Ancient Egyptian Fortress Amazes With Lasting Strength

Quick Smiles:

• The 3,500-year-old fortress in Egypt has remarkably curved walls designed to resist sand erosion.
• Evidence suggests it could house up to 700 soldiers and includes 11 defensive towers.
• Excavations uncovered artifacts like petrified bread dough, a pharaoh’s clay stamp, and possible Greek volcanic rocks.

Excavations at Tell el-Kharouba in Egypt’s Sinai Desert have revealed an ancient fortress with remarkably thick, curved walls that have stood against the elements for thousands of years.

Commissioned during the reign of Thutmose I, the fortress was part of a network of border posts built by New Kingdom pharaohs to protect Egypt’s frontier.

The site yielded pottery, storerooms, living quarters, a bakery, and most impressively, well-preserved 8-foot-thick walls stretching 350 feet and featuring 11 defensive towers.

“Taking into account storerooms, courtyards and other facilities, we estimate that the garrison likely ranged between 400 and 700 soldiers, with a reasonable average of around 500 soldiers,” excavation leader Hesham Hussein shared.

Experts believe the fortress’s design served as a model for other defensive posts along the strategic route between Canaan and Egypt.

Unusual finds like volcanic stones from Greek traders, as well as petrified dough and a pharaoh-stamped clay seal, shed light on ancient daily life and trade.

“Every fortress we discover adds a new brick to our understanding of the military and defensive organization of pharaoh Egypt, and confirms that Egyptian civilization was not limited to temples and tombs, but was a state of powerful institutions capable of protecting its land and borders,” said Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled.

With much of the structure still hidden beneath the sands, archaeologists are eager to continue their work and unlock more stories from this enduring monument.

Stay tuned for more fascinating discoveries from Egypt’s remarkable past!

Source