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Dionysias: Temple of Sobek-Re at Qasr Qarun    .


Temple of Sobek-Re at Qasr Qarun (Descrip. de l'Egypte vol.1, 1809).


 Qasr Qarun sits within the ruins of the ancient town of Dionysias, located on the southwestern end of Lake Moeris (today Lake Qarun) in the the Fayum region. This area  was first settled in the Late or Saitic Period (664-332 BC), and then heavily colonized during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods (330 BC- AD 410). The Arabic name Qasr Qarun means "castle at Qarun."

Dionysias lay at the start of the caravan route across the Western Desert to Bahriya Oasis.  During the Ptolemaic and Roman periods the town held municipal baths, villas, and two known temples. The smaller of these, the Temple of Sobek-Re, was dedicated to the Fayum crocodile-headed diety Sobek. Built mainly of mudbrick in the early Ptolemaic period at about 330- 320 BC, its rectangular facade had slightly tilted walls, which are clearly shown in this drawing from the French Expedition in 1798-9.

The illustration also shows the Temple with its roof and part of its facade missing. The facade was restored in the late 19th century, and other restorations were made during the 20th century. 

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