Video iReport From Fayoum, Egypt - 1/12/2010 4:00pm

Bricks without Straw

On the third day of our Egypt adventure we journeyed to the Al-Fayoum Oasis, about 60 miles southwest of Cairo.  During the 12th-dynasty reign of Sesostris III (1874-1855 B.C.) and his son Amenemhat II (1855-1808 B.C.), a canal was dug linking lake Qarun to the Nile, irrigating the land and creating an extremely fertile basin, which became an agricultural center for the ancient world.  

In Genesis 37-50 we read the story of Joseph, who is sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers.  The story takes place during Egypt’s 12th dynasty, and tradition holds that it was Joseph who had the canal dug and the marshes drained in Fayoum, resulting in seven years of abundance, prior to a severe 7-year famine.  In transforming Fayoum into an agricultural center, Joseph not only saves Egypt from famine, but also saves his family who had come to Egypt to avoid starvation.  

A 12th-dynasty mud-brick pyramid is among the archaeological remains in Fayoum, and it, too, is associated with Joseph.  There are 110 pyramids in Egypt, and they were all built during a relatively short period:  c. 2665-1552 B.C.  The earlier pyramids, such as the Red Pyramid at Dashur and the great pyramid of Cheops on the Giza Plateau, are the highest quality, while the latter pyramids are significantly less impressive, often made of mud brick, rather than limestone.  

The mud bricks in the pyramid at Fayoum give us insight into the story in Exodus 5: 6-8 where we read: 

That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people:  “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw.  But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. 

For more about bricks without straw, watch the video iReport, shot on location at Fayoum, below!

Photography by Ana Vargas.