 Facade of the great rock temple in Sikait | ||
| Sikait · سكيت Senskis / Senskeitis · Σενσκις | ||
| Governorate | Red Sea | |
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no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
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Sikait or Sikit, Arabic:سكيت, Sikait / Sikīt, is an archaeological site north of the Wādī el-Gimāl valley, belonging to the emerald mining area Mons Smaragdus in the Wādī-el-Gimāl-Ḥamāṭa National Park belongs. The settlement with its three rock temples, built in early Roman times, is located just under three kilometers south of the emerald mine. Sikait is the most important mine on Mons Smaragdus.
background
The Sikait settlement is by far the best-known emerald miners' settlement, which is certainly also due to the rock sanctuaries built here and the size of the settlement, which travelers in the 19th century and today's travelers are mainly interested in. Even if the name Sikait is a modern name, at least for this settlement the ancient name is also known Senskis / Sensibility, Σενσκις / Σενσκείτης, from a temple inscription.
The Wādī Sikait runs roughly from north to south. However, there are several miners' settlements in the wadi. The Sikait settlement is the southernmost, which is why it is South village or South village is called. It was created at a point in the wadi where the wadi widens to form a valley basin. The buildings were laid out on both mountain slopes: three sanctuaries on the east side and two large buildings on the west side. It is also the oldest settlement. However, whether it was created in Greek / Ptolemaic times is a matter of dispute. This is mainly due to the fact that no archaeological evidence from Greek times has been found on site.
In the same wadi there are further sites further north, the 1 2 Middle Sikait (middle settlement, 24 ° 39 '23 "N.34 ° 47 '59 "E.; 24 ° 39 ′ 24 ″ N.34 ° 48 ′ 18 ″ E) and 3 North Sikait (Northern settlement, 24 ° 39 '48 "N.34 ° 47 ′ 31 ″ E) to be named. Central Sikait has only a few buildings, but hundreds of shafts. The settlement was used in the first centuries AD. Special features include a massive ramp and watchtowers. North Sikait with its few structures dates from the late Roman period and was probably only created after the more easily accessible areas in South and Central Sikait had been exhausted.
Nineteenth-century travelers were mainly interested in the sanctuaries. It was not until 2000 that Steven Sidebotham presented a map of South Sikait. The exploration he carried out also yielded some discoveries. These included pearls and chains, toys like dolls and camels made from the soft talc slate and emerald pearls. But also ceramics, a coin and pearls made of carnelian and quartz. This is an indication of a certain prosperity and trade relations with the Nabataeans, the Mediterranean region and the Middle East (Sidebotham 2008).
getting there
In addition to the authorization from the military and the national park administration, several all-wheel-drive all-terrain vehicles are required for the journey.
The arrival takes place from Marsā ʿAlam on trunk road 24 until after 52 kilometers you get to the 1 Access to Wādī el-Gimāl(24 ° 39 '44 "N.35 ° 5 '28 "E) reached. Shortly before you pass the building of the 1 National Park Administration(24 ° 41 ′ 12 ″ N.35 ° 5 ′ 1 ″ E).
Now you follow the wadi to the west and after 40 kilometers you reach one 2 crotch(24 ° 34 '35 "N.34 ° 49 ′ 37 ″ E), and you drive to the right in a north-northwest direction 2.3 kilometers further to another 3 crotch(24 ° 35 ′ 17 ″ N.34 ° 48 ′ 50 ″ E). To the north (to the right) one arrives at the Wādī Sikait and after 6 or 8 kilometers you reach the Sikait miners' settlement and later the emerald mine. If you continue west at the last fork into the Wādī Nugruṣ, you will reach another after another 6 kilometers 4 Side valley(24 ° 37 ′ 3 ″ N.34 ° 46 ′ 33 ″ E) to the northwest and then after 400 meters you come to the miners' settlement of Wādī Nugruṣ.
mobility
The slope to the settlement can be covered with an all-terrain all-wheel drive vehicle. The ascent of the sometimes steep valley slopes must be done on foot. Sturdy shoes are advisable.
Tourist Attractions
Small rock temple
About 200 meters before reaching the Sikait basin, you can see the so-called `` Sikait '' on the east side of the wadi. 4 Small rock temple
(24 ° 37 '43 "N.34 ° 47 '48 "E.), which is elevated, has a small forecourt and was carved out of the rock. The temple is the only site in Sikait with a datable inscription in which the former name of the settlement, Senskis, Σενσκις, was called.
As an old drawing from the 19th century shows,[1] the temple had a three-part facade with several Doric half-columns that delimited the passages. The pillars have largely disappeared today. However, the two pillars on the right can still be made out today. Over the passages there are semicircular gable fields, so-called. Tympana, with sun disk and flanking urea.
Behind the passages is a rectangular transverse hall with a cult niche in the back wall. As part of security work, three supporting pillars were built in 2002/2003 under the archaeologist Steven Sidebotham.
If you look closely, you can see two three-line Greek inscriptions on the right lintel under the tympanum. A fallen fragment of this inscription was in the temple hall in 2015. In the 19th century, inscriptions were still preserved on two passages. The dedicatory inscription was made by a Polyphantès on February 20th of an unknown year at the time of the emperor Gallienus (Reigns 260–268) as thanks for the gods Serapis-Min, Isis of Senskis and Apollon. This establishes a connection with the trinity of gods Coptus, Min, Isis and Horus, close. Polyphantès mentioned his children, donated a silver drinking cup and a silver vase for the temple cult and reported on his work colleagues who helped him dig a cistern on June 15th.[2]
Even if it appears from the inscription, the temples of Sikait are not water or well sanctuaries like those in el-Kanāʾis and Wādī Abū Saʿfa.
