Quṣeir - Quṣeir

Promenade in el-Quseir
el-Quṣeir · ‏القصير‎
Myos hormos
GovernorateRed Sea
Residents
24.344 (2006)
height
21 m
no tourist info on Wikidata: Add tourist information
location
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Quṣeir

El-Quseir, also Quseir, el-Kuseir, el-Kosseir, Arabic:القصير‎, al-Quṣair, „Small palace / castle"(Cairo dialect: il-ʾoṣēr, local dialect: il-Goṣēr), is a port city and resort on the coast of the Red sea and belongs to Red Sea Riviera. El-Quṣeir is a rather small town, but it has an even bigger history. So the city is not just a place to relax, but also a sight in itself. And only since 1993/1994 has one been certain: this is the location of the Roman port of Myos Hormos.

background

Location and importance

The port city of el-Quṣeir is located on the Egyptian and African coast of the Red Sea, about 140 kilometers south of Hurghada and 85 kilometers south of Safāgā. The city is located at the intersection of coastal highway 24 and the road to Qifṭ.

The city's main sources of income today are tourism, fishing and declining phosphate extraction.

history

El-Quṣeir has been since Old kingdom, about 2500 to 3000 years BC BC, settled. In Pharaonic times this city was called Well, Tjau, Thaau, (Ṯ3ʿw) and belonged to the 16th Upper Egyptian Gau, the Saber Antelope Gau. The city owes its origin and importance to this Wādī el-Ḥammāmāt, which is part of a desert dirt road that joins the Nile Valley at Qifṭ/ Connects Koptos to the Red Sea by the shortest route. In Pharaonic times, expeditions were sent out to get out of the gold country punt, the location of which is still unknown today and which is roughly in the range of Somalia or Eritrea suspected of sourcing luxury items such as ivory, myrrh, and frankincense. About this route that the ancient Egyptians Rohano"Street of the Gods", the dismantled ships were also transported, which were only put together in the Red Sea port.

The surviving testimonies come mainly from the Middle realm and the Greco-Roman period. Numerous rock inscriptions in Wādī el-Ḥammāmāt tell of the expeditions. The earliest rock inscription comes from the head of the house and chief treasurer Henu from the 8th year of the king's reign Mentuhotep III. around 2003 BC In the 11th ancient Egyptian dynasty. The officer reported that he was driving from Koptos via Tjaou / el-Quṣeir to Punt to get myrrh.[1]

The civil servant and builder also traveled on this route later Senilityin order for the queen Hatshepsut (Reign around 1479–1458 BC, 18th Dynasty) Procuring myrrh, frankincense, ivory, ebony and exotic animals from Punt. This expedition is detailed in the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Baḥrī described.

The port was up in the Greek time continued to be used. But the city now suffered under the king Ptolemy II Philadelphus (Reigns 285–246 BC) a loss of importance in favor of the port city Berenikeeven if the overland route was longer and more difficult to control. The overland route through the Wādī el-Ḥammāmāt could be covered in about five days, the one to Berenike took about two weeks.

In roman time, about in the 1st / 2nd In the AD century, the handling of goods shifted back to this port city. They were now called Myos Hormos (Myos Hormus), "mussel harbor". The transport of goods went as far as India and East Africa. Silk, spices and pearls were imported, ceramics, glass, metals and wine were exported. In the 3rd century, however, the port was abandoned.

The new name of the port was also given by the historian Strabo (63 BC to after 23 AD) in his Geographics handed down:

“... then Myos hormos, which is also called Aphrodites hormos, a large port with a sloping entrance. In front of him there would be three islands, two shaded by olive trees, one less shaded, but full of guinea fowl. "[2]

In Islamic period port operations were resumed. The port was not built in the same place, but about six kilometers south of the Roman port. Pilgrims used the port to go to the holy places in the Hejaz today Saudi Arabia to get. But the story turned out to be very eventful. El-Quṣeir, "little palace / little castle", is now her new name, and she was in constant competition with the port city 1 ʿAidhāb(22 ° 20 ′ 10 ″ N.36 ° 28 ′ 59 ″ E), Arabic:عيذابWhich is about 230 kilometers south of Berenike in the Hala'ib triangle[3] is located.

