The Egyptian archaeological mission affiliated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities announced the discovery of a group of defensive structures, military barracks, and a system of moats that could indicate the presence of a third fortress at the Tell Abu Seifi site, in the northern Sinai Peninsula.

The findings made during the current excavation season fall within the broader defensive network established in the area during the Ptolemaic (332–30 BCE) and Roman (30 BCE–395 CE) periods, a time when the region served as a bastion against incursions from the East.

The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, emphasized the historical significance of a discovery that allows for a more precise reconstruction of the fortification system that protected the eastern flank of the country. Tell Abu Seifi was not only a military outpost but also a key industrial center across various periods, he stated.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, noted that the work is making it possible to map out a more detailed picture of Egypt’s defenses on its eastern border. According to Khaled, the findings confirm the historical role of Sinai as “the gateway and first shield” of Egypt.

Roman fortress sinai
Another view of the excavations. Credit: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt

Among the most noteworthy elements is the design of the eastern gates of the two already known fortresses at the site—one Ptolemaic and one Roman—whose structures reflect a sophisticated defensive approach. Nearby, archaeologists located a moat more than two meters deep, situated at the entrance of the Ptolemaic fortress, which would have been part of a dismantlable mechanism to slow enemy advances.

Mohamed Abdel Badie, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, also described the discovery of an 11-meter-wide and over 100-meter-long road paved with limestone slabs, which connected the eastern gate of the Roman fortress with the core of the settlement. Beneath this road, remains of an older path dated to the Ptolemaic era were found.

On both sides of the Roman section, more than 500 circular holes arranged in rows were documented, possibly used for planting trees that decorated the entrance to the fort. These details speak not only of strategy but also of how these military spaces were humanized, Abdel Badie noted.

The excavations also uncovered remains of the dwellings that housed Roman soldiers during the reigns of Emperors Diocletian and Maximian (3rd century CE).

Roman fortress sinai
Detail of the walls of one of the fortresses. Credit: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt

In the later layers of the site, the mission discovered four large kilns used to produce quicklime, a sign that the site may have been converted into an industrial center toward the end of the Roman period. This activity, according to experts, caused the destruction of many stone structures from the earlier period.

A Third Fortress?

Dr. Hisham Hussein, director of the mission and of the General Administration of Sinai Antiquities, reported a promising finding: a moat whose characteristics point to the existence of a third fortress, predating the ones already documented. We have identified the four corners of this structure and are now working to date it precisely, he explained.

Additionally, several adjoining rectangular buildings were unearthed, used as dwellings during the Ptolemaic period and reused over generations.

The site, which today appears to be a remote desert outpost, was for centuries a vital hub in the geopolitics of ancient Egypt. With the shifting course of the Nile and the retreat of the coastline, Tell Abu Seifi inherited the defensive role once played by Tell Hebua (the pharaonic city of Tharo), becoming the new sentinel of the east.

SOURCES

Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt

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