fayoum report submited 11-12-2006

8/4/2019 Fayoum Report submited 11-12-2006

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FAYOUM ECOTOURISM

DEVELOPMENT PLAN

2005-2015

Fayoum Governorate, EgyptConsultant

Environmental Design Group, EDGEnvironmental Consultants, Planners, Architects, Landscape Architects

December 2006


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables...........................................................................................................4List of Maps.............................................................................................................4Contributors.............................................................................................................5

1. Introduction1.1 Values and strategic significance of the Fayoum .................................. 71.2 Previous plans and policies...................................................................10

2. The Market Profile2.1 Current Demand....................................................................................142.2 Season of use.......................................................................................15

2.2.1 High Season...........................................................................152.2.2 Low season ...........................................................................162.2.3 Shoulder season....................................................................16

2.3 Current Supply......................................................................................16

3. Environmental and culture setting3.1 Natural Heritage...................................................................................19

3.1.1. Paleontology.........................................................................193.1.2 Geology and soils ..................................................................213.1.3 Landforms and Natural landscape ........................................223.1.4 Climate...................................................................................243.1.5 Flora.......................................................................................243.1.6 Fauna.................................................................................... 253.2 History and archaeology ....26

3.3 Handicrafts and local culture.......313.3.1. Basketry and Palm Products.............31

3.3.2. Pottery.......323.3.3. Handmade Textile..................333.3.4. Rowboat construction.........333.3.5. Fishing nets....... ...343.3.6. Mat made from Sammar plant.......343.3.7. Cordage (Dobarah) made from flax plant.343.3.8. Handicraft assessment in the Fayoum.....34

4. Situation Analyses4.1 Constraints.........38

4.1.1 Land Jurisdiction Issue........38

4.1.2 Intrusive Security Management......384.1.3 Water Pollution..... .384.1.4 Negative impact on Critical Habitats......394.1.5 Fossil and Heritage Sites excavation........394.1.6 Modern Mines and Quarries....404.1.7 Traditional Use Areas...404.1.8 Potential Threats to Humans...414.1.9 Human Resources and Local Work Force....414.1.10 Quality and Quantity of the Existing Tourism Facilities........41

4.2 Opportunities......424.2.1 Diversity of Resources/Attractions.........424.2.2 Accessibility.......43

4.2.3 Willingness of the Local Community......43


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4.3 Ecological sub-zones and Key Habitats.44Zone One: Desert Areas........44Zone Two: Lakes' Areas............47Zone Three: Lakes' Shores....50Zone Four: Agriculture Lands........51

5. Ecotourism Development Program.5.1 Vision and objectives....... ........54

5.1.1 The Vision..................545.1.2 Objectives...........545.1.3 Planning Objectives..............545.1.4 Strategy .............545.1.5 Guiding principals.................555.1.6 Stakeholders..............55

5.2 The target Market..............565.3 Visitor experience..............57

5.3.1 Proposed themes and activities..............57

5.3.2 Proposed Visitor experience zones...............64Wild zones............................................................................65Primitive zones.....................................................................66Semi-primitive zone..............................................................66Threshold (development zones)..........67

5.4 Proposed ecotourism Facilities and Services...........69

5.4.1 Visitor Centers..................695.4.2 Interpretive stations.....................695.4.3 Lodging Facilities.................71

Ecolodges. ..........71Campsites ..............72

5.4.4 Multipurpose Ecostations........745.4.5 Handicraft outlets.............745.4.6 Medical Facilities.................755.4.7 Jetties....................755.4.8 Information Materials..................75

5.5 Trail System..............775.5.1 Wild Trails........................775.5.2 Primitive Trails.................785.5.3 Semi-Primitive Trails......................785.5.4 Threshold Trails......................785.5.5 Emergency Trails...........................78

5.6 Upgrading and improvement areas.......................79

5.7 Capacity Building............................805.7.1 Capacity Building for the FTA and Fayoum staff............815.7.2 Capacity Building for the Local Guides................825.7.3 Capacity Building for the young Local architects on ecolodgeDesign...83

Annexes .Annex 1: Sample Itineraries..................... 85Annex 2: Ecotourism Resources inventory of the Fayoum...107Annex 3: Guidelines and Regulations for ecotourism development in Fayoum136References.... .. 146


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List of Tables:Table 1: Visitors to Fayoum 1996-2005.................................................................14Table 2: Foreign Visitors to Fayoum 1997-2005....................................................15Table 3: The Existing Hotel Rooms in the Fayoum 2005.......................................17Table 4: Major Periods in Human Antiquities if the Fayoum..................................25Table 5: Threatened Mammalian Species in the Fayoum.....................................29Table 6: The Proposed Interpretive and Observattion Stations in the Fayoum.....70Table 7: The proposed Camp Sites in the Fayoum...............................................73Table 8: The Proposed Multipurpose Ecostations in the Fayoum.........................74Table 9: The Proposed Trail System in Desert Areas in the Fayoum....................79

List of Maps:Map 1: Tourism Development Centers in the Northern Coast of Lake Qarunby TDA 2004..........................................................................................................12Map 2: Land Jurisdiction in the Fayoum.................................................................18Map 3: Geology of the Fayoum Depression...........................................................22Map 4: Wildlife and bird watching spots in the Fayoum.........................................26

Map 5: Ancient Pharaoh and Greek-Roman Sites in the Fayoum.........................30Map 6: Ancient Islamic and Coptic Sites in the Fayoum........................................30Map 7: Handicraft Community Centers in the fayoum............................................36Map 8: Ecotourism Resource Map of the Fayoum Governorate........................... 37Map 9: Ecological Zones and Critical Habitats of the Fayoum...............................53Map 10: Proposed Visitor Experience Zones in the Fayoum.................................68Map 11: Proposed Interpretive Facilities in the Fayoum........................................71Map 12: Proposed Ecolodge Locations in the Fayoum.........................................76Map 13: Proposed Camp Site locations in the Fayoum........................................76Map 14: The Ecotourism Development Plan for the Fayoum................................84Map 15: The Route of the Camel Riding Itinerary.................................................92Map 16: The Route of the Bird Watching Itinerary................................................97

Map 17: The Route of the crafts and local lifestyle Itinerary.................................104Map 18: The Route of the Hiking Itinerary............................................................109


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Contributors:Mostafa El Khatib Architect and Head of EDGMohamed El Khatib Team leader, ecotourism planner and trainerDr. Mohamed Basiouny Ecologist, natural resources analysisMohsen Rashad Local handicrafts and Socio economic analysisHani Zaki Ecotourism SpecialistCarman Kwan EditorOsama Yasin Map presentationAhmed Abulela Architect and head of field workKhalil Saleh Field researcher and Maps preparationMahmoud Nabet Field researcher and Maps preparation

Mohamed Hamam Maps preparationAkram Husein Maps preparationMohamed Shepl Maps preparation


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1. INTRODUCTION

Fayoum is Egypts foremost rural vacation destination that offers visitors an authenticand memorable experience. Fayoum uniquely combines spectacular lakes andscenery, history, culture and hospitality, an array of attractions and living traditionsthat help shape us into an ecotourism destination like no other.

The natural and cultural heritage resources of the Fayoum Governorate are worldclass. Fayoums resources include rare fossil formations with internationalimportance, extraordinary antiquities, unique cultural heritage, important biodiversityespecially along the lakes, and remarkable scenic beauty. This region has thepotential to attract a large tourist market and yet, the type of tourism that Fayoumcurrently receives is not fulfilling this potential. The local population and governoratealso have concerns of the present minimal economic benefits of tourism. Appropriateaccess to these sites potentially offers a significant departure from the conventionaltourism development techniques currently being used by existing tourism facilitiesnow located along Fayoum. Traditional tourism and its diversification towards

ecotourism can become economically important to the Fayoum governorate.

Fayoum is one of the best destinations in Egypt for combining ecotourism with morepopular forms of tourism. Visitors could be overwhelmed by the splendors of some ofthe world's best fossils recently designated in 2005 as a World Heritage Site byUNESCO. Lake Qarun is also an Important Bird Area (IBA), internationally renownedfor its wintering waterfowl. At the same time, Birders would enjoy the ancientpharaonic pyramids, tombs and temples nestled in the timeless scenery of this desertoasis. Fayoum has experienced significant growth in the number of tourist visits in ashort period of time after the declaration of Wadi El Hitan (Whale Valley) as an WorldHeritage Site in 2005. This escalation of the areas popularity suggests that theurgency to study and implement the planning of destinations and individual

attractions in a comprehensive and sustainable manner is becoming a priority toensure that positive impacts from tourism are established for the people and naturalresources of Fayoum.

The Ecotourism for Sustainable Development in the Fayoum GovernorateProject has been initiated to develop ecotourism in Fayoum based on thesustainable development of its natural, cultural and human resources in order tocontribute to the poverty alleviation of the Governorate. The Project aims to preserveand increase the value of the environmental and cultural heritage of Fayoum whilepromoting the area as an attractive destination for local and international visitors. Theproposed Ecotourism activities focus on sustainable tourism development in theFayoum Governorate and will contribute to the national efforts in promoting

ecotourism and diversification of the existing tourism product of Egypt.

