6Faiyum, Egypt – Around 5200 BC
Located southwest of modern Cairo, Faiyum is one of Egypt’s oldest inhabited areas. Estimates place its earliest settlement around 5200 BC.
The region’s existence has always been closely connected with water. The nearby Lake Qarun and the fertile lands of the Faiyum oasis allowed ancient communities to develop agriculture in an otherwise arid environment.
Ancient Egyptians transformed the area into an important agricultural center, and the region became closely associated with several pharaohs and religious traditions.