In the Fāṭimidic period (10th / 11th century), ʿAidhāb was used increasingly because it was used to cross the Red Sea to Jeddah/ Jeddah is shortest to the holy places. After this Qūṣ at the end of the 11th century (5th century AH) Became the capital of Upper Egypt, traffic to el-Quṣeir increased again. In the Mamluk period (from 1250) a base was set up here to control the Red Sea. In the 15th century (9th century AH) el-Quṣeir became the most important Egyptian port mainly for pilgrims and grain exports to Saudi Arabia as well as for coffee imports from Yemen. At the beginning of the Ottoman period (from 1517) the capital of Upper Egypt was after Qinā relocated, but the port in Quṣeir remained and flourished again. At the beginning of the 16th century it was under sultan Selim I. (Reigns 1512–1520) built a fortress to protect trade with India.

The Egyptian viceroy Muḥammad ʿAlī (Reign 1805–1848) had el-Quṣeir expanded again. At that time the city was part of the administrative area of Qinā. In 1859 it came to a break, because the pilgrims were now coming from Sue to Saudi Arabia. This shift intensified with the opening of the Suez Canal 1869. As early as the 19th century, nomads from the tribe of the Ababde settled who lived mainly from trade. Since the beginning of the 19th century, the local Ababde of the over the Sinai immigrated Maʿaza-Nomads ousted.

The German Africa researcher reported on life in the city in the 19th century Georg Schweinfurth (1836–1925), who made a trip along the Red Sea coast from March to August 1864:

“In Kossar, a small but friendly town of barely 1000 inhabitants, I spent a few days in order to make the necessary arrangements for my Red Sea voyage. Dr. [Carl Benjamin] KlunzingerA young Würtemberger, who is employed as a government doctor there, welcomed me hospitably in his spacious apartment and supported me as much as he could in my orders, as did Mr. Spinoza, a Maltese who heads the quarantine and besides that is the only European in the place.
Kossēr consists of a considerable number of small houses arranged in irregular streets that have a clean appearance because of their whitewash. Of the larger buildings, only that of the governor and the former government granary, now the doctor's apartment, are both spacious one-story houses. On the slope of the neighboring hill, on the north side of the city, rise the raised walls of a castle with several old cannons, which are operated by some disabled soldiers from Mehemed Ali's time. The well in the courtyard has become unusable due to neglect. The fort excellently dominates the anchorage of the ships and all entrances to the city. Outside there are a few tiny huts of settled abbeys, which trade in the produce of their mountains, with drinking water, wood, coal, cattle, milk, butter, and the like; many of them, meanwhile, eke out a miserable existence by fishing and collecting seafood. "[4]

With the discovery of Phosphate deposits in the north of the city in 1912 the city experienced a considerable economic boom. The main income came from the mining, processing and export of phosphates and provided a livelihood for most of the residents. The exploitation was carried out by an Italian company that was expropriated after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952.

In the 1990s, however, the phosphate mining was stopped because it could no longer be produced economically. In addition to the fishing that has always existed, tourism should now replace the jobs that have been lost. A great deal of effort has been put into preserving the cultural heritage for this purpose.

While only 1,800 people lived in the city in 1897,[5] Nowadays there are 24,344 (2006) in the city itself, and around 33,000 in the administrative district.[6]

Research history

in the 19th century the place moved back into the consciousness of the Europeans. British Egyptologist John Gardner Wilkinson (1797–1875)[7] and the Lieutenant in the Indian Navy, James Raymond Wellsted (1805–1842)[8], are among the earliest travelers who visited the port of Myos Hormos in 1825/1827 and 1835/1836.