The main purpose of this document consists of following four areas:1. To explore the constraints and opportunities related to ecotourism

development within the territory of Fayoum2. To analyze priority fields of development3. To plan appropriate implementation strategies4. To provide a guidelines and regulatory framework for ecotourism

development in Fayoum

The ecotourism plan is designed to provide the Fayoum Governorate with an overallassessment of particular conditions relating to ecotourism development activity andto put forward major strategies and action steps necessary to increase capacity inecotourism development in Fayoum.


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As a result, the Fayoum Governorate will have the necessary tools to plan andmanage ecotourism, based on a broader understanding of the resources and existingconstraints. This also implies that appropriate forms of promotion and monitoring forthe existing and planned ecotourism activities will be developed, and that the overallmanagement and conservation of the natural and cultural heritage of FayoumGovernorate will be strengthened.

The project is implemented by the Italian NGO International Cooperation South-South CISS. The Governmental counterpart of the project is the FayoumGovernorate, as represented by the Fayoum Tourism Authority (FTA). The planningprocess is coordinated by the CISS and FTA steering committee, and involves theefforts of more than 50 individuals representing stakeholders. These include theAdministration of Nature Conservation Sector, Regional Office of TourismDevelopment Authority, municipal administrations, members of the Egyptian tourismfederation, NGOs, entrepreneurs, Local people, tourism businesses and investors.

The planning approach is based on the principals of participatory planning.

Therefore, the project team started the planning process with a workshop with thestakeholder representatives from local and national levels. Extensive discussionswere conducted with public sector and governorate leaders, including the Governorand Secretary General of the Governorate. Key issues were identified, including theneed for an ecotourism plan; infrastructure and service improvement, marketingsupport, and environmental education for the local population. The participantsagreed that more cooperative action by the public and private sector is urgentlyneeded. Also, the participants addressed recommendations for a sustainabletourism strategy that could be incorporated into the ecotourism plan.

The Ecotourism Action Plan reflects the priorities and strategic goals for thedevelopment of Fayoum as an ecotourism destination in general. The plan is a tool

which local and regional authorities have the opportunity to monitor and ensureimplementation of the strategic priorities in the field of ecotourism. It requiresworking in partnership with the interested parties such as: governmentalorganizations, NGOs, businesses and local communities.

1.1 Value and Strategic Significance of Fayoum

Internationally Important Fossil Site

Fayoum contains globally important fossil deposits: one of Egypts most exciting andelusive treasures. Mainly from the Eocene and Oligocene periods, they includeshells, sharks, whales, marshland creatures like sea-cows, giant turtles, crocodilians,trace fossils, and mammals, including primates. Most of these fossils are found inthe exposed strata of the hills and mountains within and surrounding Fayoumsdepression. According to Elwyn L. Simons 1986, a leading authority in the field,Fayoum provides us with an unrivaled view of the evolution of Africas early Tertiaryplants and animals. Simons et al 1986.


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In 2005 the center of world heritage sites of UNESCO nominated Wadi Al Hitan areaas world heritage site and recommended to extend the heritage site to include GabalQatrani for its rich mammalian fossils.

Internationally Important Bird Site

In 1999, Bird Life, an international federation for the conservation of bird species andtheir habitats, recognized the international importance of the Lake Qarun and Wadi El

Rayan for bird conservation by including it on its list of Important Bird Areas IBA(Baha el Din, 1999). The latter are defined as places of international significance forthe conservation of birds at the global, regional or sub-regional level. Lake Qarun ispart of a Ramsar wetland sites and a Specially Protected Area, under the BarcelonaConvention, in Egypt and internationally renowned for its wintering waterfowl. Morethan 213 of resident and migratory bird species have been identified in Fayoum.

One of the first settled communities in the world

The prehistoric people who lived in Fayoum were, at first, nomadic hunters andgatherers, but later began harvesting plants near Lake Qarun. This developed intowhat is considered to be the earliest agricultural area in the world dated to over 7000years, where fences were erected and guarded warehouses built. The basalt pavedroad in the northern part of Lake Qarun is renowned to be possibly the first pavedroad in the world and dates back to over 4,500 years. Also, the world's first dam isspeculated to have been built here in order to control the Nile floods into the area.

In addition, the Greek mummy portraits found in Fayoum are globally well known asthe world's first true-life portraits. 146 Fayoum Portraits were found in the cemetery


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north of the pyramid of Hawara, and examples can be seen at Kom Aushim museumand in the Egyptian Antiquities Museum in Cairo. And finally, Fayoum isrenowned forits special irrigation system served by numerous water wheels introduced by thePtolemy in the 3rd century.

Accessibility

Fayoum benefits significantly from its nearby location to Cairo and its easy accessalong several well paved highways for local and international tourists. Day trips forlocal expatriates and Egyptians are a mere 45-60 minute travel time while the largenumbers of international tourists arriving from Cairos international airport can travelconveniently en route from the Giza pyramids plateau. Cairo international airportwhich receive regularly scheduled commercial flights transport tourists from all overthe world is located approximately 90 kilometers north of Fayoum and this distancecan be easily taken within one hour.

An additional air route that is under consideration is the Kom Oshim military air base.There is intent from the government of Egypt to allow public airlines to use thismilitary air base when the numbers of tourist reach the critical mass of economicoperation. Kom Oshim military air base can easily receive direct international flightswith minimal costs (30 million Egyptian pounds) for improvements to the runway andpassenger reception buildings. This decision will enhance the accessibility of Fayoumas a future active destination.

Diversity of resources

The diversity of Fayoums ecosystems provides huge potential for combining differenttypes of tourism products in the same area.A unique blend of climate and geology

create a fascinating landscape in this desert region where the sandy desert, lushgreen oasis and lakes of Fayoum meet. In fact, the lush and varied life of Fayoumsecosystems far surpasses that of all other areas in Egypt.

The variety of ecosystems offers a good opportunity to diversify the tourism productof Fayoum to include different types of unconventional tourism packages such asecotourism, rural tourism, scientific tourism, desert safari with more popular forms oftourism. Bird watchers, amateur archeologists and paleontologolists, enthusiasts,adventurers could all find an aspect of Fayoum to enjoy and discover. Frompharaonic pyramids, tombs and temples to waterfowl in sensitive ecosystems andfossils unique to Egypt, visitors will have many options of activities and discovery inFayoum.


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In 1989, the government of Egypt declared Lake Qarun and Wadi El Rayan asprotected areas to conserve the unique resources of Fayoum. Now, the twoprotectorate areas offer a good opportunity to support ecotourism development inFayoum.

The Gateway of the north Africa desert Oases

Fayoum is a representative example of the Oases of the great North African Saharadesert in its form, origin, geologic formation, culture and ecosystem. The strategiclocation of Fayoum as a separate Oasis on the western boundaries of the Nile Valleygive it the opportunity to be the gateway to the region of the north Africa desertOases extending from Egypt to Morocco. All trans-desert safaris for north AfricaSahara can end or start in Fayoum. Fayoum can be part of one package regionaltrans-desert safari exploring the Egyptian Oases (Baharia, Farafra, Siwa), LybianOases (Gaghbob, Kofra) Tunisian Oases (Metmata, Tataween, Doz, Nafta ) AlgerianOases (Wadi Mozab) and the Moroccan Oases ( Aghaylas, Fosht, Beir Anzran,Oyoun).

1.2 Previous Plans and Policies

One of the major objectives of the project is to assess, update and modify theprevious tourism development plans and policies created in the last decade. Theteam has reviewed the previous plans, technical appendices as well as the workprepared for tourism development in the Fayoum Governorate including the followingstudies:

"Indicative tourism development plan for Lake Qarun and Wadi El Rayan"prepared by TDA, 1991

"Horizon of the Development in the Fayoum Governorate" prepared by Cairouniversity, Fayoum branch and Fayoum Govenorate, 1998.

"Ecotourism for sustainable development in the Fayoum Oasis" prepared byTDA and NSCE, 2000.

"Preparatory phase for ecotourism in Fayoum", prepared by NSCE, 2004. Conservation management plan of Wadi El Rayan protected area, prepared

by nature conservation sector, EEAA, funded by the Italian Cooperation,2001

The preparatory phase for ecotourism in Fayoum. Prepared by FayoumGovernorate in cooperation with North South Consultants Exchange NSCE,funded by the Royal Dutch Embassy in Cairo, 2004.

Tourism Development Plan For the northern Coast of Lake Qarun,prepared by TDA, 2004

Careful analysis has shown that very few of the above mentioned plans and itssuggested approaches have been implemented. Issues of the regional economic

crisis, conflicts between relevant authorities, lack of financial resources,environmental deterioration, language barriers, availability of documents, local


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awareness and lack of specificity can be seen as some of the reasons for thedifficulty and inability of implementation.

