Lake el-Rayan

Wadi El Rayan is a desert depression southwest of the Faiyum basin. Wind and water have shaped its sandy ground and exposed layers of rock, while the cliffs and valleys around it preserve fossils from an ancient sea. Beyond the cultivated lands fed by the Bahr Yussef, this dry basin formed part of the Western Desert's open landscape. Its low ground and surrounding escarpments give it a distinct shape within the desert plateau.