But it was controversial until almost the end of the 20th centurywhere to locate Myos Hormos.[9] There was confusion with the port facilities of Philotera (at Safāgā), Abū Schaʿr (at El Gouna) or. Leukos Limen ("White Harbor"), which may be on the opposite bank of el-Quṣeir in Leuke Kome ("White Village") in Saudi Arabia or anywhere else in the Red Sea as in 2 Marsā Mubārak(25 ° 30 '37 "N.34 ° 39 ′ 13 ″ E), about 75 kilometers south of el-Quṣeir.[10]

Since 1978, excavations by Donald Whitcomb and Janet Johnson of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) in old Quṣeir, in el-Quṣeir el-Qadīm (Arabic:القصير القديم), Who didn't know at the time that they were digging into Myos Hormos.[11]

And only since 1994 has one been certain: el-Quṣeir el-Qadīm is identical to Myos Hormos. During French excavations in ez-Zarqa, the ancient Roman army camp Maximianon (Μαξιμιανόν) on the route from el-Quṣeir to Qifṭ, ostracas, which are labeled potsherds, were found, which were named Myos Hormos. For example, soldiers reported that when they had time they went to Myos Hormos to fish (O. Max. 175).[12] In 1993, David Peacock from the University of Southampton, after analyzing satellite images, suggested equating Alt-Quṣeir with Myos Hormos.[13]

Since 1999, excavations have been carried out again under the direction of David Peacock in Alt-Quṣeir, the settlement area of ​​Myos Hormos. One of the finds was a papyrus from March 25, 93 AD, which names the presumed location: "Myos Hormos on the Erythrean Sea". You can no longer get to the Roman port: it is buried under the Mövenpick Hotel.

getting there

City map of el-Quṣeir
Distances
Cairo600 km
Hurghada146 km
Coraya Bay65 km
Safaga85 km
Marsā ʿAlam133 km

By plane

El-Quseir is about the airports of 1 HurghadaWebsite of this institutionFlughafen Hurghada International in der Enzyklopädie WikipediaFlughafen Hurghada International im Medienverzeichnis Wikimedia CommonsFlughafen Hurghada International (Q385191) in der Datenbank Wikidata(IATA: HRG) or 2 Marsa AlamWebsite of this institutionFlughafen Marsa Alam International in der Enzyklopädie WikipediaFlughafen Marsa Alam International im Medienverzeichnis Wikimedia CommonsFlughafen Marsa Alam International (Q123222) in der Datenbank Wikidata(IATA: RMF) reachable. The journey time to continue by taxi is around two or one hour. The shorter route is to Marsa Alam Airport.

By bus

The bus station is in the city (3 26 ° 6 ′ 28 ″ N.34 ° 16 '23 "E). Buses run five times a day, between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Upper Egypt Travel between el-Quṣeir and Cairo. The journey time to Cairo is about eleven hours, the price is about LE 80. These buses also stop in Safāgā (LE 10) and Hurghada (LE 20), only the early bus stops in Sue. Buses go to four times a day Marsā ʿAlam. To get to Luxor, you first have to go to Safāgā and change there to the bus to Luxor.

There are also service taxis to Safāgā, Hurghada and Marsā ʿAlam. The bus stop is next to the bus station.

In the street

The trunk road 24 runs directly through the city. The hotels are also close to this street.

By boat

There is a small port in el-Quseir (4 26 ° 6 ′ 11 ″ N.34 ° 17 ′ 10 ″ E).

mobility

Public transport is ensured by microbuses. The fare is around LE 1.

The streets are very narrow, especially in the old town. If you just want to cross el-Quṣeir, you should use the coastal road or the western bypass.

Tourist Attractions

Old town

Inside the fortress, partial view
Ship, Dutch and French cannons of yore

El-Quṣeir has a lovely old town. Lots Houses but were only built in the 19th century or at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1990s they were restored to promote tourism. Many of the white or yellow painted houses have wooden terraces, bay windows, balconies (Rawashin) and Maschrabiyen, these are wooden ornamental grilles. Windows and doors were painted green or blue. Today's Hotel el-Quseir and the belong to these houses 3 Police station(26 ° 6 ′ 13 ″ N.34 ° 17 ′ 7 ″ E) at the harbor from 1837. The hotel once belonged to the head of an Ababda clan.

In front of the police there is a speaker's platform on which König once stood Faruq (Reign from 1936 to 1952) welcomed the population. To the north behind the police is the former one 4 El-Quseir quarantine station, also as caravanserai from 1801 for the Mecca pilgrims who entered Egypt.

