Fayoum Travel Guide Egypt : The Kiman Faris Open Air Museum in Karanis Fayoum

24 July 2024

The Kiman Faris Open Air Museum in Karanis Fayoum

Kiman Faris Open Air Museum in Karanis

The Kiman Faris Open Air Museum in Karanis is one of several Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation initiatives the U.S. government has sponsored over the years, in partnership with the Ministry of Antiquities and others, to help preserve and protect ancient sites in Egypt.

The Kiman Faris Open Air Museum was designed and implemented for the URU Fayum Project (University of California, Los Angeles, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and the University of Auckland) by Agnieszka Dobrowolska, Architect, through The Association for the Urban Development of Islamic Cairo, in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and in collaboration with the Embassy of The United States of America, in support of the preservation of the Greco-Roman ancient city of Karanis.

This project received financial support as one of the winners of the 2013 U.S Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) annual global competition. AFCP is funded worldwide by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC.

Ambassador Stephen Beecroft joined Minister Mamdouh Eldamaty in announcing the opening of the Kiman Faris Open Air Museum. The museum, which is about to open in Karanis, is supported by the United States and Egyptian governments in partnership with the Cairo-based firm ARCHiNOS Architecture.

The Ambassador and Minister toured a 55-photo exhibit of the work done at Karanis over the last two years and viewed a short documentary film entitled, “A Glimpse of a Lost City.” Ambassador Beecroft noted that “this project shows how appreciating cultural heritage is one of the best ways to foster understanding between nations and peoples.

Karanis in Kom Aushim, located north of the city of Fayyum, was an important agricultural settlement for both the Greeks and Romans.

The Kiman Faris Open Air Museum displays rare pieces from ancient Fayyum, a city which existed and thrived during the Middle and New Kingdoms, including under Amenemhat III about 3,850 years ago, and later under Ramses II.