Madinet Madi now on the Egypt tourism map

Ahram Online (Nevine El-Aref)

The Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs Zahi Hawass and Italian Ambassador to Egypt Claudio Pacifico will be celebrating the end of the second phase of the Madinet Madi Development Project in the Fayoum governorate, with the opening of its visitor centre, Sunday.

This project is part of a broader development plan called the Institutional Support to the Supreme Council of Antiquities for Environmental Monitoring and Management of cultural heritage sites (ISSEMM), which began in 2005. It was made possible by a generous grant of €3,500,000 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Italy.

Madinet Madi is one of the most important archaeological sites in the Fayoum region. It was founded during the reigns of Amenemhat III (c 1981-1952 BC) and Amenemhat IV (c 1814-1805 BC) of the 12th Dynasty (c 1981-1802 BC). It contains the ruins of the only Middle Kingdom (c 2030-1802 BC) temple in Egypt. This temple was dedicated to the cobra-headed goddess, Renenutet, and the crocodile-headed god, Sobek of Scedet, patron god of the region and its capitol, Scedet. During the Ptolemaic period (332-30 BC), the temple was enlarged and the city enhanced.

Since 1978, the University of Pisa has carried out exploration work at Medinet Madi.