Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany re-opened Kom Aushim Museum in the Fayoum governorate, South of Cairo, after it had undergone renovation.
During the event, El-Enany said that the inauguration comes within the framework of the ministry’s plan to reopen closed museums and open new archaeological sites to encourage tourism to the country.
"The museum has on display a collection of 320 artefacts telling the history of Fayoum and the traditions of its inhabitants along the span of history," said Elham Salah, the head of the ministry’s Museums Department.
Some of these artefacts were among the museum's existing collection while others are being exhibited for the first time and come from the galleries of the Kom Aushim archaeological sites and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The restoration includes the installation of new security and lighting systems, the replacing of old showcases, raising the museum’s external iron fence by three metres and the building of new control towers.
The museum's facade and walls were also polished.
The museum was built at the entrance of Karanis town in 1974 to relate the history of Fayoum governorate. In 1993, a new floor was added to the museum, though in 2006 it was closed for restoration.
Located near the ruins of the Ptolemaic town of Karanis, the Kom Aushim Museum houses artifacts that illustrate the daily lives and funerary practices of the ancient inhabitants of the area. The highlight of the collection is a group of examples of the famous Faiyum mummy portraits. Labels are in Arabic and English.
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Open daily, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (9:00 AM – 3:00 PM during Ramadan)
Student rates available to bearers of a valid student ID from an Egyptian University or an International Student ID Card (ISIC)
LOCATION:
Cairo Road, next to the ruins of Karanis
DIRECTIONS:
BY BUS: Buses leave from Kubri al-Masalla in al-Fayoum at 7AM and 2:30 PM.
BY TAXI: ask for “met-haf kom oshim”
FACILITIES:
The museum curator speaks good English, and is happy to explain the artifacts. If you call a day ahead, the museum can also arrange a guide for nearby ruins.
The ancient site of Karanis (Kom Aushim) lies approximately 50 miles southeast of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis. Founded as a military settlement by Ptolemy II Philadelphus in the 3rd Century B.C., the town flourished as a center of agriculture and trade for more than seven hundred years. Today, visitors can see the remnants of a once bustling rural community, including the foundations of mud-brick homes, courtyards, and the two main avenues that once ran through the town.
Two stone temples from the Ptolemaic period remain standing, one of which dates back to the 1st century B.C. and is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek (or Souchos, as the Greeks called him). Tourists can also visit the nearby Kom Aushim Museum to see the impressive number of Greco-Roman artifacts that have been discovered among the ruins. Karanis was one of the first Greco-Roman sites ever to be excavated in Egypt, and has produced important evidence for daily life might have been like for the average Egyptian living under Greek, and subsequently Roman, rule.
HOURS OF OPERATION:
The ruins are open daily, 8 AM – 5 PM.
The Ptolemaic temples and Kom Aushim Museum are open from 8 AM – 4 PM
LOCATION:
Kom Aushim, Faiyum Oasis. , Approximately 50 miles southeast of Cairo, and 16 miles north of Medinat El-Faiyum
DIRECTIONS:
BY BUS: Buses run regularly from Cairo to Medinat el-Faiyum via Midan Ahmed Helmi.
BY CAR/TAXI: If driving from Cairo, cars reach the Faiyum Oasis via the Desert Road from Giza. If using a taxi service, once in the area, ask for the Kom Aushim Museum.
SPECIAL SECURITY NOTE: If you are not using the local public transportation, please note that security restrictions in the Faiyum area may require foreign tourists to travel with a police escort.
FACILITIES:
In Medinat el-Faiyum, there is a kiosk for tourist information and a cafeteria.
During the event, El-Enany said that the inauguration comes within the framework of the ministry’s plan to reopen closed museums and open new archaeological sites to encourage tourism to the country.
"The museum has on display a collection of 320 artefacts telling the history of Fayoum and the traditions of its inhabitants along the span of history," said Elham Salah, the head of the ministry’s Museums Department.
Some of these artefacts were among the museum's existing collection while others are being exhibited for the first time and come from the galleries of the Kom Aushim archaeological sites and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The restoration includes the installation of new security and lighting systems, the replacing of old showcases, raising the museum’s external iron fence by three metres and the building of new control towers.
The museum's facade and walls were also polished.
The museum was built at the entrance of Karanis town in 1974 to relate the history of Fayoum governorate. In 1993, a new floor was added to the museum, though in 2006 it was closed for restoration.
Located near the ruins of the Ptolemaic town of Karanis, the Kom Aushim Museum houses artifacts that illustrate the daily lives and funerary practices of the ancient inhabitants of the area. The highlight of the collection is a group of examples of the famous Faiyum mummy portraits. Labels are in Arabic and English.
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Open daily, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (9:00 AM – 3:00 PM during Ramadan)
Student rates available to bearers of a valid student ID from an Egyptian University or an International Student ID Card (ISIC)
LOCATION:
Cairo Road, next to the ruins of Karanis
DIRECTIONS:
BY BUS: Buses leave from Kubri al-Masalla in al-Fayoum at 7AM and 2:30 PM.
BY TAXI: ask for “met-haf kom oshim”
FACILITIES:
The museum curator speaks good English, and is happy to explain the artifacts. If you call a day ahead, the museum can also arrange a guide for nearby ruins.
The ancient site of Karanis (Kom Aushim) lies approximately 50 miles southeast of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis. Founded as a military settlement by Ptolemy II Philadelphus in the 3rd Century B.C., the town flourished as a center of agriculture and trade for more than seven hundred years. Today, visitors can see the remnants of a once bustling rural community, including the foundations of mud-brick homes, courtyards, and the two main avenues that once ran through the town.
Two stone temples from the Ptolemaic period remain standing, one of which dates back to the 1st century B.C. and is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek (or Souchos, as the Greeks called him). Tourists can also visit the nearby Kom Aushim Museum to see the impressive number of Greco-Roman artifacts that have been discovered among the ruins. Karanis was one of the first Greco-Roman sites ever to be excavated in Egypt, and has produced important evidence for daily life might have been like for the average Egyptian living under Greek, and subsequently Roman, rule.
HOURS OF OPERATION:
The ruins are open daily, 8 AM – 5 PM.
The Ptolemaic temples and Kom Aushim Museum are open from 8 AM – 4 PM
LOCATION:
Kom Aushim, Faiyum Oasis. , Approximately 50 miles southeast of Cairo, and 16 miles north of Medinat El-Faiyum
DIRECTIONS:
BY BUS: Buses run regularly from Cairo to Medinat el-Faiyum via Midan Ahmed Helmi.
BY CAR/TAXI: If driving from Cairo, cars reach the Faiyum Oasis via the Desert Road from Giza. If using a taxi service, once in the area, ask for the Kom Aushim Museum.
SPECIAL SECURITY NOTE: If you are not using the local public transportation, please note that security restrictions in the Faiyum area may require foreign tourists to travel with a police escort.
FACILITIES:
In Medinat el-Faiyum, there is a kiosk for tourist information and a cafeteria.