In 1991 the Tourism Development Authority (TDA) prepared the tourism developmentindicative plan for Lake Qarun and Wadi El Rayan areas to utilize the unlimitedtourist potential of the region, and create new tourism activities based onenvironmentally sound regulations to protect the environment of the twoprotectorates. The indicative tourism plan provided a comprehensive list of guidelinesand regulations to control tourism development in Fayoum.

In 1995 a new accord was signed between the TDA and the Fayoum governorateunder the request of the governorate to change number of regulation items of theindicative plan to help the governorate to attract more investors. These changesincluded:

Reduction of the buffer zone and the setback line of the southern shore ofLake Qarun on the bird habitat zones to 30 meters instead of 250 meters

Permission for limited number of motor boats in lake Qarun (10 boats) in a

certain period out of the season of bird migration

These modifications caused a conflict with the protection status of Lake Qarun. Thetourism activities in the southern shore of the Lake caused a lot of damage to the birdhabitats especially in the eastern part of the lake which include the critical habitats forwater birds. Unfortunately, no more investors came to invest in Fayoum after thesemodifications in tourism regulations. Instead, a lot of damage to bird habitats was theresult.

In 2000, the Egyptian Tourism Development Authority and the Royal NetherlandsEmbassy commissioned a study on the potential benefits of ecotourism in creatingjobs and arresting environmental degradation in Fayoum. The study showed that the

potential for community, nature and culture based ecotourism in Fayoum, with itslakes and bird sanctuaries, pristine desert areas that include fossil remains of worldimportance, varied cultural heritage sites and rural quietude, is very high. Yet, thetype of tourism that Fayoum currently receives is not fulfilling this potential and theeconomic benefits of tourism are minimal for the local population and thegovernorate.

In 2001, the nature conservation sector prepared the conservation management planof Wadi El Rayan protected area. The project was funded by the Italian cooperationand technical assistant provided from the IUCN (The World Conservation Union).The management plan defined the key resources and habitats of the Wadi El RayanProtected area and the relative sensitivity of its resources. Accordingly, themanagement plan defined the management of sub-zones according to the IUCNcategories and identified the acceptable uses and activities within these managementsub-zones.

In 2004, the Fayoum Governorate in cooperation with North South ConsultantsExchange (NSCE) carried out a preparatory phase for ecotourism in Fayoum. Theproject was funded by the Royal Dutch Embassy in Cairo and implemented byNSCE. The project aimed to test a number of ecotourism activities and promote anumber of micro enterprises for local people in addition to implementing trainingcourses for the local target groups. The project successfully managed the followingactivities:

Developed 4 different ecotourism itineraries that were handed over to theprivate sector


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Put the village of Nazla on the list of tourism attractions of the Governorate Developed services and itineraries to conduct 1 4 hour camel exploration

tours through rural Fayoum Developed 2 nature-based tourism products inside Wadi Rayan Protected

Area

Developed a network of trained bird watching guides Developed a network of trained ecotourism guides Documented geo-paleontological heritage, mapped out and pilot tested

tourism itineraries in Gebel Qattrani/Wadi Heitan Mobilized and secured additional resources for ecotourism development in

Fayoum Created awareness on what Ecotourism is and initiated improved planning

and management of potential tourism resources

The project also addressed the challenges facing ecotourism development inFayoum, but the project didnt give an answer for how to resolve these challengesand problems in a comprehensive approach. The scope of the project was only to

test the potentials of ecotourism activities in Fayoum and apply a number of differentactivities with local people. The planning approach for ecotourism was completelyabsent from the project components.

The Tourism Development Centers in the northern coast of Lake Qarun, by TDA, 2004

In 2004, the Tourism Development Authority prepared a Tourism Development Plan

for the northern coast of Lake Qarun in order to realize the development potential ofthis area. The plan aimed to create new growth centers and new investment


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opportunities. The primary types of tourism development encouraged for the planwere lake front resorts and tourist villages. The development plan of the northerncoast of Lake Qarun defined three Tourism Development Centers TDC, the first inthe west, the second in the middle and the third in the east. The total carryingcapacity of these centers is 2850 hotel rooms, and 4200 tourist housing units (villas,chalets, and apartments as secondary housing units). The target total investment willreach 4 billion pounds. The main target was poverty alleviation and job creation forthe local people. The total number of job opportunities targeted by the developmentplan is 40000 direct and indirect employees.

One of the major concerns of the proposed development pattern is the target market.The target market depends on mass tourism which its needs and interests do notmatch with the tourism product of Fayoum. The product image of Fayoum is basedon fossils, bird watching, lake activities, desert safari and rural life. All of theseresources may be of partial interest to the mass tourism market but not enough toestablish a new destination for the clientele.

The proposed mass development may result in significant environmental costs. Themass growth of tourism development and natural resource utilization in the northernpart of Lake Qarun will have a variety of negative environmental impacts. Forexample, the tourism development pattern will alter the shoreline, damage severalfossil deposits of Gebel Qatrani in different locations, and reduce the land habitats ofmany bird species. The environmental deterioration caused by this mass tourismdevelopment demonstrates a pattern of unsustainable resource use that adverselyaffects both environmental quality, and economic investment.

It is important and compelling to end on the note the international commitment andrecognition of Fayoum areas environmental heritage significance. In 2005, thenature conservation sector in cooperation with the National commission of UNESCO

prepared the nomination profile of Wadi El Hitan and submitted to the internationalheritage center of UNESCO to nominate Wadi El Hitan as an World Heritage Site(WHS.) In Durban, South Africa 2005, UNESCO declared Wadi El Hitan as WHSand also proposed Gebel Qatrani as a potential site for WHS. This designation ofWadi El Hitan and recognition of Gebel Qatrani by UNESCO is an opportunity forresponsible and sustainable ecological renewal of Fayoum.


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2. THE MARKET PROFILE

2.1 Current Demand

The existing tourism demand in Fayoum tends to be seasonal, with a peak period

during the cooler months between September and April. The demand essentiallydepends on short-staying and one-day trips because of its close proximity to Cairowith less than 10% spending the night in the area. The majority of visitors aredomestics with foreign visitors forming a small fraction of the visitations. The vastmajority of visitors come mainly on weekends and public holidays. For example, over25,000 entered the Wadi El Rayan protected area during the one-day holiday ofSham el Neseem in 2000. Most visitors come in small family parties or in groups offriends, but larger groups from schools, companies and other organizations also visitthe area. (Mindy Baha el Din 2001)

Visitors to the protected areas of Fayoum defined as Egyptian and foreigner visitors,in general, have completely different interests. Egyptian visitors tend to engage inbeach tourism and congregate in the waterfall area, where they patronize thecafeterias, have picnics, engage in sports, fish, swim and take boat rides. Foreigners,on the other hand, along with a small but growing number of upwardly mobileEgyptian professionals, avoid the crowds and visit the more remote sections of theprotected areas. These individuals are more outdoors oriented - camping, hiking,watching birds, viewing fossils and photographing nature. The table (1) representingthe number of visitors to Fayoum in the last ten years:

According to the statistics of the Fayoum Tourism Authority 2005, the Germantourists come in the first rate representing 13% of the foreign tourists in Fayoum,followed by the Italians and French with the same rate 11%. The Americans

represent 7% of the foreign tourists in Fayoum. These data are presented in Table (2) below.

Table (1) visitors to Fayoum 1996-2005Year Foreigners Arabs Egyptians Hotel guests1996 14974 658 37448 247411997 17846 399 65843 290921998 7091 751 35132 194881999 14974 658 37448 247412000 18261 384 34195 236562001 16255 585 37295 28182

2002 16473 622 35696 262792003 13405 743 47380 275712004 15364 768 47315 322812005 18288 879 56026 32964

Source: Fayoum Tourism Authority FTA 2005


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Table (2) Foreign Visitors to Fayoum 1997-2005

Years German French USA British Italian Israel Others total1997 4777 1111 959 527 1157 1290 8025 178461998 1053 640 574 367 668 448 3341 70911999 2304 1631 1000 492 1774 632 7141 14974

2000 3085 1679 1170 425 1654 348 9900 182612001 3264 1475 1193 720 1189 235 8179 162552002 2254 2359 852 581 1421 264 8742 164732003 1228 1888 599 588 1098 238 7766 134052004 2076 1641 1020 614 1638 244 8121 153642005 2345 1923 1387 800 1951 374 9508 18288


2.2 Seasonal Use

It is critically important to accurately define the seasons of operation in Fayoum. The

seasons of use are normally defined as a high, low, and shoulder season. The highseason consists of the months that are most attractive to visitors. The low season isthe least attractive time for visitation. And the shoulder seasons are defined as brieftime periods in which a specific tourist market may be attracted to the region. Theduration of the seasons has a direct effect upon the investors ability to realize apositive return on their investment. Obviously, maximizing seasonal use ofecotourism facilities should contribute to increasing the return on investment.