Mosques and shrines

There are several historical mosques around 300 years old in the city: these are the 5 el-Farran mosque(26 ° 6 ′ 14 ″ N.34 ° 17 ′ 9 ″ E), the 6 el-Qinawi mosque(26 ° 6 ′ 13 ″ N.34 ° 17 ′ 2 ″ E) and the 7 es-sanusi mosque(26 ° 6 ′ 6 ″ N.34 ° 16 '58 "E.). There is also the nearby 8 es-Sakīna Mosque(26 ° 6 ′ 14 ″ N.34 ° 16 ′ 52 ″ E), Arabic:مسجد السكينة‎, Masǧid as-Sakina.

Also of importance is the shrine of the famous Sufi Sheikh 'Abd el-Qadir el-Gilanī, who was buried here.

citadel

The 9 citadel(26 ° 6 ′ 19 ″ N.34 ° 16 '59 "E), Arabic:القلعة العثمانية‎, al-Qalʿat al-ʿuthmānīya, „the Ottoman Citadel“, Including its cistern and the port of el-Quṣeir was originally built and expanded by the Ottoman Sultan Selim I at the beginning of the 16th century. The most important defense system on the Red Sea in Egypt was important for the Muslims who made pilgrimages to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The pilgrims were able to make stops here on their long journey. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the cistern was the only drinking water reservoir in the city whose water came from Aden was brought here.

The French emperor and general Napoleon Bonaparte occupied the fortress with his army in 1799 and had a high observation tower built and the protective walls of the facility expanded. In 1801 a few hundred French soldiers faced 6,000 British-Indian soldiers, and the fortress was abandoned. The British also defeated the entire French army in the country in 1802.

The roughly square, 80-meter-long fortress is located in the center of the city of el-Quṣeir. Admission to the weir system costs LE 40 per person, for foreign students LE 20 (as of 11/2019), it is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the outside area there are still the former guns and in the courtyard the cistern. In the museum in the old fortress rooms it is explained how ships were once built. The museum also provides insights into phosphate mining and the life and traditions of the Bedouins, and military items are on display.

Roman age sites

10 El-Quṣeir el-Qadīm(26 ° 9 ′ 21 ″ N.34 ° 14 '32 "E.), Arabic:القصير القديم, Is the place of the Roman port settlement Myos hormos. This archaeological site, about 500 meters long from north to south, is located northwest of the Mövenpick Hotel, about six kilometers north of el-Quṣeir. Scientific excavations were carried out here from 1978 to 1980 and since 1999. The harbor no longer exists: the Mövenpick Hotel is now in its place.

Apart from the foundation walls of the former houses, there is little to see on the site.

activities

overview

The main activities in the hotel complexes are bathing and swimming. There are diving centers at the Fanadir Hotel and the Rocky Valley Divers Camp. Popular diving destinations are the Brother Islands, the bay in front of the Mövenpick Hotel, Marsa Wizr and Scham es-Sugheir.

Tours to the phosphate mines and Bedouin settlements are offered at the Mövenpick Hotel and the Marianne Restaurant.

Diving centers

  • Rocky Valley Divers Camp and Roots Luxury Camp and Pharaoh Dive Club see under accommodation.

shop

There are souvenir shops near the fortress.

kitchen

There are several restaurants in el-Quseir.

  • Citadel restaurant (at the citadel). Egyptian cuisine.
  • El-Ferdous, Port Said St. Fish restaurant.
  • Old restaurant (close to el-quseir hotel).
  • Samakino, Safaga Road. Fish restaurant.

No alcohol is served in the restaurants.

nightlife

In the city of el-Quṣeir there are defacto no night life. The nightlife takes place exclusively in the hotel complexes outside the city.

accommodation

The more northerly located hotels are below Safāgā listed under Coraya Bay, Port Ghalib and Marsā ʿAlam. There are few simple hotels in the city itself. All other hotels are more or less outside the city.

