Al-Fayyum
/ˌæl faɪˈjuːm/noun
A fertile depression and historical region in central Egypt, southwest of Cairo, surrounding Lake Qarun.
Did you know?The name descends from an ancient Egyptian expression for “the lake,” referring to the water-rich depression later known to Greek and Roman writers as the Arsinoite nome.
Etymological Timeline
Middle Egyptian, 2nd millennium BCE
Egyptian
pꜣ-ywm
“The lake; a reference to the great inland water basin in the depression.”
Ptolemaic Period, 3rd–1st century BCE
Greek
Arsinoïtēs nomos
“The Arsinoite district, named for Queen Arsinoe II; the region’s older Egyptian name continued beneath the Greek administrative title.”
Late Antiquity
Coptic
ⲡⲓⲟⲙ (Piyom/Phiom)
“The lake or the Fayyum region, preserving the ancient Egyptian place-name.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
الفيوم (al-Fayyūm)
“The Fayyum; Arabic al- means “the,” attached to the inherited regional name.”
Modern English
English
Al-Fayyum / Faiyum
“The Egyptian oasis region and its principal city, also commonly spelled Faiyum or Fayum.”
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