines. Though we had learnt by then that many other quarries in Egypt were under threat from modern development, Widan was a key reason for starting the QuarryScapes project – an EU-funded project on conservation of ancient quarries. Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Heritage destruction, Old quarries | Tagged Ancient Egypt, ancient egyptian quarries, conservation, Cultural heritage, Faiyum, quarry, ten quarries of ancient egypt, Widan el-Faras | Leave a comment

A Google Map of the Northern Faiyum Desert

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Per Storemyr

A little while ago I posted about the Egyptian Petition to save the marvellous landscape in the Northern Faiyum from destruction by massive tourist and other development. Since then the campaign NO PORTO FAYOUM is putting increasing pressure on developers … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient Egypt, Archaeology, Old quarries | Tagged Ancient Egypt, conservation, Cultural heritage, Faiyum | Leave a comment

Egyptian petition: Stop destruction of Lake Qarun Protected Area in the Faiyum!

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Per Storemyr

For all interested in landscape conservation: Please sign the Egyptian petition on stopping the destruction of a truly spectacular, protected landscape in the Northern Faiyum! The Northern Faiyum has it all: Splendid landscape, fantastic fossils, a unique cultural heritage back … Continue reading →