I am Rabie Barakat one of the young chiefs of the ancient Aliqat tribe and native of Serabit elKhadim region, in the mountainous Southern Sinai of Egypt. I am inviting you to read this and then please email me what you think. You'll find my contacts below.

Temples
& Turquoise

Written and Photographed by Martin Housden

(This Article has been published by Emirates Magazine in 1999)

Getting to Serabit el-Khadim, 50 kilometers from the Gulf of Suez, is part of the adventure.  I began my journey at the ancient Egyptian port of Abu Zneima where I hired a four-wheel-drive vehicle.  The route twisted through canyons of black and white rocks and later weaved between scrubs, and slalomed across dunes.  Completely unspoiled by tourists, the only people I saw were Bedouin who gave me a hearty nomadic welcome.

 

"When I come to this place I feel that I am a descendent of an ancient people," said Rabia Barakat Selim, the Sheikh of the Aliqat Bedouin, as he greeted me at his campsite.  "Serabit el Khadim has been here forever." Rabia was an imposing young man of 25, with an air of quiet authority. First, lounging on cushions, we negotiated the price of a camel and his services as a guide.  Once the bargaining was concluded, a huge meal of rice and lamb was served, which we relished by the light of a lantern.

After a refreshing night's sleep I braced myself to ride a camel for the first time, and to the accompaniment of hoots of laughter from the village children, I managed to clamber onto the saddle.  After the initial shock when the beast rose from his knees, I found the ride astonishingly comfortable.

We ambled along a wide wadi (dried up river bank), flanked by dunes and cliffs of every shade, and after an hour came to a lonely acacia tree where three shepherd girls had gathered in its shade.  We stopped to take tea and listened to the radio which was playing a haunting Arabic poem.

Before long it was time to make the climb to the temple.  The track led up pink canyon walls and past strangely weathered outcrops.  Rabia behaved like a rich man in his castle, proudly displaying the wonders of color, shape and light.

 

At last we came to a plateau of shattered black stones high above a vista of twisted wadis and jagged peaks.  From there I saw a forest of sandstone altars, baths and courtyards.

Some 6,000 years ago, this had been a miners' temple.  In those days the ancestors of the Bedouin prized turquoise from the Sinai rocks to trade with the pre-dynastic kings. It was not until 1900 BC, however, that a permanent community of miners was founded by Amenemhet III, who built the Temple of Hathor as their place of worship.

Hathor had the head of a cow crowned with the Sun and is credited with a bloodthirsty history.  When the Sun God Ra felt that mankind had betrayed him, he sent Hathor to wreak revenge with the result that whole towns were massacred and streets ran with blood.

The goddess also possessed many other, often contradictory, roles as goddess of joy, love, music and… mistress of turquoise.  A symbol of beauty women often adopted her name.   She was the consort of Horus, giver of milk to the Pharaoh and an inspiration to exhausted miners.  ' The goddess Hathor will lend you her arms to help you in your work," says one temple inscription.  

The isolation of the Temple of Hathor has minimized looting and nothing showed the presence of modern man.  No sweet papers; no Coca Cola cans.

 

Avenues of stelae ran towards the rising sun, arranged to filter the light like a thicket of papyrus.  We walked through outer courtyards where commoners once gathered, through the chambers of high priests and kings, and finally to the homes of the gods—caves hewn out of the very summit of the mountain.

There are two sanctuaries inside the caves.  The first was built for Hathor, but in 1500 BC, Queen Hatshopsut added a second, dedicated to Sopdu, a warrior like god with the appearance of a falcon who was designated protector of the eastern desert.

We stooped through low doorways to find small chambers adorned with drawings and inscriptions: birds and goats being sacrificed; food and drink being laid before the gods; Kings bringing flowers and ointments, perfumes and jewellery to the temple.  The atmosphere was eerie.

On either side of the chambers were halls where gifts and sacrifices were once placed before statues of the gods, and further on were the Banijiya bathrooms, used by the worshippers for ritual purification.

