Wadi el-Hudi Amethyst Mines
Wadi el Hudi quarries · Amethyst Mountain · Wadi Hudi
Old to New Kingdom (2600–1100 BCE; peak 2050–1650 BCE)·Egyptian (Middle Kingdom)·🇪🇬 Aswan Governorate, Eastern Desert, Wadi el-Hudi, Egypt
About
About Wadi el-Hudi Amethyst Mines
Middle Kingdom amethyst mining landscape Wadi el-Hudi: 14 quarries (site 9 famed), fortified Middle Kingdom settlement (100×80 m) for miners, inscriptions of Mentuhotep IV and Senusret I, and grinding terraces. Source of Hesyre's amethyst pectorals.
Why it mattersOnly pharaonic amethyst source linking Eastern Desert expeditions to jewelry.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Quarry labour logistics 35 km from Nile
- 02Amethyst color zoning
Theories
- 01Expedition base for Wadi Hammamat gold (Shaw)
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Quarries Old Kingdom; settlement Middle Kingdom 2050 BCE
- Period
- Old to New Kingdom (2600–1100 BCE; peak 2050–1650 BCE)
- Culture
- Egyptian (Middle Kingdom)
- Purpose
- Amethyst source for royal jewelry and Sinai expeditions
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
2600 BCE
Old Kingdom prospecting
2050 BCE
Mentuhotep IV stele and fort built
1950 BCE
Senusret I intensive mining (14 quarries)
1100 BCE
New Kingdom abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
23.9600° N · 33.1310° E · 520 m · 2 mapped features
Fortified Settlement Site 9
fortressMiners' fort 100×80 m with bastions and granary
23.9610° N · 33.1320° EAmethyst Quarry Trench 6
quarryTrench 20 m deep with fire-setting marks and stelae
23.9590° N · 33.1300° E