WATANI International
28 June 2009
From Phoenician times up to the 15th century the port town of Tur on the Sinai side of the Gulf of Suez went by the name of Raythou, or present-day Raya. Raythou was one of the oldest and most famous ports in Sinai; its monuments reveal that it was a thriving town.
Because of its historical significance, the region of South Sinai has been under joint premium excavation work since 1997 by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) and Japanese expedition in Cairo. Excavations have yielded several important finds, major among which was a hoard of vessels with a peculiar metal sheen finish.
The regional authorities have taken the necessary steps to preserve this important site. In 1999, a decree was issued listing the region as a protected archaeological site.
Ideal harbour
Watani talked to Farag Fadda, head of the Islamic and Coptic antiquities sector at the SCA, who said that rediscovering the port would doubtlessly lead to important information about the trade movement in the Red Sea during the Middle Ages.
Raya, Mr Fadda explained, was a main port on the western coast of the Sinai Peninsula. Sediments deposited by rain water runoff over time had a muddying effect on the water; which in turn inhibited coral growth. This served to make it an ideal site for a harbour.
No doubt, the Monasteries of Wadi al-Tur and Saint Catherine’s added to the region’s value; especially the latter and its increasing numbers of visitors. St Catherine’s has been an important place of pilgrimage and rest since the sixth century.
After the 12th century, though, the port gradually decreased in importance.
The fort
The site includes a large fort measuring 80 x 80 metres square, surrounded by a number of buildings most of which were built of brick and some local materials, including blocks of fossilised coral. Mohamed al-Sheshtawi, general manager of documentation at the Islamic and Coptic antiquities sector, told Watani that the Egyptian-Japanese expedition had unearthed many significant finds, including the external fencing wall of the fort, built of coral-stone and almost 1metre thick, as well as nine square towers. The expedition also found the main gate of the fort overlooking the sea, with two guard towers, one to defend the gate and the other to act as an emergency escape.
Dr Sheshtawi added that most roads and corridors in the fort had been unearthed, as had a stone canal in the main road leading to the sea and a square mosque with one gate fronting the north-eastern side of the fencing wall.
Re-used
Abdel-Rehim Rihan, manager of the archaeological region of Dahab on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula said that, over the years of excavation, several finds emerged. Among these were earthenware with a metallic hue—some of which were imported from China—in various shapes; some Islamic coins; gold, silver, brass and bronze; and pieces of pottery, glass, wood and little metal.
Recent excavations centred on two sites near the sea, the western and eastern sides of the fort, in an attempt to unearth any Byzantine antiquities. If found, they would support a theory put forward by Israelis who studied the site, that the fort was originally a Roman one which was later re-used by Muslims.
The various materials and styles at the site, Mr Rihan said, appeared to confirm that the fort was re-used more than once in history. It was, he said, certainly used in the eighth century, since coins found belonged to the Abbassid Caliph al-Mahdi. It was also the residence of both Copts and Muslims.
Excavations have revealed strong trade links at that period between Egypt and other countries, especially east-south Asia.