To improve the tourism industry, the shoulder and summer seasons need to bedeveloped and enhanced. Under these two seasons a number of developmentopportunities exist and have the potential of increasing overall visitation, length ofstay and tourism revenues.

Three elements define the seasonal attractiveness of Fayoum destination including:1. Climate assessment by:

Temperature Precipitation Hours of daylight Climatic hazards - e.g. flash floods, sand storms, etc.

2. Environmental attractions by type and abundance of the following: Wildlife migration events by species - land, bird, marine Botanical changes, e.g. Foliage, blossoms, crops, etc.

3. National/religious holidays, cultural/art events and traditional festivals

2.2.1 High Season

The high season in the Fayoum Governorate would extend from approximatelyNovember to the first week of April. The most popular month for tourism in the regionhas historically been November because of the favorable weather conditions and thegreatest abundance of wildlife.

The high season for water based recreational activities could conceivably extend allyear. Currently, the high season for water based activities throughout Wadi El Rayanand Qarun lakes is approximately October through March. However, as the waterbased activities and facilities at the lakes become operational and integrated with

other ecotourism activities in Fayoum, the water based recreation season will mostprobably lengthen in duration.


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2.2.2 Low Season

As a result of the extreme heat and hyper-aridity during the late spring andthroughout the summer months, mid-May through mid-September, it would beextremely hot to conduct tours through dessert areas generally.

The ambient temperature in the desert areas of the Fayoum depression average 40to 50C during late June through August. The high temperature in summer makes itdifficult for visitors to successfully acclimate to these harsh conditions. The supply ofwater and medicines is another significant concern.

2.2.3 Shoulder Season

The very brief shoulder seasons would be springtime, defined as approximately mid-April through mid-May, and early autumn, defined as late-September throughOctober. These time periods may be particularly attractive to landscape and naturephotographers who wish to take advantage of the extraordinarily pure light, tolerable

temperatures and the absence of other people in the area.

2.3 Current Supply

The current tourism development in the Fayoum region is concentrated in thesouthern shore of Lake Qarun and Fayoum City. At the present time, no tourismfacilities exist at the northern shore of the Lake or in Wadi El Rayan except the desertsafari camp on the lower Lake of Wadi El Rayan. In the last decade, the tourismpattern was depending on the market of secondary housing units for domestictourists especially from Cairo. This market has three primary areas. The first areastretches along the eastern shore of Lake Qarun, the second area is located in the

middle of the lake shore around Shakshok village including Oberj hotel, militaryforces hotel, Panorama and new Panorama village, and the third one in the westernpart of Lake Qarun including Tunis, Al Roboaa, and the village of Misr company forconstruction.

There is a lack of objective data on customer satisfaction in terms of value for money,service quality, safety and security, environmental conditions, health and sanitation,tour guide services, land and water transportation, operation of cultural heritage sitesand monuments, and similar concerns. International best practices are not evident.

Fayoum has a limited number of accommodation facilities; (370 hotel rooms) manyoperate with relatively low occupancy rates, or operating below their capacity

especially during the shoulder and summer seasons. This indicates that there is stillcapacity within the existing accommodations base to absorb incremental demand,rather than building new hotels at least in the shoulder and summer seasons. Table(3) representing the existing hotel rooms capacity in the Fayoum in 2005.

Despite current vacancies in summer and shoulder seasons, the quality and quantityof existing tourism facilities and accommodations are still inadequate to support thetarget tourism development in Fayoum.


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Table (3) the existing Hotel rooms in the Fayoum 2005

Hotel Name Category Location No. of roomsAuberg Du Lac 5 stars S. Lake Qarun 81Military Force Hotel 5 stars S. Lake Qarun 57

New Panorama 4 Stars S. Lake Qarun 57El Waha village 2 Stars S. Lake Qarun 18Selien Chalets 2 Stars Ain Selien 24Duck Island 2 stars S. Lake Qarun 20Honey Day 2 stars Fayoum City 25Queen Hotel - Fayoum City 16Montaza Hotel - Fayoum City 20Palace Hotel - Fayoum City 25Teachers hotel - Fayoum City 20Zad El Mosafer - S. Lake Qarun 7Total 370


The existing land ownership and authority of the shorelines of Lake Qarun and WadiEl Rayan Lakes in the Fayoum governorate are shared among several governmentjurisdictions and governed by different laws, Ministerial and Prime Ministerial decreesincluding: (see the map named land jurisdictions)

Presidential decree no. 445 for the year 1992 for delimitation of the area 3 kmwide of the coastal lands around the shoreline of Lake Qarun for TourismDevelopment Authority TDA. This area is primarily dedicated to the

development of tourism projects under the auspices of the TDA.


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Prime ministerial decree no. 943 for the year 1989 according to law No.102/1983 of the protected areas in Egypt for declaration of Lake Qarun andWadi El Raiyan as multiple use protected areas managed by EgyptianEnvironmental Affairs Agency EEAA

The decree of the Minister of Agriculture no. 1054, for the year 1986 for the

allocation of 1000 feddan in Wadi Raiyan for land reclamation projectsmanaged by Agriculture Development Authority ADA.

Supreme Council of Antiquities SCA.

The Fayoum governorate - Authority of state ownership

Previous experience proves that when an authority arbitrarily changes rules withoutconsultation, conflict results. See the map entitled Land Jurisdictions in the Fayoum

Map (2) Land Jurisdictions in the Fayoum


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3. ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL SETTING

Essentially, the products that ecotourism offers are the unique collections of naturaland cultural resources offered by a particular area. Therefore, environmental

information plays two vital roles in ecotourism planning. First, an environmentalinventory of natural attractions is essential for determining an areas potential forbecoming a viable ecotourism destination. Second, environmental informationconcerning the sensitivity or vulnerability of different areas to human activity identifiescritical environmental management issues that need to be addressed in order toachieve sustainability.

The extensive field work and literatures review identified, mapped, and researchedTens of unique features. These features include:

1. more than ( 55 ) ancient heritage sites,2. more than ( 10 ) cultural sites,3. Tens of fossils, and geological feature sites,4. Tens of critical wildlife habitats and rich diversity of wildlife species

including:i. More than (213) bird species.ii. more than ( 36 ) native plant species,

and ( 108 ) agriculture plantsiii. more than ( 38 ) land mammal speciesiv. more than ( 37 ) fish and shrimp species

See annex (2) Ecotourism Resources inventory of the Fayoum

3.1 Natural heritage resources

3.1.1 Paleontology

Wadi Al-Hitan is the most important site in the world to demonstrate one of the iconic changes that

make up the record of life on Earth: the evolution of the whales. It portrays vividly their form and

mode of life during their transition from land animals to a marine existence. It exceeds the values of

other comparable sites in terms of the number, concentration and quality of its fossils, and their

accessibility and setting in an attractive and protected landscape. It accords with key principles of

the IUCN study on fossil World Heritage Sites, and represents significant values that are currently

absent from the World Heritage List.

The World Heritage Committee

Fayoum contains some of Egypts best fossil deposits laid down 30-40 million yearsago, and marine sedimentary cretaceous period 70 million years ago in the ancientLibyan River. This includes some of international importance, which modernscholars have called "the best known Paleocene site in Africa". The Eocene BirketQarun formation yields a diversity of reptile and mammal fossils, and in the rocks ofthe Pliocene are fossils of land animals, crocodiles and tortoises and petrified wood.


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Fayoums fossils provide key insights into many aspects of mammalian evolution inthe Old World. The impressive list of Fayoum fossil vertebrates includes:

1. Anthracotheres - a group of artiodactyl (even-toed ungulates),hippopotamus-like ungulates,

2. Arsinitheres (Order Embrithopoda-extinct) - large, rhinoceros-like ungulates

which have no descendants,3. Creodonts (Order Creodonta) - archaic, hyaena-like hunters and scavengerswho constituted the main predators during the early Tertiary, but which laterwere replaced by modern carnivores,

4. Giant hyracoids (Order Hyracoidea) - primitive ungulates, some attaining thesize of boars whose earliest representatives dated from the FayoumOligocene,

5. Proboscideans (Order Proboscidea) - including ancestral forms that shedlight on the evolution of the mastodons and the modern elephants;

6. Barytheres (Order Barytheria) - unusual elephant-like forms that left nodescendants (their exact taxonomic position is unknown but they aregenerally placed closest to the proboscideans);

7. Basilosaurs - ancestral whales with external limbs that link older land-dwelling ungulates to modern cretaceans;

8. Sirenians (sea cows) (Order Sirenia), rodents (Rodentia), bats (Chiroptera),jumping shrews (Macroscelidea),

9. Insectivores including the new order Ptolemaiida,10. Marsupials (Diprotodonta), the first known from Africa,11.Primates including the genera Apidium, Oligopithecus, Parapithecus,

Propliopithecus, and Aegyptopithecus

3.1.2 Geology

The present depression of Fayoum was formed at least 1.8 million years ago,probably by wind erosion in the desert. The basin then subsided relative to the Nile,allowing the river to break through in flood and deposit fertile alluvial sediments.

