El-Fayyūm
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Faiyum الفيوم |
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 Faiyum
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| Coordinates: 29°18′30″N 30°50′39″E / 29.308374°N 30.844105°ECoordinates: 29°18′30″N 30°50′39″E / 29.308374°N 30.844105°E | |
| Country |
 Egypt
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| Governorate | Faiyum |
| Elevation | 23 m (75 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 349,883 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
Faiyum (Arabic: الفيوم El Fayyūm pronounced [elfæjˈjuːm]; Coptic: ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ Phiom) is a city in Middle Egypt. Located 100 kilometres (62 miles) southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum Governorate. Originally called Shedet in Ancient Egypt, the Greeks called it Crocodilopolis or Krocodilopolis, the Romans Arsinoë. It is one of Egypt's oldest cities due to its strategic location.
Its name in English is also spelled as Fayum, Faiyum or El Faiyūm. Faiyum was previously officially named Madīnet El Faiyūm (Arabic for The City of Faiyum). The name Faiyum (and its spelling variations) may also refer to the Faiyum Oasis, although it is commonly used by Egyptians today to refer to the city.
The modern name of the city comes from Coptic ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ /Ⲡⲉⲓⲟⲙ epʰiom/peiom (whence the proper name Ⲡⲁⲓⲟⲙ payom), meaning the Sea or the Lake, which in turn comes from late Egyptian pꜣ-ymꜥ of the same meaning, a reference to the nearby Lake Moeris; the extinct elephant ancestor Phiomia was named after it.
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