Faiyum, Egypt
Coordinates: 29.433068, 30.453678
Qaroon Lake is a huge lake that brings life to the timeless knolls and dunes of Egypt’s Western Desert.
Throughout Egypt’s history colourful myths and stories have been associated with this big body of water. Today Qaroon Lake waters spread out over 53,000 acres.
Many believe that the name Qaroon can be attributed to the protagonist of a story in the Quran.
The Qaroon of the story was an opulent man, a contemporary of Hz. Musa عليه اسلام, who is believed to have lived in Egypt, and had all his mansions and possessions flooded as a punishment for his sins.
The “Treasure” in the lake
Fishermen and many others who live by the lake believe that Qaroon’s treasures lurk beneath the surface of the present day lake, and that they are guarded by a fairy or a mermaid.
Over the years stories have been told of people diving for the treasures but so far all attempts at recovery have been in vain.
Among the fishermen, fables are told of people who claim to have witnessed the mermaid and were mesmerised by her charm and magic.
In the 1980s rumours swept through Fayoum that the treasures of Lake Qaroon would only be revealed after 200 children were be slaughtered as a sacrifice.
Widespread panic ensued and people kept their children from going to schools lest they would be kidnapped by archaeologists or treasure hunters.
Some researchers claim that Hz. Musa عليه اسلام and his people crossed Qaroon Lake at the time of the Exodus, while others claimed that Fayoum was the birthplace of the Hz. Yusuf عليه اسلام.
Doubts in the theory
Historians have indicated that this lake with Qasr Qaroon and has nothing to do with the historical Qaroon. Nor is there anything that proves that present day Qaroon Lake was the location where Qaroon lived.
