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Shedyet's District of
Lake She-resy
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There is something singularly mesmerizing about the Lower Laurel when viewed from the lake and the canal. The ever changing vistas, the warm breeze, and the gentle wash created by your boats bow cutting through the deep blue waters – every sight and sound awakening the senses.
Living by Lake She resy and its canal is a special experience. It’s all here at your fingertips, the boats, the wide variety destinations, the on board experience combining history and refinement.
Here you will discover one of the best-kept secrets in Egypt. Imagine awakening to the sound of lapping waters and the call of the sacred ibis as Lake She resy beckons you. Open your eyes to watch sparks of sunlight bounce off the water. Watch the sun rise over the mouth of the canal at Ro Henty.
Imagine having breakfast, leaning on the deck rail and enjoying dipping your freshly baked and still warm bread into softly boiled pelican eggs. You're almost awake as you watch the yachts arrive and depart Karanis harbour, the lake fishermen and traders setting out as Ra's solar barque lightly breaches the horizon with the gift of another beautiful day.
The pharaohs themselves took great pride in their pleasure boats with multiple decks containing cabins, deck kitchens, dining rooms and lounges. It's not just about destination and the attraction of the journey itself but rather the atmosphere. Sailing Lake She resy and its canal can offer this same charming, romantic and lavishly furnished lifestyle with its idyllic water highway. When in the ‘Story of the Green Jewel,’ Pharaoh Sneferu of the 4th Dynasty was bored his advisor suggested a boat trip:
... 'twenty virgins who were fair
to behold went into the boat
and they rowed with oars of ebony
which were decorated with gold.
His Majesty took pleasure in the outing,
and the gloom passed from his heart
as the boat went hither and thither,
and the girls sang together with sweet voices...'
Westcar Papyrus.
We cannot promise 'virgins' but we can guarantee you a world of relaxation. Having a boat on the canal system is an asset that can be taken advantage of in many ways. Imagine sitting on the deck, the lake beneath you and on the shoreline, palms ripe with promise. You sail by a small temple dedicated to the serpent goddess Reneutet, silently offering thanks to her for the perfect harvest and like Sneferu, your gloom too has disappeared. Further on, you watch the shore line ... a devotee of the goddess Ta-yet, patroness of weavers, lays blue corn flowers amongst the offerings of cloth at a larger shrine by the waters edge. A small nobleman’s yacht sails past, his ladies giggling as they wave a greeting and you hear his calling avowal that tonight you'll find him awaiting your visit to his country estate by the water's edge.
Your boat rocks gently in the wake of a passing vessel and you marvel at the size of the obelisk they transport to the pyramid of Amenemhat Nimaatre, Belonging to the Justice of Re. Verdant and lush fields slip by; you glimpse the passenger ferry taking off, waiting patiently for a slowly manoeuvring trading vessel travelling from Greco-Roman Karanis to the great city of Shedyet; their vessel stacked high with the glass and pottery Karanis is famous for. You are catching your first fish from the aft rail and forward under the shaded awning of the kitchen deck, the wonderful aromas from a barbecue of roasted gazelle promise a great meal.
Imagine lounging against the cooling embroidered blue dyed linen cushions, looking out across the blue waters, towards the desert hills and beyond, and listening as your personal musicians play your favourite music; the fishing boats returning for the evening with the days catch, stopping alongside to show you their freshly caught perch. Although sacred to the Lower Laurel you'll find no crocodiles in the lake or canal. So assured, you refresh yourself by diving in and floating, gaze out across an expanse of a pure and magical lapis lazuli in the lowering eventide.
You spy a waving farmer who beckons your boat to the shore and find yourself stocking up on his wonderfully fresh melons, crisp cucumbers, a few combs of honey and a jar or two of his newly pressed kikki oil. The farmer presses his shy son forward and you discover to your delight, the talented boys exquisitely carved fish amulets, sacred to the goddess Hethert, also being offered for sale.
Back on board and wholly satisfied in a dusky orange sunset that seems to bathe the world, a servant offers you a cooling beer and smiling, you put aside your climatic worries as each day on the lake proves to be just as beautiful as the next. Enjoying it's surrounds, Lake She resy reminds you that you have found the perfect place to nourish yourself and simply enjoy the serenity this unique waterway has to offer.
[Lake She-resy, has also been known by the name "Moeris" is a Greek adaptation of ancient Egyptian Mer-Wer (= "The Great Lake"). In ancient Egypt, the lake was also variously called "the Lake", "the Pure Lake" (She-reshy), and "the Lake of Osiris". During the Middle Kingdom, the whole area around the lake was often referred to as Mer-Wer as well. Similarly, the Late Egyptian word "Faiyum" (the Sea) came to be used as a reference for the entire region in later times. In modern times, the lake was also known as Lake Birket and in the modern Arabic... Lake Qarun.]
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 Sementawy Horemheb
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