Fayoums depression is a closed triangular basin bounded by three faults. Thesefaults are supposedly found on both sides of the depression (East and West) andalong Lake Qarun. The land between these faults, dropped to form the depression.

The geologic map of the depression reveals the following features: The oldest rocks in the depression are the Eocene limestone found in the

north and the south where they are covered by blown sand. Oligocene deposits overlie Upper Eocene rocks at Qasr Al- Sagha.

Pliocene deposits appear in several places on the western side of the Nilevalley divided between the Nile and the depression.


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Pleistocene formations are distributed in a band around the wholedepression.

Basalt formations appear in a broad sector extending from East to Westalong the Northern edge of the depression. These formations are relatedto volcanic activities, which accrued in Egypt between the Eocene and

Oligocene Epochs.

The surface soils of Fayoum are heavy to light clays derived from Nile flood alluvium,with patches of sandier soils towards the edges of the depression. Differences in soiltype relate to topographic position relative to the central alluvial fan deposited by Nilefloods. Soil are generally well-drained slightly saline calcareous clays on the upperslopes of the fan, and poorly-drained saline to highly saline clays on the lower slopesand adjacent to the Lake Qarun.

Map (3) Geological Map of the Fayoum

3.1.3 Landforms

Fayoum is best characterized as a land of extreme contrasts. Most notably, this isone of the world's most arid regions, but within it you can find three large lakes andgreen agricultural land covers large portions of the region. High mountain peaksoffer stark contrasts to the expansive coastal plains at the edge of the lakes. Theabundance of water coming from the Nile via Bahr Yousef contrasts sharply with thehyper-aridity of the surrounding desert and its scarcity of biological species. Thetopography is a maze of cliffs, depressions, escarpments, plains, dunes, lakes andoases. The animal species that do inhabit Fayoum desert are exceedingly rare andtherefore offer considerable attraction to tourists. The biology of the area is furtheraugmented by a remarkable diversity of botanical species that surprise visitors withtheir bright colors and adaptability to arid conditions. Contrasts such as these havethe potential for providing genuinely unique ecotourism experiences.


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Fayoums depression is similar in many respects to the other depressions of thenorthern portion of the western desert. All are largely below the sea level, and theyslope generally northward .The depressions are bounded by scarps and plateaus inmost parts and thus are basins of internal drainage. But the Fayoum depression hasa dual personality; it has the characteristics of a desert depression with no outlet tothe sea, and it shares as well in the characteristics of the Nile valley and Delta. It isjoined to the Nile via Bahr Yousef, which enters the depression from the east throughthe natural gap of Al-Lahun.

There are numerous isolated hills, such as the roundish Gabal el Medawara facingthe lakes, and Garet Gehannam, a good landmark on the way to Wadi el Hitan.There are many earth pillars and strange-shaped hillocks sculpted by the weatheringaction of blown sand and rain at Fayoum, such as Akhwat el Talata (Three SistersHill), while curious huge globular masses are met with in many places, especiallyWadi el Battikh (Valley of Water Melons). These masses are weathered concretionsthat were worn by the water of the prehistoric Lake Moeris (ancestor of Lake Qarun)when its level was falling. A large belt of longitudinal seifdunes occupies the floor of

many parts of Fayoum. All of these natural and sculptured landscapes are uniquefeatures for nature photographers and provide scenic value for the ecotourismexperience that can be offered to eco-tourists.

Among major physiographic features of Fayoums depression are the following threesub-basins:

Fayoums depression covers an area of about 12,000 sq. km, the surface ofthe depression slopes generally toward the north west where Lake Qarun islocated. Lake Qarun occupies its northwestern section; the lake is 45m belowthe sea level. The rest of the depression slopes toward the lake from anelevation of 33 m above the sea level.

Wadi El- Raiyan depression is an uninhabited desert depression that coversan area of about 706 sq. km. The depression lies southwest of Fayoum, andis separated from it by a limestone ridge. A tunnel completed in 1973transfers drainage water from Fayoum to the lower parts of Wadi El- Rayan,forming the two lakes of Wadi El-Rayan, covering an area of about 200square km. The surface of the depression slopes generally toward thesouthwest where the upper and lower lakes are located. The Lakes occupiesthe middle section of the depression and the upper lake is 5m below the sealevel while the lower lake is still filling.

Wadi Muwellih depression covers an area of about 9.5 sq km. Thedepression lies south of Wadi El Rayan and is separated from it by a dunefield comprising of sand dunes up to 30 m high.


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3.1.4 Climate

The climate of the Fayoum depression is fairly typical of hyper-arid desert climates:scanty winter rainfall, hot and dry with bright sunshine throughout the year, extremelyhigh summer maximum temperatures and moderately low winter minimumtemperatures.

According to climate norms from the meteorological stations in Fayoum, the averageannual rainfall is 10.1 mm but this statistic masks great variability from year to year.In some years no rain falls, while as much as 44mm has been recorded in one day.Temperatures in the rainless summer average 28 C but can reach nearly 48.8 C. Adegree or more of frost is possible in winter nights. High rates of evapotranspirationthroughout the year make Fayoum one of the most arid places on the earth. Theprevailing winds are north-west, north or north-east, resulting in the formation ofextensive sand dunes.

3.1.5 Flora

Fayoum is located in an extremely arid region and is characterized by plant lifeadapted to extreme conditions. At least 36 native plant species and 108 agricultureplants have been recorded in the Fayoum governorate. Fayoum contains severaltypes of vegetative communities including:

Desert shrub community:Occur on minor variations due to soil andmoisture conditions, throughout the area. Itsplants share a number of adaptations that enablethem to survive in this hostile environment. Thiscommunity distributed as sparse desert flora in

small patches in the low lands of the interduneand desert plain areas. The desert shrub andsub-shrub plants includes: halfa, nitraria retusa,Tamarix nilotica, Zygophyllum album, Phoenixdactylifera, alhagi maurorum, and Desmostachyabipinnata.

Salt marsh community: Along the adjacentlands to the shoreline of the lakes of Qarun andWadi El-Rayan and around the salt marshes ofOyun El Rayan springs, the wet Sabkha

communities of salt tolerant plants (halophytes)prevail. A characteristic element of thiscommunity is the Tamarix species. The Saltmarsh plants includes: Phragmittes Australis,Typha domingesis, Juncus sp. and Imperatacylindrica.

Agriculture plants: The agriculture land of the Fayoum Governorate covers an areaof about 330000 acres. The agricultural production based on fruit trees represents8.6% of the cultivated fruit land of Egypt. The fruit trees in the study area include figs,olive, palm trees as well as the other traditional crops such as vegetables, cotton,and wheat which are produced mostly for local consumption.


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3.1.6 Fauna

A list of 38 land mammals was identified.(Basyouni 1992) Several are now veryrare or extinct, including the slenderhorned gazelle, Gazella leptocerosleptoceros. The Fayoum population of thissub-species may represent the only

survivors in the world and is now probablylocally extinct (IUCN, 2000). Other keywildlife species include Gazella dorcas(listed as an endangered species),ubiquitous Sand fox, Vulpes rueppelli, andFennec fox, Vulpes zerda. The mainfactors of declining mammal's populationsare loss of habitat, hunting and thewidespread use of rodent poison.

Table 4: Threatened Mammalian Species in the Fayoum

Common name Scientific name IUCN status HabitatNational Global

Giant MuskShrew

Crociduraflavescens

VU Cultivated lands

Flower's shrew Crocidura floweri EN Cultivated landsFennec Fox Vulpes zerda EN Sand areasHyena Hyaena hyaena EN Desert marginsJungle Cat Felis chaus VU Swampy and

farmlandsWild Cat Felis silvestris VU Wadis and rockyareas

Dorcas Gazelle Gazella dorcas EN Wadis and rockyareas

Slender-HornedGazelle

Gazella leptoceros CR EN Wadis and rockyareas

During the spring and autumn, a remarkable diversity of birds migrates alongFayoums lakes. This migratory corridor represents a critically important primaryroute for birds traveling between the northern and southern hemispheres. Largenumbers of birds travel between Europe and Africa. International recognition of the

importance of this flyway has been established by Bird Life International, which hasdefined 34 Important Bird Areas in Egypt. Fayoum wetlands, specially Lake Qarun


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has been described as a wintering area of international importance for breeding,passing and over wintering migrating water birds. Nearly 214 bird species have beenrecorded in the Fayoum area, three quarter of these are migratory. Bird populationshave been declining since the beginning of this century. The main reasons are illegalfalconry and hunting. In 1989, a prime ministerial decree made the areas of LakeQarun and Wadi El-Rayan as nature protectorates.

All the common aquatic species found in the Nile occur also in Fayoums waters,although Lake Qarun has an impoverished freshwater fauna because of its highsalinity.

