Lake Mariout...

A Landlocked Sea Southern of Alexandria

Lake Mariout (Mareotis) is just south of, and actually forms the southern border of Alexandria.

As in the Nile Valley, where much farming continues to be carried on in much the same way as in ancient times, here, fisherman also carry on mostly following in their ancestor's footsteps.

Actually, it is not unusual even today to find Egyptians living on small boats in this river oriented culture. Even in Cairo, small open boats dot the shore here and there...

A series of basins with a pink tinge lie to the west of the marshes. This natural coloration comes from salt pans, but one also passes through areas where the water is clear and here and there, fish farms exist with water piped in from the Mediterranean. Soon, however, the urban areas play out and the shores become wilder, where the lake continues for about fifty kilometers (30 miles). This area is mostly uninhabited by human; its residents being migratory birds, mostly from Turkey, and small animals such as foxes that inhabit the nearby desert. It was not always this way.

During the Greco-Roman period, Lake Mariout saw much more activity. It stretched for almost 100 kilometers from east to west and was a hub for travelers and traders. Canals made it possible for travelers to reach the Nile from the lake, and they also connected it to the canal of Alexandria and to the sea.

During antiquity, the lake was therefore fed by the Nile through the canals, but since then the water level has continuously declined, leaving the eastern part of the lake dried up, which is now cultivated land.

Nowadays, the lake is about a meter (3 feet) lower than in the Graeco-Roman period, attested by the ancient harbors that now are left somewhat high and dry.

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