Ain Suchna
| Ain Suchna | |||
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| Coordinates | 29 ° 36 ' N , 32 ° 18' E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Egypt | ||
| as-Suwais | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | EG-SUZ | ||
| Residents | 162 (2006-11-11) | ||
 Hotel complex in Ain Sukhna
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Ain Suchna ( Arabic العين السخنة, DMG al-ʿAyn as-Suḫna ; also Ain Sukhna ) is a tourist holiday area located on the Ghubbat al-Būṣ bay on the west coast of the Gulf of Suez , about 120 km southeast of Cairo and 65 km south of Suez in the as-Suwais governorate . The name also refers to the entire coastal strip of several dozen kilometers in length, where several holiday complexes have settled along the well-developed coastal road. The name stands for "hot spring" in Arabic and is derived from a sulfur spring in the region. According to the November 11, 2006 census, Suchna had 162 permanent residents. It was found in the city ( madīna ) ʿAtāqa (مدينة عتاقة) of the Gouvernement as-Suwais (Suez). The fact that 159 of the 162 residents were male indicates the character of a holiday resort. During the Pharaonic period, Ain Suchna was used as a port for shipping with the Sinai Peninsula from the Old to the New Kingdom . Hieroglyphic inscriptions were first discovered here in 1999 . Since then, archaeological investigations have been carried out regularly there .
The ancient Egyptian port facility
location
The site extends from a cliff to the plain on the coast. Nearby is the hot spring that gave the place its current name.
Research history
The existence of an archaeological site near Ain Suchna was first made known in 1999 by Mahmud Abd el-Raziq from the University of Ismailia , who discovered hieroglyphic rock inscriptions there. Excavations have been taking place annually since 2001, carried out jointly by the Institut français d'archéologie orientale (IFAO) and the Sorbonne University in Paris . Mahmud Abd el-Raziq (University of Ismailia), Georges Castel (IFAO) and Pierre Tallet (Sorbonne) are in charge .
description
So far, the site extends over an area of around 300 by 200 m from a rocky slope to the plain off the coast. Several hieroglyphic inscriptions were discovered on the cliff itself, and galleries used as storage and living spaces at its feet. Further findings are building floor plans and metal workshops. The actual port has not yet been located.
The galleries
Below a rocky slope there are ten galleries of a similar structure, carved into the sandstone. All have a rectangular floor plan, a width of about 2.5 m and a height of 2 m. The length varies between 15 and 20 m. Paths sunk into the rock provide access to the galleries. Originally they also had a door. Three of the galleries have a common access path, which is bordered by a wall and originally had wooden support beams that supported a roof.
The oldest finds from the galleries so far represent two inscriptions that were attached to partially crumbled plaster layers . Both are incomplete, but still show that they were created under the rule of King Djedkare Isesi in the 5th dynasty . The first one has lost its exact date and most of the rest of the text. What is interesting, however, is the fact that the inscription mentions a knbt ship (a so-called Byblos ship ) that was typically used for long sea voyages. This is the oldest evidence of a ship of this type to date. The second inscription is a little better preserved. It dates back to Djedkares 7th year of the count. The Sinai Peninsula is explicitly mentioned as the destination of an expedition. Their leader was a Sed-Hetepi, who is also mentioned in an inscription in Wadi Maghara on the Sinai Peninsula. According to this he led a troop of 1,400 men.
The vast majority of finds from the galleries date from the Middle Kingdom . Mainly ceramic vessels are concerned, some of which have ink inscriptions in hieratic script. In the entrance of Gallery G9 two were anchor of limestone discovered. Other special finds are two dismantled ships that were found in galleries G2 and G9. They were made of cedar wood and were around 14 to 15 m long in their original state. The ships had been broken down into their individual components, which had been carefully stacked on top of one another in up to five layers and three rows. The individual planks were 30 cm wide and 10 cm thick. They had double holes through which they could be tied tightly to their neighboring planks.
The rock inscriptions
Above the galleries there are four inscriptions from the Middle Kingdom on the rocky slope. The first dates from the first year of the reign of Mentuhotep IV , the last king of the 11th dynasty . The inscription notes that the king sent 3,000 men to bring turquoise , copper , bronze (?) And other products from the desert to the Nile Valley.
The second inscription comes from the 7th year of the reign of Amenemhet I , the successor of Mentuhotep and founder of the 12th dynasty . The inscription states the same purpose for the expedition, but indicates a number of 4000 men.
A third inscription comes from the 9th year of the reign of Sesostris I , the son of Amenemhet I. It tells of an official who was sent by the king to the mines of the Sinai Peninsula.
The fourth inscription was created in the advanced 12th dynasty in the 2nd year of the reign of Amenemhet III. She names the names of several officials, including that of an Ity, son of Isis, who is also mentioned on an inscription in Wadi Maghara on the Sinai Peninsula.
literature
- Mahmud Abd el-Raziq: New inscriptions at El-Ein el-Sukhna. In: Memnonia. Volume 10, 1999, pp. 125-131.
- Mahmud Abd el-Raziq, G. Castel, Pierre Tallet, V. Ghica: Les inscriptions d'Ayn Soukhna (= Memoires de l'Institut Francais d'Archéologie Orientale. Volume 122). Cairo 2002.
- Mahmud Abd el-Raziq, G. Castel, Pierre Tallet, V. Ghica: L'exploration archéologique du site d'Ayn Soukhna (2001-2004). In: J.-C. Goyon, C. Cardin (ed.): Proceedings of the Ninth International Congress of Egyptologists: Actes du Neuvième Congres International des Egyptologues, Grenoble 6-12 September (= Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta. Volume 150). Leuven 2007, pp. 61-68.
- Mahmud Abd el-Raziq, G. Castel, Pierre Tallet, V. Ghica: Ayn Soukhna II. Les ateliers métallurgiques du Moyen Empire (= Fouilles de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale (FIFAO). Volume 66). Cairo 2011.
- C. Defernez: La céramique d'Ayn Soukhna: Observations préliminaires. In: Cahiers de la Céramique Égyptienne. Volume 7, 2004, pp. 59-89.
- Pierre Tallet: Les Egyptiens et le littoral de la mer Rouge à l'époque pharaonique. In: Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (CRAIBL). Volume 2009/2, 2010, pp. 687-719 ( online ).
- Pierre Tallet: Prendre la mer à Ayn Soukhna au temps du roi Isesi. In: Bulletin de la société française d'égyptologie (BSFE). Volume 177/78, 2010, pp. 18-22 ( online ).
- Pierre Tallet: Ayn Sukhna and Wadi el-Jarf: Two newly discovered pharaonic harbors on the Suez Gulf. In: British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan (BMSAES). Volume 18, 2012, pp. 147-168 ( online ).
- Pierre Tallet: Les "ports intermittents" de la mer Rouge à l'époque pharaonique: caractéristiques et chronologie. In: Bruno Argémi and Pierre Tallet (eds.): Entre Nil et mers. La navigation en Égypte ancienne (= Nehet. Revue numérique d'Égyptologie Volume 3). Université de Paris-Sorbonne / Université libre de Bruxelles, Paris / Brussels 2015, pp. 31–72 ( online ).
- Pierre Tallet, El-Sayed Mahfouz: The Red Sea in pharaonic times: Recent discoveries along the Red Sea Coast. Proceedings of the Colloquium held in Cairo / Ayn Soukhna 11th – 12th January 2009. Institut Francais d'Archéologie Orientale, Cairo 2013, ISBN 978-2724705980 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ as-Suwais: The population data for the cities and villages 2006 ( Memento from August 15, 2012 on WebCite )