Lake Moeris

The large natural basin in the Fayum, which was transformed by the kings of Dynasty XII. into a great lake. Amen-em-hat III. must have the credit of securing the lake within fixed limits, and regulating the flow of water in and out, and of damming out from it by a huge embankment a tract of land about forty square miles in area, which he drained, and which thus became one of the most fertile spots in all Egypt. Lake Moeris, lit. *Mer-wer*, “the great lake,” which at the present day is represented by the Birket el Kurun, is about 130 feet below sea level, and it is calculated that it contains 1,500,000,000 cubic metres of water. It abounds in fish. In the Cairo Museum there is a very interesting papyrus which represents Lake Moeris and the canal which connected it with the Nile. Round the lake basin are marked a number of towns and shrines. From this papyrus we learn that the ancient names for Lake Moeris were, *She*, “the lake,” and *She-ur*, “the great lake”; while the surrounding district was known by the appellation of *Ta-she*, “the lake land,” of which the modern Fayum is an exact translation.