Every stone carries an inscription.  Some are obituaries, some are prayers and yet others illustrate life as it was in the mines.

 

"The mountains are hot and the rocks brand the body" says one.  "My face sweated and my blood grew hot" complains a Captain Haroeris around 2000 BC.  " I ordered the workmen and said unto them that the vein will be found in time" (it was).

There were desertions but "the troops came so that none escaped there from".

Escape was a desperate measure with little chance of success in those waterless wastes.  The main task of the 700-strong garrison was to combat sporadic Bedouin attacks.  They were never a serious threat as the raiders were usually caught and their booty recovered.  Weaker kings paraded the skirmishes as significant victories, recording them in triumphal bas-reliefs, while strong rulers ignored them.

It was King Snefru who first sent expeditions to mine turquoise around 2750 BC. Led by official with imposing titles like "Treasurer of the God", and the "Great Superintendent of silver", they left as soon as they met their quotas.

 

By the reign of Amenemhet III the demand for turquoise was such that a permanent settlement was founded.  Wells were dug, barracks were built for miners and houses for officials were fortified against Bedouin  raiders.

We found two small mines near the temple low sepulchral cracks which ran into the hillside then opened slightly so there was just room to squat.  I couldn't help but pity the miners cramped in the sweltering heat while breathing in fine dust.  There was hardly room to swing an axe.

Rabia struck a match and held it to a fissure. "can you see the turquoise?" he asked.  I tried form every angle but nothing sparkled.

 

The next working was much more impressive—a warren of caves within caves, galleries and grottoes.  Sunlight from the old ventilation shafts filtered through the gloom showing strange groove-like patterns on the rocks.

 

"What are they?" I asked Rabia.

"those? They are the marks of the miners' axes."

Again , the past merged with the present.

"Follow me," cried Rabia and seemed to vanish into solid rock.  I found the tunnel and crawled after him eventually emerging into an enormous cavern on the other side of the mountain.  Just below the cavern a large rock was inscribed: "Wadi Rod el Air" (The way of the Donkey).  This was the route from the miners to the port of Abu Zneima.

I didn't see any turquoise but Rabia insisted that it can still be found.  Indeed, most locals sell unpolished stones but Rabia's claim of significant quantities seemed optimistic.

Late last century, a retired British officer named MacDonald tried to revive mining in nearby Wadi Maraghah (The Valley of the Inscriptions).  Modern methods were used and, according to Rabia, English men came to look for turquoise.  There were explosions and no more inscriptions.

No such misfortune has occurred at Serabit el Khadim.  Time and solitude rule here.

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If you want to contact me, Rabie Barakat of the Aliqat you can always reach me on desertmoh@yahoo.com (Subject: To Rabie Barakat). Hospitality for desert wanderers are more than just a tradition; it's a survival issue. I, with all my people, take it VERY seriously, and there's nothing artificial about it. So if you don't feel like we're highly equipped with the latest of technology, or provide you with luxurious hotel-like rooms, that's because it's the way we live like our ancient ancestors. 4WD trucks and Camels are our ways of transporting and so they will be yours too.

You can always reach me on +20-(0)10 53.123.80 or fax me at +20-(0)69 660.994. Responding might take few days so make time for that please. Provide a phone number (and fax if possible) and I'll get back to you.

Serabit elKhadem is not the only site to see, our area in Sinai is rich with beautiful canyons ancient oases and other things that suit the naturalist as well as the adventurous. So if you think it's time for you and your friends to travel in time and experience the solitude and mystery of the ancient Biblical mountains of Sinai with native tribesmen, then please call to tell you how many days can suit your plans and what to expect (fees include transportation, food and lodging). We can pick you at Sharm elSheikh's airport, if you need to, where your historical and natural adventures will begin.

See Also http://www.1worldtours.com/DesertTours.htm

Salaam!