Serabit el-Khadem (Arabic سرابيط الخادم) is an archaeological site on the Sinai Peninsula.
The place is halfway up the west coast in southwest Sinai, about 10 km north of Wadi Maghara. It is one of the most important regions of ancient Egyptian settlements on the Sinai Peninsula and served mainly as a mining site for copper and turquoise. Above all, the goddess Hathor was worshiped as the "mistress of turquoise" and Sopdu as the "lord of the eastern desert"
Egyptian influences in Sinai have been proven as far back as the early dynastic epoch. The peninsula was searched for mineral resources from the Old to the New Kingdom
In Serabit al-Chadim there is an unusual temple complex of shrines and sanctuaries, which was mainly dedicated to Hathor, the patron goddess of the workers in the copper and turquoise mines. The temple is not axially symmetrical, as usual, but had to be adapted to local conditions. Rather, it is an irregular square, around 100 m long, bordered by a ring wall made of quarry stone.
The main entrance was on the narrow western side and was flanked by steles of Ramses II and Sethnacht. In a west-east direction, up to the inner courtyard, there were fourteen pillared rooms, built up from cut blocks and built between the 18th and 20th dynasties. The larger inner courtyard probably originates from the Middle Kingdom. In the innermost corner were the cult grottoes of Hathor and Sopdu, which were built by Amenemhet III. and Amenemhet IV. were laid out side by side in the southeast corner of the courtyard and are among the oldest rock temples in Egypt.
The most important finds include steles and inscriptions that provide information about expedition activities.
In addition, alabaster and faience votives, broken in thick layers, as well as numerous royal and private sculptures, steles and sacrificial racks were found that go back to the time of King Sneferu. In the vestibules of the sanctuaries there were pools of water that indicate religious ablutions. Thick layers of coniferous ash were also found under the sanctuary of the New Kingdom, indicating intense incense and cult practices of the neighboring Canaan
The place is halfway up the west coast in southwest Sinai, about 10 km north of Wadi Maghara. It is one of the most important regions of ancient Egyptian settlements on the Sinai Peninsula and served mainly as a mining site for copper and turquoise. Above all, the goddess Hathor was worshiped as the "mistress of turquoise" and Sopdu as the "lord of the eastern desert"
Egyptian influences in Sinai have been proven as far back as the early dynastic epoch. The peninsula was searched for mineral resources from the Old to the New Kingdom
In Serabit al-Chadim there is an unusual temple complex of shrines and sanctuaries, which was mainly dedicated to Hathor, the patron goddess of the workers in the copper and turquoise mines. The temple is not axially symmetrical, as usual, but had to be adapted to local conditions. Rather, it is an irregular square, around 100 m long, bordered by a ring wall made of quarry stone.
The main entrance was on the narrow western side and was flanked by steles of Ramses II and Sethnacht. In a west-east direction, up to the inner courtyard, there were fourteen pillared rooms, built up from cut blocks and built between the 18th and 20th dynasties. The larger inner courtyard probably originates from the Middle Kingdom. In the innermost corner were the cult grottoes of Hathor and Sopdu, which were built by Amenemhet III. and Amenemhet IV. were laid out side by side in the southeast corner of the courtyard and are among the oldest rock temples in Egypt.
The most important finds include steles and inscriptions that provide information about expedition activities.
In addition, alabaster and faience votives, broken in thick layers, as well as numerous royal and private sculptures, steles and sacrificial racks were found that go back to the time of King Sneferu. In the vestibules of the sanctuaries there were pools of water that indicate religious ablutions. Thick layers of coniferous ash were also found under the sanctuary of the New Kingdom, indicating intense incense and cult practices of the neighboring Canaan
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