Krokodilopolis has also been known as Medyet, Arsinoe, and in modern times it's known as Medinet El-Fayoum. This city has had a long and glorious history.

According to legend, the first pharaoh, Menes, was attacked by his dogs while on a hunting trip to the Fayoum. He was saved by a crocodile and therefore dedicated a temple to Sebek, the crocodile god, declaring the lake a sanctuary. That temple still remains here in the city. Our fair city has been the center of the worship of Sebek ever since. Here, crocodiles are adorned with gold and fed honey cakes and meat by the priests. Herodotus wrote of some of our practices, both here and at Thebes (in the fifth century BC). He was particularly impressed with the elaborate care of the sacred animals here, as well as their mummification after death. He wrote:

"There, in every place one crocodile is kept, trained to be tame; they put ornaments of glass and gold on its ears and bracelets on its forefeet, provide for it special food and offerings, and give the creatures the best of treatment while they live; after death the crocodiles are embalmed and buried in sacred coffins.

Strabo, (writing in the first century BC) also wrote of his visit to Krokodilopolis, and confirmed some of the observations of Herodotus. He reports that the tamed crocodile, we call Souchos, is kept in a lake on the temple grounds and was fed grain, pieces of meat, wine and milk mixed with honey brought by foreigners who came to see the divine creature. You can visit Souchos at his pool whenever you wish.

Would you like to know a bit about our beliefs? I thought so....

I'm not a priest, but as I understand it, the powers of Sebek are thought to extend to the very creation of the world. Lake Moeris (Me-Wer), in the Fayoum, was regarded as the primeval ocean (Nun) of ancient myth wherein all forms of life originated. It was here at Krokodilopolis that the primordial mound arose out of the waters of this ocean, and life appeared on the earth for the first time. The crocodile, which emerges silently and mysteriously from the waters of the lakes and river, could be likened to the primeval mound and was thus believed  to embody the elemental powers of creation. Although a treacherous creature, it was considered a benefactor of the land, analogous to the Nile itself whose threatening floodwaters nonetheless ensured the perpetuity of life. Herodotus (writing in the fifth century BC) tells of our traditional belief in the elemental power of this beast and its ability to transform human beings into something approaching the divine:

"When anyone, be he Egyptian or stranger, is known to have been carted off by a crocodile or drowned by the river itself, such a one must by all means be embalmed and tended as fairly as may be and buried in a sacred coffin by the townsmen of the place where he is cast up; nor may his kinfolk or his friends touch him, but his body is deemed something more than human, and is handled and buried by the priests of the Nile themselves."

Plutarch and Pliny the Elder maintained that the crocodile was a prophet of the annual inundation, since the females, sensing the levels of the coming flood, would lay their eggs just beyond the anticipated high water mark. Further, according to Plutarch, they lay sixty eggs and hatch them in so many days and those who live longest live for this number of years, which is the primary measure for those concerned with heavenly phenomena.

That's enough of philosophy for now, it's time for a short history lesson:

During the rule of Senwosret II, but particularly during the 12th Dynasty's King Amenemhet I's rule, the area's importance was elevated because of his ingenious scheme to regulate the Nile floods using the Fayoum as a regulator reservoir. At that time there was a natural canal between the Nile and the Fayoum lake which at that time was called Me-Wer (or Greek Lake Moeris, meaning Great Lake). At Lahun was built the world's first dam to regulate the flow of water. During Nile floods, water would enter the Fayoum increasing the water level to as much as 18 meters above sea level. Later, water would be drained from the depression to irrigate Lower Egypt. At that time Fayoum became Egypt's most fertile agricultural area. Amenemhet III loved the region to such an extent that he abandoned his pyramid at Dashur to build his colossi at Biahmu, Narmuthis, a temple dedicated to Sebek, and at Hawara, his new pyramid and the famous, and very popular with the tourists, Labyrinth. A must see for any visitor to the area. Do try to stop by before you leave.

Periods of prosperity alternated with periods of recession depending in part upon the degree to which the prevailing government maintained the irrigation system that was vital to the productivity of the land. The agricultural richness of the area had long been recognized by Egyptian kings. As early as Dynasty XII (2040-1715 BC) an elaborate system of locks and canals was constructed under the pharaoh Amenemhet III. Lake Moeris, fed by a branch of the Nile, had once filled much of the oasis area, but by Ptolemaic times its level had been lowered so that much land, especially around the northern shore where Karanis is located, could be reclaimed. The early canals of Amenenhet III had long since fallen into decay when, under the early Ptolemies, a new and extensive irrigation system was put into working order.

As soon as the Greeks came into power (in 332 B.C.), they immediately focused their attention on the agricultural potential of this region, and thus the Fayoum developed a strong relationship to Alexandria. The Greeks, under Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 BC), populated the area with Greek veterans, Macedonians and other foreigners who began systematically improving the irrigation methods. They used Greek inventions such as the Archimedes' screw and the sakiya to irrigate over 618 sq. miles of land, much of which had been reclaimed by lowering the level of the lake. New crops, such as the apricot tree were also introduced. The Greeks settled in such towns as Krokodilopolis, Karanis and Dionysias. Ptolemy II named the nome, Arsinoe, after his sister-wife.

That is only a brief introduction to the city and area around Krokodilopolis, but I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to travel the city and countryside. You might want to worship at some of the temples, and not just the ones to Sebek. All gods are honored here. Although the temple of Narmuthis, dedicated to Sebek, rivals any in Kemet. You really should see the great Labyrinth at Hawara. It's fame extends even beyond Kemet, but is very much ours. Or you might want to simply enjoy the fertility of the area. Enjoy cool fruit in the shade and drink the fine beer made from our grains. Above all, please enjoy your stay here.

Sebek

Sebek (Greek Suchos), a crocodile-god worshiped in cities that depended on water, such as the oasis city of Krokodilopolis where the reptiles were kept in pools and adorned with jewels. God of the annual flood. The crocodile god, a god of protection, healing, and vengeance over the wrong-doer, and a symbol of great fear. He was worshipped at the Faiyum and Ombos. During the middle Kingdom he coalesced with Re, as Sebek-Re, and was worshipped as a primordial deity and creator-god.

Sebek symbolized the might of the Egyptian pharaohs. Son of Neith. Depicted as a crocodile or in human form with the head of a crocodile, crowned either by a pair of plumes or sometimes by a combination of the solar disk and the uraeus (cobra). Sobek was worshipped to appease him and his animals. According to some evidence, Sebek was considered a fourfold deity who represented the four elemental gods (Ra of fire, Shu of air, Geb of earth, and Osiris of water). In the Book of the Dead, Sebek assists in the birth of Horus; he fetches Isis and Nephthys to protect the deceased; and he aids in the destruction of Set.

His cult was widespread, although the Faiyum was particularly noted as a center of his worship. Kom Ombo (north of modern Aswan) and Thebes in Upper Egypt later became centers of his cult as well. Sobek was worshiped at the Ptolemaic double temple of Sebek and Harwer (Horus the Elder) at Kom Ombo. Sebek wears a crown of double plumes which rest on horizontal, curved ram's horns. A sun disk sits at the center base of the plumes, and uraei (rearing cobras) rest on each side.

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