Medinet el-Fayum is the modern name of the ancient town of Chedyt that the Greeks called Crocodilopolis, Soukhos or Arsinoe. The city was dedicated to the god Sobek, worshipped as a sacred crocodile of which priests took great care: to be devoured by it was a privilege! When it died, it was mummified and quickly replaced by another “son of Sobek” (close to El-Armana, thousands of crocodile mummies were discovered).
The main monument of the site is the temple of Sobek dating from 12th dynasty, built by Pharaoh Amenemhat III who was buried in a nearby pyramid, in Hawara. This temple was rebuilt and extended later on (29° 07' North, 30° 45' East).