Cheap

Map of the hotels in el-Quṣeir

Unclassified diving hotels

Unclassified hotels

  • Simon Hotel, 10th of Ramadan St., el-Quseir (close to the post office). Tel.: 20 (0)65 333 2625. Hotel with 14 rooms. Prices from LE 100.
  • 4  Sea Princess Hotel (‏فندق أميرة البحر‎, Funduq Amīra al-Baḥr), Downtown, el-Quseir. Tel.: 20 (0)65 333 1880. Simple hotel with 13 rooms with shared or indoor bathrooms. Prices single room LE 30 or 70 (shared or indoor bathroom), and double room LE 50 or LE 100 (shared or indoor bathroom).(26 ° 6 ′ 3 ″ N.34 ° 16 '48 "E.)

1- and 2-star hotels

medium

Upscale

4 star hotels

  • 12  Helioland Beach Resort, 17 km south of Quseir. Tel.: 20 (0)65 339 0051, Fax: 20 (0)65 339 0054. 4-star hotel with 324 bungalows, two restaurants (including Helioland Beach Restaurant) and bar.(25 ° 58 ′ 7 ″ N.34 ° 21 '43 "E)
  • 15  Rohanou Beach Resort & Ecolodge, Km 10 south of El-Quseir - Marsa Alam Road. Mobile: 20 (0)127 999 9603, (0)127 999 9604, (0)127 999 9605, Fax: 20 (0)65 333 6433, Email: . 4-star hotel with 78 twin rooms in six categories, conference and banquet hall, three beach bays, house reef, four pools, spa and health club. The rooms have air conditioning, satellite TV, shower, safe and minibar. Main restaurant “Obba” for international and Egyptian cuisine, fish restaurant “Fairouz Fish Market” and restaurant “El-Khan” for Mediterranean cuisine, bar “Obba Pub”. With “Wonderful Dive” diving center. WiFi free.(26 ° 1 '32 "N.34 ° 19 ′ 25 ″ E)

5 star hotels

health

El-Quseir has a public hospital (1 26 ° 6 ′ 14 ″ N.34 ° 16 ′ 45 ″ E).

climate

Quseir has a mild to warm climate all year round.

El-QuseirJanFebMarchAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec  
Mean highest air temperature in ° C222324273032333332292523O27.8
Average air temperature in ° C181820242629303028262219O24.2
Mean lowest air temperature in ° C141416202325262625221816O20.4
Precipitation in mm000000000111Σ3

Due to the unprotected location, strong winds are to be expected in the winter months, which are often the reason for bathing bans.

Practical advice

Tourist information

There is no tourist information in the city. The information kiosk at the citadel is only open irregularly.

Currency Exchange

In the old town there is the El-Gumhuriya St. a bank, but without an ATM.

In the Al Asher Min Ramadan St. (10th Ramadan St.), im 5 Roundabout to Al Maghreb St., there is an ATM and further north the one 1 National Bank, diagonally across from the el-Taqwa mosque, and even further north the 2 Banque Misr (141 10th of Ramadan St., intersection El Nasr St.).

ATMs are also available at the Mövenpick Resort and Flamenco Beach Resort.

Gas stations

There is one on the west side at Al Asher Min Ramadan St., El Ziraa St. intersection 6 Gas station.

post

There is a post office in the Al Asher Min Ramadan St. opposite the el-Tawba mosque.

trips

The cities can be seen from el-Qu dieeir Luxor with its pharaonic monuments, Cairo and Safāgā be visited.

They are located north of el-Qu sicheir Monastery of St. Antony and the Monastery of St. Paul. South of el-Quṣeir you can see the former quarries Mons Porphyrites and Mons Claudianus be explored.

An excursion to would be an obvious choice Qifṭ via ez-Zarqa after 60 kilometers and Bir Umm Fawāchīr (Arabic:بئر أم فواخير) After 70 kilometers into Wādī el-Ḥammāmāt. On the way there would be Roman army camps (praesidia), Water stations (hydreumata) and road signs. In the Wādī el-Ḥammāmāt numerous rock inscriptions were made in Pharaonic times. However, foreigners are not allowed to drive this route in a private car or taxi. Possibly day trips can be booked with local organizers, but on which you have to return to el-Quṣeir.

literature

  • Garcin, J [ean] -Cl [aude]: Ḳuṣayr. In:Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (Ed.): The Encyclopaedia of Islam: Second Edition; Vol. 5: Khe - Mahi. Suffer: Brill, 1986, ISBN 978-90-04-07819-2 , P. 518 f.
  • Peacock, David (Ed.): Myos Hormos - Quseir al-Quadim: Roman and Islamic ports on the Red Sea. Oxford: Oxbow Books, Archaeopress, 2006, ISBN 978-1-8421-7203-2 , ISBN 978-1-407-30863-0 . 2 volumes.
  • LeQuesne, Charles: Quseir: an ottoman and Napoleonic fortress on the Red Sea coast of Egypt. Cairo: American Univ.in Cairo Press, 2007, American Research Center in Egypt conversation series; 2, ISBN 978-977-416-009-7 .

