Fodor's Expert Review Karanis

Despite the remains of bathrooms, cooking facilities, and houses, some of which are decorated with frescoes, it's hard to believe that Karanis was once populated by thousands. This Greco-Roman town 25 km (15 miles) north of the city of Fayyum was founded by Ptolemy II's mercenaries in the 3rd century BC. Today, its main attraction is a temple dating from the 1st century BC and dedicated to two crocodile gods, Petesuchs and Pnepheros. At its east entrance, a large square depression is all that's left of the pool that would have been reserved for the sacred creatures. Inside, niches where mummified crocs would have been interred are still visible, as are some wall inscriptions.

A small >museum at the entrance to the site displays two of the famed Fayyum portraits—painted funerary masks laid over the faces of linen-covered mummies. The collection also includes statuary, relief fragments, and a few everyday objects, as well as Coptic and Islamic textiles and ceramics. Some items were unearthed here, others were found elsewhere in the Fayyum and Egypt.