Wadi El Rayan
A nature protectorate in the Faiyum desert, known for two lakes joined by low waterfalls, a rare sight in Egypt. Around them lie sand dunes, springs and wide desert, under the care of the Ministry of Environment.
- Where
- Faiyum, Faiyum, Egypt
- Grade
- Heritage site
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 3 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 29.1794, 30.4406
Get the Wadi El Rayan stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Wadi El Rayan. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Faiyum volume with your photos and a note.
Near Wadi El Rayan
Faiyum Oasis 33 km
A broad basin in the desert just west of the Nile, about 100 kilometres south of Cairo, green with fields watered by the Bahr Yussef channel. Around its farms lie salt lakes, ancient pyramids and the old waterwheels of Faiyum town.
Lake Qarun 37 km
A salt lake in the Faiyum, all that remains of ancient Lake Moeris, which once filled much of the basin and was fed by the Nile. Today its shores are lined with reeds and birds, with the desert rising on the far side.
Wadi Al-Hitan 40 km
A desert valley about 150 kilometres south-west of Cairo, listed by UNESCO in 2005 for its hundreds of fossils of the earliest whales. The skeletons, some with small hind legs, show how whales moved from land to sea.
Bent Pyramid 101 km
The second of four pyramids built by the Old Kingdom pharaoh Sneferu, about 40 kilometres south of Cairo. Partway up, the angle of its sides changes sharply, a record in stone of builders learning as they went, and much of its smooth casing survives.
Red Pyramid 102 km
The largest pyramid at Dahshur and the third largest in Egypt, after Khufu's and Khafre's at Giza. Named for the reddish tint of its stone, it is thought to be Egypt's first successful smooth-sided pyramid, and its passage leads down into high corbelled chambers.
Dahshur 103 km
A royal necropolis in the desert south of Saqqara, where the pharaoh Sneferu worked out how to build a true pyramid. His Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid stand here, far quieter than Giza, alongside later pyramids of the Middle Kingdom.
Saqqara 107 km
The great burial ground of ancient Memphis, stretching about 7 kilometres along the desert edge south of Cairo. Its pyramids include the Step Pyramid of Djoser, and its mastaba tombs hold some of the liveliest carved scenes of everyday life in Egypt.
Step Pyramid of Djoser 107 km
The first Egyptian pyramid, six stepped tiers of stone raised in the 27th century BC for the pharaoh Djoser and credited to his architect Imhotep. It is the earliest colossal stone building in Egypt, set in a vast walled courtyard of ceremonial buildings.
More heritage sites in Faiyum
Questions
Where is Wadi El Rayan?
Wadi El Rayan is in Faiyum, Faiyum, Egypt. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Faiyum Oasis (33 km), Lake Qarun (37 km), Wadi Al-Hitan (40 km).
How do I get the Wadi El Rayan stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Wadi El Rayan and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Faiyum volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Wadi El Rayan before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Faiyum volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.