Web links

  • Amira El-Noshokaty: Small town, big history (Archived version of February 1, 2003 in the Internet Archive archive.org), Article in the Al-Ahram Weekly of December 19, 2002 (English)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑Couyat, Jules; Montet, P [ierre]: Les inscriptions hiéroglyphiques et hiératiques du Ouâdi Hammâmât. Le Caire: L’Inst. Francais d’Archeologie Orientale, 1912, Memoires publiés par les membres de l'Institut Francais d'Archéologie Orientale du Caire; 34. Inscription No. 114.
  2. ↑Strabo, Book 16, Chapter 4, § 5, z. B. in Strabo; Forbiger, Albert (transl.): Strabo's description of the earth; Vol.7: Book 16 and 17. Berlin: Langenscheidt, 1860, Langenscheidt library of all Greek and Roman classics in newer German sample translations; 55, P.56.
  3. ↑More about the Hala'ib triangle in the article esch-Schalātīn.
  4. ↑Schweinfurth, Georg: Journey on the Red Sea coast from Kossēr to Suakin: March to August 1864. In:Journal of General Geography, ISSN1614-2047, Vol.N.F. 18 (1865), Pp. 131–150, 283–313, 321–384, map on p. 511, in particular p. 139 f.
  5. ↑Garcin, Ḳuṣayr, loc. cit.
  6. ↑Population according to the 2006 Egyptian census, accessed June 4, 2014.
  7. ↑Wilkinson, John Gardner: Topography of Thebes, and general view of Egypt: being a short account of the principal objects worthy of notice in the valley of the Nile. London: John Murray, 1835, P. 363, 411 f., 418.
  8. ↑Wellsted, James Raymond: Travels in Arabia; Vol.2. London: John Murray, 1838, P. 123 f.
  9. ↑See for example: Kees, Hermann: Myos hormos. In:Wissowa, Georg; Pauly, August [greeting] (Ed.): Pauly's Realencyclopedia of Classical Classical Studies; Vol.16.1 = half vol. 31: Molatzes - Myssi. Stuttgart: Slaughterer, 1933, Col. 1081-1083.
  10. ↑Leukos Limen was z. B. from Claudius Ptolemy in its Geographia (4.5–7) and registered on the African Red Sea shore. Its exact position is still controversial to this day. Potential candidates are Leuke Kome in Saudi Arabia (e.g. Nappo, Dario: On the location of Leuke Kome. In:Journal of Roman archeology (JRA), ISSN1063-4304, Vol.23 (2010), Pp. 335-348.) and Marsa Mubarak / Imbarak south of el-Quṣeir (Thomas, Ross I.: Port communities and the Erythraean Sea trade. In:British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan (BMSAES), vol.18 (2012), Pp. 169–199, in particular pp. 172 f, PDF.).
  11. ↑Whitcomb, Donald S.; Johnson, Janet H.: Quseir al-Qadim 1978: preliminary report. Cairo: American Research Center in Egypt, 1979, Reports / American Research Center in Egypt; 1. The report Quseir al-Qadim 1980: preliminary report was published in 1982.
  12. ↑Bülow-Jacobsen, Adam; Cuvigny, Hélène, Fournet, Jean-Luc: The Identification of Myos Hormos: New Papyrogical Evidence. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), ISSN0255-0962, Vol.94 (1994), Pp. 27-42.
  13. ↑Peacock, D.P.S.: The site of Myos Hormos: a view from space. In:Journal of Roman archeology (JRA), ISSN1063-4304, Vol.6 (1993), Pp. 226-232.
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