Map (4) wildlife habitats and bird watching spots in the Fayoum

3.2 History and Archeology

Fayoum has an extremely interesting history linked with its function as a miniatureNile Valley, a garden in Egypt with an important agricultural function.Fayoum hasseen human habitation since Neolithic times, and a large number of significantantiquities exist in this important Oasis. In Neolithic times (c. 5500 to 4000 B.C.) twodistinct groups existed around the lake shore: Early Neolithic Fayumian and LateNeolithic Moerian. During these periods the first known agricultural communitiesflourished in Fayoum. The history of Fayoum is closely connected to that of theearliest stages of what now is Lake Qarun. In the Pleistocene the lake was muchlarger than at present. Large basketry grain silos have been found to the north of

Lake Qarun, dating to a period in which the pharaohs did not even exist.


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During the Old Kingdom (c. 2686-2181 B.C.)Fayoum was known as Ta-she, or She-resy(the SouthernLake) and was dedicated to thecrocodile god Sobek. The first real pyramid ofEgypt was built at the border of Fayoum inMeidum and several Middle Kingdom kingsbuilt their pyramids in the shadow of this greatexample. The Middle Kingdom saw anenormous bloom of life in Fayoum. Efforts tocontrol the swampy area resulted in somemagnificent buildings and statuary. Todaythere are only traces of the pedestals of twogiant statues that once stood in Biahmu.

During the 12th Dynasty's King Amenemhet I's rule, the area's importance waselevated because of his ingenious scheme to regulate the Nile floods using Fayoum

as a regulator reservoir. At that time there was a natural canal between the Nile andthe lake of Qarun, Muslims believe that it was the biblical Joseph who widened thecanal (Joseph's Canal or Bahr Youssef), and built the world's first dam at El Lahun toregulate the flow of water.During the Pharaoh time, Fayoum became Egypt's mostfertile agricultural area and Amenemhet III loved the region to such an extent that heabandoned his pyramid at Dashur to build his colossi at Biahmu, Narmuthis, a templededicated to Sobek, and at Hawara, his new pyramid and the famous and then verypopular Labyrinth.See the map entitled Ancient Pharaoh and Greek-Roman sites inthe Fayoum

During Greek times (332-30 B.C.) Fayoum was known as "the Marsh," before it wasnamed the Arsinoite nome by Ptolemy Philadclphus in honor of his second wife (andsister). It was divided into a number of merides(districts), including Heracleides inthe north. Themistos in the west, and Polemon in the south. New settlements grewthroughout Fayoum including Karanis, Bacchias. Philadelphia, and Dionysius.Under Greek rule there were 114 villages in Fayoum (only sixty existed in 1809).There was rivalry between villages and sometimes open hostility. They stolecrops, good soil, and water rights from each other, just like Greek city states,medieval European towns, and modern nations everywhere. By the time of PtolemyEuergetes II, Fayoum was in decline. The land was being reclaimed by the desertas canals clogged and the population diminished. The Greeks, under Ptolemy II,populated Fayoum with Greek veterans, Macedonians and other foreigners whobegan systematically improving the irrigation methods. They used Greek inventionssuch as the Archimedess screw and the sakiya to irrigate the farmlands.


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During the Roman Period (30 B.C.-A.D.323), Egypt had to produce one third of thegrain needed by Rome each year and Fayoum, with nearly ten percent of thecultivable total, earned the epithet "breadbasket of the Roman empire." EventuallyRome exacted too much from the farmers of Favoum. Always rebellious, itspopulation declined and the people, unpaid and overtaxed, were forced into serfdom.In 165, a plague descended on Egypt and the major villages in Favoum sufferedconsiderably. By the third and fourth centuries, communities like Philadelphia and

Bacchias stood abandoned. By the middle of the third century (323-642) there wasa large Christ ian community in Fayourn. Thirty-five monasteries existed during theMiddle Ages, many secluded in the surrounding deserts.

The Fayoum Portraits are the first known art of Portraits discovered in Fayoum.These globally renowned paintings are life-like and once bandaged in place over thefaces of mummies, dating usually between the 1st and 3rd centuries A.D. Most ofthese portraits have now been detached from their mummies. Yet, they provide awealth of information about the clothing, adornment and physical characteristics ofEgypt's wealthier inhabitants.

Many ancient mosques and water constructions (i.e. bridges) were built in Fayoumduring the Islamic era (642-1798). The hanging mosque and Qaitbay Mosque aregood examples for the Islamic building style in Fayoum. Two major ancient routeshave been identified in Fayoum, the first is oldest paved road in the world dated asOld Kingdom, with a possibility of a Neolithic age and the second is the route of the

Alexander the Great to Siwa passing through the western desert oases via WadiRayan, Baharia, Bahr Balama, Qasr, Zabu, and Sitra. See the map entitled AncientCoptic and Islamic sites in the Fayoum


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More than 55 ancient heritage sites have been recorded in Fayoum. Fayoum hasmade a significant contribution to our understanding of the history of ancient empiresof Fayoum such as Pharos, Greek-Roman, Coptic and Islamic empire.

Table (5) Major periods in human antiquity in the Fayoum. Modified from (Vivian,2000).Human period Years ago

Pre-AcheulenAcheulenPleistoceneHoloceneTerminal PaleolithicNeolithicBronzePharonicOld Kingdom

Middle KingdomNew KingdomLate PeriodGreek periodRoman period

Christian EraIslamic EraFrench occupationRule under Muhammad AliBritish Occupation

9000005000010000

9000600020003100-332 B.C.3100-2125 BC

2125-1570 BC1570-1070 B.C.525-332 B.C.332-30 B.C.30 BC to 323 A.D.323 A.D. to 641 A.D.641 A.D. to 17981798-1811 A.D.1811-1848 A.D.1882-1954 A.D.


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Map (5) Ancient Pharaoh and Greek-Roman sites in the Fayoum

Map (6) Ancient Coptic and Islamic sites in the Fayoum


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3.3 Handicrafts and Local CultureFayoum offers visitors a glimpse into traditional Egyptian rural life style with rich andcomplex ethnic cultural groups containing farmers, Bedouins, and fishermen livingtogether in the same region. The tour programs can combine the experience of local

lifestyles and its related types of products and activities such as poetry, basketry,traditional storytelling, falconry exhibitions, and traditional fishing. Many villages inFayoum have outstanding traditional handicrafts expressive of the history andtraditions of local people in Fayoum. The abundance of palm trees and clay found inFayoum are the reasons how the basketry industry began here. Travelers will visitlocal villages such as Nazla, and Tunis the master craft centers of pots and openheritage museums that explains the culture, traditions, and many uses of pottery.

Intensive field investigations have been carried out with the craft producers inShakshok, Tunis, Kahek, El-Nazlah, Fedimin, El-Agamyin, El-Nassariyah and El-A'lam. Also, many vendors in various locations in the road of Lake Qarun, Fayoumcity and in Ein-Elsellin were investigated during the field visits.

Investigations with the individuals and groups have been carried out using theparticipatory strategic planning methodology. This approach helps the crafts'producers to effectively propose many ideas focusing on the development of thecrafts in the context of planned ecotourism development in the Fayoum. The Fayoumgovernorate has long been known for its distinct handicrafts and specifically thefollowing products. See the map entitled handicraft community centers in the Fayoum

3.3.1 Basketry and Palm ProductsSince the beginning of history, Palm trees played an important role in the life of theFayoumi farmers. Some call it "the life tree" due to its various uses specifically tofarmers. The farmers use the palm trees in making many products. The areasplanted with palm trees in Fayoum reach 7500 feddan. These areas contain almost1.7 million fruitful palm trees spreading in most of the villages of Fayoum especiallythose in the villages of Snnores, Ebshuay, Etsa and Tami. During the long life of thepalm trees, the farmer trims them to help them grow. The harvesting of the trimmingprocess is used in basketry products.

Made of rice straw and date palm leaves, the coiled baskets of Fayoum come in alarge variety of shapes varying from large laundry baskets to dainty ones for littletrinkets. This basketry technique has been found in Fayoum since the Neolithicperiod, long before the pharaohs came into power. The baskets are made by womenworking at home. El-Alaam and El Kaabi villages are centers of the famous Fayoum

basket making tradition.


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3.3.2 Pottery

Pottery has a long history in the Fayoum since the pharaonic times. Abu Ballas,Father of Pots, was an important center of pottery history in the Fayoum. Located onthe caravan trail that linked Wadi El Rayan and points south with Wadi Natrun andpoints north, Abu Ballas was a major station where caravans stopped to rest. Thepots scattered around this area date from the Roman era and consist mainly ofsmashed amphorae. The pottery encountered there can be dated back to the Romantimes. Pottery art continued in the Fayoum history and now is reinterpreted in twogreat pots centers, El Nazla and Tunis.

In the small hamlet, Tunis, there is Evelyn, a Swiss potter who decided to live and

work from around 40 years. She uses a variety of different clay types and glazes.Evelyn, exports her art around the world. She has established a pottery school forchildren who make beautiful designs, primarily of animals in warm earth tone glazes.The school teaches many of the local village youth pottery as an art, and not as acraft.Some of the pottery school students have even displayed their work outsideEgypt. The school attracts and hosts potters from Egypt and all over the world. TheTunis pottery is more upmarket and arty. It is sold in galleries and craft shops inneighborhoods of Cairo where there is a high concentration of well to-do Egyptianand foreign residents.

