Tell Abqain

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Tell Abqain ( Arabic تل الأبقعين, DMG Tall al-Abqaʿain ) are the remains of an ancient Egyptian fortress of Ramses II in the western Nile Delta , near the city of Hosh Isa , about 75 km southeast of Alexandria .

history

The earliest evidence of settlement in the area comes from the time of Ramses II. The construction of the fortress is related to the construction of a number of fortresses on the western border of Egypt. This belt of fortresses extended from the western Nile Delta along the Mediterranean coast to Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham , 300 km west of Alexandria. The purpose of these fortresses was probably to ward off the Libyans who were pushing into Egypt at that time .

fortress

The fortress has a footprint of about 150 × 130 m. Significant remains of the masonry made of unfired Nile mud bricks are still preserved on three sides . Remarkably, three wells from the time of Ramses II were uncovered in the south-western area and scattered blocks give rise to the assumption that a fourth well may still be found in the fortress.

An unprepared visit to the site must be discouraged, as the local ghaffirs (guards) have been instructed by the antiquities authorities not to allow anyone onto the Tell site. Permission is required from the Antiquities Authority of al-Buhaira Governorate in Damanhur .

literature

  • Georges Daressy: Report on Kom el-Abq'ain. In: Annales du service des antiquités de l'Égypte. Vol. 5, 1904, ISSN  1687-1510 , pp. 129-130.
  • Susanna Thomas: Tell Abqa'in: a Fortified Settlement in the Western Delta. Preliminary Report of the 1997 Season. In: Communications from the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo Department. Vol. 56, 2000, ISSN  0342-1279 , pp. 371-376.
  • Henning Franzmeier: A fountain Ramses II in Samana. Investigations on the typology and function of well structures in Ramesside Egypt. Unpublished master's thesis, Göttingen 2006 (publication in preparation).

Web links

Coordinates: 30 ° 53 ′ 1 ″  N , 30 ° 19 ′ 44 ″  E