Egyptian archaeological mission unearths miners' quarters in South Sinai

An Egyptian archaeological mission working in the Sinai peninsula has unearthed the remains of a building believed to have been the living quarters of the leader of ancient Egyptian mining expeditions.

Mining was conducted in the area during the Middle Kingdom period, around 2,000 to 1,800 BC, a statement from the country’s health ministry said.

The mission is the first to operate in the mountainous province of South Sinai, said the ministry, confirming that the dig was conducted as part of larger efforts on the government’s part to develop Sinai to promote tourism.

Located in the Al Nasb Valley in Sinai, the unearthed structure consisted of two storeys and was built over an area of about 225 square metres, said Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the country’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The first floor of the structure was made up of two halls, two rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a staircase that leads to a second floor where several smelting furnaces were found, leading the team to believe that it was probably used as a work area.

Also found on the second floor were four copper ingots, each weighing between 1,200 and 1,300 grams, said the ministry.

Inside some of the rooms on the first level of the structure the team found a number of column bases, which the mission believes were used to hold up the second floor of the building.

Dr Mustafa Nour El Din, head of the mission and director of the Scientific Centre for Training in South Sinai and the Red Sea, said that his team believe the excavated structure was built during the Middle Kingdom period, falling into disrepair after being neglected during the Second Intermediate period, 1782 to 1550 BC.

It was then renovated and used again during the New Kingdom period, 1520 BC to 1075 BC, said Dr Nour El Din.

The building was then repurposed during the Roman conquest of Egypt. The team was able to ascertain this through structural changes added to the building made in the Roman style. These included making an entrance from the north and adding separating walls between the halls.

He added that inside one of the building’s rooms, a workshop for processing turquoise was found, containing stone tools for shaping, processing and cleaning turquoise. The tools resembled ones which are still used today, said Dr Nour El Din.

In the vicinity of the building, three caves were found — small mines for the extraction of copper ore.

Mr Waziri explained that the structure was found in a mineral-rich part of South Sinai which still contains a large number of copper and turquoise deposits.

The area also contains a large amount of copper slag, a by-product of copper extraction by smelting. This is due to extensive mining and smelting operations conducted in the area over the centuries, said the statement.

In the surrounding Al Nasb Valley, the mission also found several royal seals, one which belonged to King Merneptah, and two that belonged to King Amenemhat III, which were found very close to the unearthed building.

Mining activity in Sinai peaked during the reign of Amenemhat III, which ended around 1,800 BC.