Extinct lake, northern Egypt.
It once occupied the Al-Fayy 016B; m depression, now the site of the much smaller Lake Q 0101; r 016B; n. Its waters began falling in Paleolithic times as a result of silt accumulation in the channel that flowed from the Nile River . During the Middle Kingdom ( 0441; 20401786 BC), dredging renewed access to the Nile's waters. Land-reclamation projects in the 3rd century BC drained the lake, opening 450 sq mi (1,200 sq km) of alluvial soil that was irrigated by canals. The region declined after the first two centuries of Roman rule.