Massive 3,500-Year-Old Fortress Unearthed in Sinai, Egypt

Archaeologists excavate the remains of a monolithic New Kingdom fortress astatine Tell el-Kharouba successful North Sinai, Egypt. Credit: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Archaeologists successful Egypt person uncovered a monolithic subject fortress dating backmost to the New Kingdom play (1550 to 1070 BC) astatine Tell el-Kharouba, successful the Sheikh Zuweid country of North Sinai.

The discovery, made by an Egyptian archaeological mission, is considered 1 of the largest and astir important fortifications ever recovered on the past Horus subject roadworthy adjacent the Mediterranean coast.

Researchers accidental the fortress provides invaluable penetration into Egypt’s blase defence system, which protected its eastbound borders and controlled captious commercialized and subject routes connecting Egypt with Palestine.

A model into Egypt’s subject planning

The tract offers a uncommon glimpse into the subject readying of the New Kingdom. During this period, pharaohs constructed a web of fortresses crossed Sinai to unafraid the frontier and forestall invasions. These strongholds besides ensured harmless transition for soldiers and traders on 1 of the astir strategical routes of the past world.

Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, described the find arsenic almighty impervious of the past Egyptians’ mastery successful gathering an integrated antiaircraft strategy to safeguard their land. He said the fortress reveals caller chapters of Egypt’s arrogant subject past and reinforces Sinai’s estimation arsenic a portion affluent successful archaeological and taste heritage.

Walls, gates, and towers travel to light

Excavations revealed portion of the fortress’s confederate wall, measuring astir 105 meters (344 feet) agelong and 2.5 meters (8 feet) wide, on with a secondary gross astir 2.2 (7 feet) meters wide.

Eleven defensive towers person been identified truthful far. The squad besides uncovered the northwestern operation and sections of the bluish and occidental walls, contempt challenges posed by shifting dunes that screen overmuch of the site.

Unique fortress plan and worker quarters

Mohamed Abdel-Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, said the squad besides discovered a zigzag partition astir 75 meters (246 feet) agelong connected the occidental broadside of the fortress.

The partition divides the tract from northbound to southbound and encloses what appears to beryllium a residential country for soldiers. He explained that the distinctive design, emblematic of the New Kingdom, reflects however past Egyptians adapted their architecture to harsh godforsaken conditions.

Artifacts uncover regular subject life

Archaeologists besides uncovered pottery fragments and instauration deposits beneath 1 of the towers, dating to the archetypal fractional of the 18th Dynasty. Among the finds was a jar grip stamped with the sanction of King Thutmose I.

The artifacts discovered astatine the tract dating to the archetypal fractional of the 18th Dynasty. Credit: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

The squad besides discovered volcanic stones apt imported by oversea from the Greek islands, arsenic good arsenic a ample breadstuff oven with fossilized dough remains—evidence that the fortress functioned arsenic a self-sufficient subject base, supporting the regular beingness of the stationed soldiers.

Next signifier of exploration

Dr. Hisham Hussein, Head of the Central Department of Lower Egypt Antiquities, stated that aboriginal studies bespeak the fortress underwent respective phases of restoration and redesign, peculiarly astir its confederate gate.

He added that excavations volition proceed to uncover the remaining fortifications and surrounding structures, with hopes of locating the past subject larboard that erstwhile served the fortress on the coast.

Part of a wider antiaircraft network

Covering astir 8,000 quadrate meters (86,000 quadrate feet)—nearly 3 times larger than a adjacent fortress discovered successful the 1980s—the tract adds an important nexus to the concatenation of fortifications on the Horus Road, including Tell Heboua, Tell el-Borg, and Tell el-Abyad. Together, these discoveries item the strategical imaginativeness and architectural accomplishment that defined Egypt’s New Kingdom era.