Lake Moeris
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Lake Moeris was an ancient lake located in the Fayum depression, 80 km southwest of Cairo in Egypt. The depression in total covers an area of about 1700 square km.
In prehistoric times, the depression was likely dry, but with the gradual rise of the river bed the high Nile reached a level at which it could enter through a natural offshoot of the river. The lake first began to form about 3000 BC, around the time of Menes. However, for the most part it would only be filled with high flood waters. The lake was bordered by neolithic settlements, and the town of Crocodilopolis grew up on the south where the higher ground created a ridge.
In 2300 BC, the waterway from the Nile to the natural lake was widened and deepened to create a canal which is now known as the Bahr Yusuf, which fed into the small lake to make a large artificial reservoir. This was meant to serve three purposes: control the flooding of the Nile, regulate the water level of the Nile during dry seasons, and serve the surrounding area with irrigation. The lake was eventually abandoned due to the nearest branch of the Nile dwindling in size from 230 BC, creating the modern province of Al Fayyum.
Today there is a smaller lake in its place, known as Lake Karun, or in Arabic, Birket Qarun.
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This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
