Wadi Hammamat, Marsa Alam is one of the most important archaeological Marsa Alam Tourist Attractions. Located about halfway between Quseir and Qena, Wadi Hammamat attracts tourists with its ancient ruins, rock inscriptions and pictures on the cave walls. There is an ancient road that runs through the valley of Wadi Hammamat, Marsa Alam. This road is the shortest route from the Red Sea to the Nile. This route was also a part of the famous 'silk route' built for the trade of silk between the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty in China. Presently, it is an important route for Islamic pilgrims traveling to Mecca.
Wadi Hammamat in Marsa Alam is famous for its Bekheny stone. Bekheny stone is a beautiful green colored stone that is considered to be sacred by the local people. The antiquity of this stone goes back to the periods of Pharaohs in Egypt. From Pharaonic to Roman ages this ornamental stone was used in making bowls, statues and sarcophagi. Apart from the ancient drawings, you will also marvel at the ruins of ancient fortresses, watchtowers, quarries, mines and wells that are found located along this route of Wadi Hammamat, Marsa Alam. These well and watch towers were built by the Romans along the routes of the Eastern Desert where the caravan stops during Sightseeing in Marsa Alam.
Once in the valley of Wadi Hammamat, you will see hundreds of rock inscriptions adorn the walls of the cave. There are ancient drawings on the walls. Some of the drawings such as the ancient Egyptian reed boats date back to 4000 BC. Because several monuments made of Bekheny stones are found around the graves, pyramids and temples of Pharaonic times. You will admire the 200 hieroglyphic slabs found at Wadi Hammamat.
Many of the inscriptions at Wadi Hammamat are dedicated to the deities of the East, Min-Amon. These inscriptions belonged to both the travelers and the pioneers who extracted the stone. Actually they were highly skilled engineers and artisans of that time who traveled the country in search of the finest stone for making sculptures and monuments. The hieroglyphic inscriptions engraved on the rocks are found in the southern side of Wadi Hammamat, Marsa Alam. There is a small Egyptian ancient building right across the engraved rock.
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