History of Marsa Alam

The fast growing tourist destination, Marsa Alam was till recently a tiny fishing village in Egypt, located on the west coast of the Red Sea. But did you know that this li'l place has a fascinating history too?

Marsa Alam sits pretty on the junction between the Red Sea coast road and the road from Edfu. This road from Edfu was built by Ptolemy II and is a treasure trove of ancient mines and quarries.

According to archaeologists, this road in Marsa Alam was actually a trade route between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea where the port of Myos Hormos used to be. The Romans used the ancient seaport of Myos Hormos near Marsa Alam to trade with India and East Africa.

The Wadi Hammamat in Marsa Alam is the shortest route between the Red Sea and the Nile River. This and the other Wadis like Wadi Barmiya and Wadi Miya in Marsa Alam were the mining centers of ancient Egypt and in fact of the entire ancient world.

Gold, iron and a variety of mining stones used to come from the surrounding areas of Marsa Alam. Wadi Hammamat was a rich store house for the beautiful green stone called Bekheny stone that would be used to decorate sarcophagi and even the insides of the pyramids, up to the end of the Roman period. Wadi Hammamat used to be quarried till the end of the 20th century.

The walls of the Wadi Hamamat are full of rock inscriptions that bear the history of Marsa Alam. There are scenes showing an ostrich hunt with dogs and even Egyptian hieroglyphics that go back into 4000 BC!

Emerald was highly valued by the Egyptians and most of the mining for this precious stone used to be around Marsa Alam.The famous Emerald Mines in the area surrounding Marsa Alam have recently been identified as the legendary Mons Smargdus, or the Cleopatra Mines.

So, now that you know a bit about the history of Marsa Alam in Egypt, just come along and fall in love with the past!