Potters of Nazla use a very particular technique to make a spherical pot based on acombination of wheel-thrown and hammer-and-anvil. Work is carried out according

to very old and traditional methods of producing pottery that have not changed muchsince Pharaonic times. The potters village at Nazla itself is built completely out of


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pots. Inside the 20 workshops, there is a hole, a kind of hemispherical scoop in theground. Straw and clay are mixed together, sometimes with ash. The material is inthe hole, and it is hammered and turned at the same time to make large globes. Thebig pots are allowed to dry a little, and it is only then that the vessels are finished onthe wheel. There is no wheel involved, no mechanical process. Only the rims of thelarge round pots are made on the throwing wheel. These vessels are not a result ofmechanical turning but of the turning of the body, the rhythm of the body and the holein the ground. The pots of Nazla are archetypes, and are therefore living history.Here the history is walking alongside the vessel, on a different but parallel path. Atpresent, the pots from El-Nazlaa are sold in Cairo at the pottery centers like that ofFustat.

3.3.3 Handmade Textiles

Textile manufacturing was known 5000 years B.C. in Fayoum. The instruments varyfrom very complicated machines to very simple manual looms. There are three kindsof fabrics: the first is Natural fibers taken from plants and animals like the fibers takenfrom linen, Jute and Calyx. Other fibers are taken from animals such as: wool, thehair of the camel, goats and rabbits. The second is the Synthetic fibers like coppersilk and the synthetic silk. The third is fibers made from natural and synthetic fibersmixed together.

The textiles' manual instruments for making traditional carpets Seggad, matsHaseer and rugs Keleem are mainly used in the rural areas of Fayoum. Rugmaking, carpet making as well as mat making are considered traditional crafts thatdepend on simple looms. This is popular in many villages in Fayoum such as

"Desya", "Sonbat", "Fedemeen" and "Tatoon".

3.3.4 Rowboat Construction

Kahek is one of the known places of constructing the small ships that ranges from 8-10 meters. Only three families from the village are involved in this activity. Theysuffer from the lack of demand for their products due to poor fish production fromLake Qarun in the last decade. Many of the fishermen complain about the lack offunding from the Fishermen Co-operative of Kahek.

The Construction of each ship takes from one to two months. Wood from berry treesis used in manufacturing the ships. This kind of wood costs about LE 600/ton. As forthe eight-meter ship, it requires approximately 2 tons of wood. Bani-Suef, about 85


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km from Fayoum, and 135 km from El-Minya, are considered the main markets forthis wood resource.

3.3.5 Fishing nets manufacturing

Many fishermen of Kahk manufacture the nets they need themselves. Women andchildren participate in this process in their houses. They get the raw fiber materialsfrom Cairo or Fayoum. Funding concerns regarding the Fishermen Co-operative ofKahk are also raised by those making the fishing nets.

3.3.6 Mats made from El-Samar plant

The Fayoum governate has two kinds of Samar Plant; the sweet Samar plant whichis used in making mats and the Sour Samar plant which has no use in Fayoum tillnow. Samar plant is a local cheap and available resource. Samar grows along thebanks of the water canals, swamps and ponds in different places in the Fayoum. Notonly are mats are made from Samar plant but the containers of the "karesh" cheese

are also produced, which is an ancient product. This is popular in many villages inFayoum such as "Agamiein", "Al Nasaryyah", and "Sobeihy".

3.3.7 Cordage (Dobarah) made from flax plant

Garfas village is famous for its production of the cordage (rope) made from the flaxplant. This craft is threatened to disappear due to the increase of the prices of theflax plant and also because few leaders control the linen trade. Simple tools arerequired and can be made mainly inside peoples houses. These tools consist of awooden frame and three long nails fixed in one of the walls. Only two members of the

family can participate in making these cordages.

3.3.8 Handicraft assessment in Fayoum

Significant decline in the production of crafts in Fayoum has taken place during thelast century. Craftsmanship has ceased to be a public need and has become a touristindustry. Due to the decrease in demand of the handicraft products, many of thecrafts' producers have abandoned their profession. This led to the loss of many jobopportunities in the crafts. Crafts were also a part of the structure of society in somelocations where the whole family; children, women and old men practicedhandicrafts.

Most of craft producers are poor, low skilled, and live in rural areas. The women andchildren represent a large percentage of craft producers. They are increasingly


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marginalized due to the social, economical and cultural changes through the lastdecades. They have no strong channels to financial, human and social support. Thelow sales of the products cause low income, causing in turn a drain on the time of theproducers in terms of further deterioration of their income and their skills. Except thehandicraft producers in Nazla and Tunis, they earn an average of LE 1600 - 1000 peryear. Most of the men are involved in practicing the handicrafts activities as asecondary job, while many are mainly farmers or have other jobs.

The decreasing of the local demand for their products is due to their lack of capital,knowledge and skills to access new markets. Although the local private traders helpin linking the producers to the markets, their concern is to maximize their own profitsat the expenses of the already marginalized producers. Most of them work in informalwork places which are not subject to health laws and standards. They are notorganized enough due to the shortage of participation in the representativeorganizations. Job opportunities created in the handicrafts field are decreasing due tothe deterioration of the profession in general.

The main weakness of the recent status of the handicrafts in Fayoum is that theproducts are unfit for sale due to the lack of quality assurance. In addition, theproducers' skills in management, production process, trade, marketing, pricing anddecision making are very weak.

Small investments in quality control and promotion can help improve the success andrevival of handicrafts in Fayoum. Creation of job opportunities and resultant incomegeneration for thousands of people that at present do not have access to market oralternative income sources can be harnessed through handicrafts. Handicrafts are adynamic industry with relative advantages for the poor people of Fayoum. Developingthe handicrafts of Fayoum is a strategic option for poverty alleviation of thisecotourism plan for the following reasons:

Most handicraft activities can be carried out at the household level, or at thecommunity level benefiting the social relations existing in such rural areas.

Most of the handicrafts are often linked to the agricultural production cyclesand contribute to strengthen rural economies.

Handicraft activities indirectly stimulate the production of locally available rawmaterials needed for craft products.

It triggers processes of socio-economic awareness and independence forwomen who represent big percentage of the producers.

By providing an additional income source for the family, handicraft activitiescould facilitate access to better education and healthcare services forchildren, hence improving their quality of life.

It plays a valuable role in functioning the spare time of the families' membersin a creative and profitable work.

Traditional handicraft activities contribute to the preservation of the culturalheritage and identity of producers.

Handicraft activities are often environment-friendly as they are characterizedby very low energy consumption and often use scrap materials of otherproductions.


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Map (7) Handicraft Community Centers in the Fayoum


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4. SITUATION ANALYSES: OPPORTUNITIES ANDCONSTRAINTS

The Fayoum Governorate offers significant opportunities for tourism developmentbecause of its unique natural and cultural attractions. The beauty and recreational

opportunities created by the diverse character of Fayoum's environment alsoconstitute substantial concerns and constraints for tourism development. Withcareful planning and consideration, all of these challenges can be successfullyaccommodated. The purpose of this summary is to provide valuable information todecision makers about the opportunities and constraints of the ecotourismdevelopment that accurately characterize the facts about the Fayoum Governorate.

4.1. Constraints4.1.1 Land jurisdiction issue

One of the major issues facing tourism development in Fayoum is the conflicts

between the governmental authorities on the local and national level on landjurisdiction. There is difficulty to proceed in tourism development in Fayoum withoutresolving the problems of jurisdictional and licensing issues between differentMinistries (e.g. Tourism, Environment, Agriculture, Irrigation, Antiquities, Security,and the Fayoum governorate).

The land jurisdiction among several authorities with different purposes, managerialtargets, fees and process make development incompatible, contradictory andsometimes has irreversible impacts. This situation does not help the development inFayoum and continue to increase the obstacles and difficulties facing investors dueto the contradiction and multi-process for different authorities.

4.1.2 Intrusive security management:

Security restrictions are currently a major challenge in developing ecotourism in theFayoum. Before reaching the Fayoum on the desert road from Cairo, foreigners areasked to wait and often outnumbered by the police escort and are made to wait untilpolice escorts are ready to leave and for the rest of the day they are accompanied bypolice car. For most visitors it is enough to turn around and cancel a visit altogether.Others overcome the problem by turning off the road into the desert before reachingthe police post. All foreigners visiting the Fayoum find that their visit is hampered bythe police protection. Both international and local tour operators complained that theintrusive security management and one of the British tour operators stopped their

trips to Fayoum for the same reason. However, it is important the tourism protectionshould be carried out in a non-intrusive manner and is well coordinated.

The Fayoum Governorate now is seriously planning to allow entry of foreigners intodesert region of Fayoum. Security issues need to be resolved in order to realize theregions tourism potential and introduction of less intrusive security management isneeded.

4.1.3 Water pollution

Water pollution by agriculture land drainage and sewage drainage in Lake Qarun cancause irreparable damage to the lakes ecosystem. Agriculture drainage water

reaching Lake Qarun and Wadi El Rayan is loaded with chemical pollutants. Hugequantities of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and some industrial chemicals end up


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in the agricultural drainage system and eventually in Fayoums lakes. In addition,partially treated and untreated sewage is known to drain into the agriculturaldrainage system and eventually in the lakes. The extent and effect of this type ofpollution on the lakes and their biota is not clear.

Environmental pollution of the lakes, however, may possibly have contributed to thegradual decline in the fisheries, at least in Lake Qarun. In addition, this pollutiongreatly impedes the use of the lake for water sports or swimming and reduces thechances of success for tourism development of the southern shore of Lake Qarun.

4.1.4 Negative impact on critical habitats

Major alterations in the natural habitats and biota of the unique and scientificallyimportant areas of the Fayoum Governorate have already taken place causingserious deterioration of the fragile environment. The over-exploitation of limitednatural resources and uncontrolled development of large sectors of the southernshore of Lake Qarun has resulted in the destruction of extensive areas of salt

marshes and mud flats which are important habitat for a variety of birds and breedingareas for commercially important fishes and crustacean.

Although, the eastern and western tips of Lake Qarun are specially designated ascore zones of the bird sanctuary, tourism facilities and other buildings have beenconstructed directly on the shore line of the lake within the declared buffer zone. Theconstruction work, site clearing, on-site wastewater and solid waste disposal, noise,obstruction of view to the lake causes a lot of damage to the bird habitats. Inaddition, these pollutants spread into the shallow water of the lake. Critical Habitatshould be identified and environmental education techniques should be implementedto prevent further destruction of the Fayoum critical habitats.

4.1.5 Fossil and Heritage Sites excavation

There are literally tens of Pharaonic, Greek/Roman, Coptic and Islamic heritage sitesas well as fossils and prehistoric remains located throughout Fayoum. Manyunexplored ruins from Pharaonic, Greco-Roman and Christian eras, especially in theparts of north Lake Qarun and Oyun El-Rayan, are under threat by the illegalexcavation by visitors and people from neighboring areas in Fayoum. For example,people come to the Fayoum fossil beds on the weekends and cart away enormousquantity of fossils and prehistoric artifacts. These actions are devastating the areawhile scientific study is still in progress (Cassandra 2002). All of these sites must beprotected and remain undamaged to preserve the historical resources of Fayoum.

Digging for fossils


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4.1.6 Modern Mines and Quarries

From the perspective of ecotourism development, there are several concerns about

mining activities in the desert areas and its impact on the quality of the ecotourismproduct of Fayoum. The impact of air and noise pollution and disturbance of trucktraffic produced by mining operations are incompatible with the tourism activities.Mining and quarry operations remain very active in the Fayoum Governorate.Numerous mines and quarries are located in the north of Lake Qarun toapproximately Wadi El Rayan in the south.

It is acknowledged that the mines and quarries represent a continuation ofapproximately 6,000 years of economic history in this region. The ancient quarrylandscape north of Lake Qarun including the Ancient Quarry Road and the harbour atQasr el-Sagha, Widan el-Faras are large archaeological sites that can only beproperly understood and appreciated as an integrated ancient quarry zone. The site

bears witness to one of the most important traditions in Egyptian Antiquity theprocurement of massive amounts of stone for the building of lasting edifices in the3rd millennium BC. The modern quarry industry represents one of the major threatsto both ancient quarries as one of the major attractions and ecotourism activities inthe desert areas of the Fayoum.

4.1.7 Traditional Use Areas

Both the people and the livestock of the Bedouin, farmers and fishermen in Fayoumdepend upon their marginal and scarce resources for their subsistence.Consequently, no competitive use of these resources will be allowed with tourismactivities. Access to lakeshore and open water, vegetation essential for grazing

livestock of the local people in the marginal areas must be respected.


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4.1.8 Potential threats to humans

The potential threats to human in the Fayoumdesert areas include: extreme heat, scarcity ofwater, sand storms, poisonous insects/snakes,

and roughness of the terrain. Most of the threatsto humans result in medical emergencies in theFayoum desert area that present manychallenges.

These risks can be reduced by effectivecommunication systems with medical personneland the strategic stationing and mobilization ofemergency response vehicles.

Horned Viper

Anti-venoms must be refrigerated to maintain their effectiveness due to theextreme temperatures.

4.1.9 Human resources and local work force

One of the main challenges facing ecotourism development in Fayoum is the limitedhuman resources capacity to meet the requirements of quality ecotourism product.There is a gap between the needs of tourism employers and the supply of personneltrained including private training providers, colleges and universities. The highilliteracy rates, minimal well-trained staff available locally for guidance and hotelservices, limited number of multi-lingual people, deterioration of the quality ofhandicrafts are all major concerns regarding the human resources that can serveecotourism in Fayoum. For these reasons, the local communities in Fayoum stillhave not benefitted substantially from the tourism development in their region.Ecotourism seems to offer more opportunities for the direct involvement of local

communities, especially as ecotourism establishments are often more willing toinvest in local development.

4.1.10 Quality and quantity of the tourism services

Both the quality and quantity of the tourism facilities in Fayoum are still under anadequate standard for success. Lack of services is one of the major problemsconfronting ecotourism development in Fayoum, these include inadequatehealth/emergency services, inadequate accommodation, lack of tourist facilities,informal urban growth around tourist sites, hygiene and sanitary problems and solidwaste in the street. Ecotourism development in Fayoum needs overall improvementof basic services.

All of above mentioned concerns\problems about the current situationcreate a negative image for the visitors and investors of Fayoum. This canexplain the reason for the lack of investment and financial resources.


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4.2 Opportunities

4.2.1 Diversity of resources\attractions

The tourist's personal experiences include some combination of nature, culture, andheritage-based activities that are further reinforced by accommodations thataccurately reflect the culture and heritage of the locality, cuisine, amenities, andvarious personal services that characterize the host community. The ecotourismattractions of the Fayoum Governorate can be divided into three categories: focal,secondary, and supporting attractions.

The focal attractions of the Fayoum Governorate refer to distinctive features of thelocal and regional natural and cultural heritage; they are the basic assets of Fayoumthat the local community can offer to tourists and are attractive enough to motivate atourist to come to visit. The focal attractions in Fayoum include the following:

Scientific excursions to the world heritage site of Wadi El-Hitan andfossils of Gabal Qatrani and petrified forest north Lake Qarun toexplore its international significance

Bird watching around the lakes and in the agriculture lands

Desert safari activities (mountain climbing and hiking, desert trekking,trails, horse and camel riding, etc.).

The secondary attractions also refer to the natural and cultural heritage elements,but do not possess the degree of distinctiveness of focal attractions. In other words,they alone are not enough to motivate a tourist to visit the Fayoum. They constitutereasons for further interest and added value to the tourist, contributing to richer andmore diverse tourism experiences (Saballous 1997). The secondary attractions inthe Fayoum include the following:

Wildlife observation (fauna and flora).

Direct contact with communities lifestyles (i.e. the Bedouin, fishermenand farmers).

Water sports activities in the lakes (small sailboats, feluccas,

kayaking, single-line fishing, swimming in the lower lake of Wadi El-Rayan).

Strictly regulating duck hunting in the fishery ponds. Tours to the ancient quarries of north Qarun

Visitation to the archeological sites (Qasr El Sagha, Medinet Madi,Demieh, etc.).

The geologic and geomorphologic features of the desert areas, thatare especially appealing to nature photographers and geologists.

The supporting attractions are man-made elements (facilities and services) thatserve specific needs of tourists and satisfy practical requirements of eco-tourists.

The existing tourism facilities include local handicrafts, existing accommodationfacilities in the southern shoreline of Lake Qarun such as Auberge, Panorama and


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New Panorama hotel, Zad El Mosafer lodge in Tunis, and Safari Camp in Wadi ElRayan.

4.2.2 Accessibility

Fayoums close proximity to Cairo, which is a central transportation and destinationhub in Egypt, can benefit substantially as a desert escape complete with anexperience of village lifestyle away from the bustle of the urban density of Cairo.With local and international tourist markets available to Fayoum, air and groundtransport makes Fayoum an accessible and potentially attractive destination. Withthe improvement of highways and mass transit over the last few years in Cairo,Fayoum is only a short distance away from the citys centre.

4.2.3 Willingness of the host community

There is a good opportunity to involve local people in the ecotourism process inFayoum and the Fayoumi people are interested in participating in ecotourism

activities. The areas of participation include producing and market handicrafts,cooperating with hotels in tourism activities, guiding tourists through the region,hosting visitors to their communities, willing to learn foreign languages, and acquireskills related to tourism, marketing, and environmental awareness

fayoum report submited 11-12-2006

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