Sikeit settlement
The Wādī Sikait widens in place of the ancient one 5 Sikait settlement(24 ° 37 '52 "N.34 ° 47 ′ 45 ″ E) on. There are over a hundred buildings on both the western and eastern slopes, some of which are still in good condition. In many cases, however, only the foundation walls are still visible. Due to the fact that excavations have hardly been carried out to date, the function of the houses is unknown.
The buildings are made of sandstone dry stone walls without mortar. The building material was broken on site. Shelves have also been added to the walls. Lintels from doors, windows and shelves were made with large stone slabs.
The buildings from the late Roman period were mainly laid out on the lower slopes. Some of them had courtyards, stables and gardens.
On the east side of the basin, near the southern entrance, there is a third sanctuary near the summit.
Great rock temple
The is located on the east side of the basin not far from its southern entrance 6 Great rock temples(24 ° 37 '51 "N.34 ° 47 '49 "E.). Perhaps the same gods were worshiped in this temple as in the Little Temple.
The open rock temple, a Speos, with its entrance in the west is flanked by a cult niche on the right and left side. In front of the temple is a courtyard that was once bordered by stone walls. From this wall there are still the parts cut out of the rock and the remains of the dry stone walls. On the north side of the forecourt, niches were cut into the rock wall, which were probably used to hold offerings.
The temple facade has Doric half-columns on the sides. Parts of the facade have meanwhile been broken off. Only a few letters have survived from the former Greek inscription on the facade. This is followed by the three-aisled hall, which had two Doric columns. The left pillar had been broken away since time and was replaced in 2000 with a pillar to secure the temple. On the walls you can see graffiti by travelers from the 19th century and a Greek inscription painted in red.
Three adjacent ones close to the portico Cells, that is the holy of holies, which could be reached via three steps and were delimited by a pillar. Further stages led to the cult niches. The altar of the middle cult niche has a large Christian cross, i. That is, the Roman temple was later used as a church. The southern cella remains unfinished.
One of the finds in the temple that was made during the excavations at Sidebotham was a coin from the time of the emperor Neros (Reigns 54–68) and a statuette of the goddess Isis.
The cult niches on both sides of the temple have Doric half-columns at their entrances and a round rod and a solar disk with urea above the lintel. There is a niche for the cult image above a stone bench at the back.
So-called administration building
Right on the west side of the entrance to the valley basin is the 21 meter long and up to 4 meter high so-called. 7 Administration building(24 ° 37 '49 "N.34 ° 47 ′ 45 ″ E). The name was coined from Sidebotham because the purpose of the building is unknown. There is no evidence of its use as a temple, as Cailliaud believed.
A three-tiered artificial platform made of sandstone drywall was created on the rock, on which the building was erected with drywall. Stairs in the north and south of the complex lead to the main entrance of the building in the east. There was a side entrance on the south side of the building. Both sides of the building have a small window each. The building has three rooms that get smaller and smaller towards the rear. Only the front room is paved with stone slabs. There are shelves on the walls. Door and shelf lintels were made with large stone slabs. A smaller door leads to the third room, which was carved out of the rock and is now buried.
Hardly any statements can be made about the ceiling. Due to the necessary span, only a wooden ceiling, not a stone ceiling, is possible, as can still be seen for the third room. The small windows suggest that there could have been a ceiling for the front rooms as well.
So-called tripartite building
The so-called 8 tripartite building(24 ° 37 '51 "N.34 ° 47 '42 "E.) is also a modern name coined by Sidebotham due to the unknown use of the building. It is located on the west side of the settlement to the northwest and within sight of the administration building and also represents an imposing building complex.
An artificial dry stone platform was also created for this building. A three-part building with the facade in the east was laid out on top, consisting of two small, almost intact one-room outbuildings, one in the north and one in the south, and the larger central building. The facade of the central building is no longer completely preserved. The rear part of the building was cut out of the rock. To the east in front of the building is an open courtyard, which was enclosed on three sides by a wall. The entrance to the courtyard was on the south side.
The central building had several built-in shelves in the walls both on the facade and inside.
In the north of the building there is a smaller independent building with its own surrounding wall.
Emerald mines
Almost three kilometers north of the Sikait settlement are on the western slopes of the wadi 9 Emerald mines(24 ° 39 ′ 6 ″ N.34 ° 47 ′ 30 ″ E). In order to get to the gemstones, shafts and occasionally tunnels were usually created. The shafts are often so narrow that only one person can fit in.
The mine also had a well.
Kitchen, shelter and security
see article Mons Smaragdus.
trips
The excursion to Sikait can be made with visits to Umm kaboo and Wādī Nugruṣ connect.
literature
- : The Red Land: the illustrated archeology of Egypt’s Eastern desert. Cairo: American University at Cairo Press, 2008, ISBN 978-977-416-094-3 , Pp. 114, 125-129, 288-297.
- : Ancient Egypt in the Roman Empire: the Roman Pharaoh and his temples; 3: Sanctuaries and religious life in the Egyptian deserts and oases. Mainz: from Zabern, 2005, ISBN 978-3-8053-3512-6 , Pp. 14-18, 22-25.
Individual evidence
- ↑: Recueil des inscriptions grecques et latines de l’Égypte: Atlas. Paris: Imprimerie royale, 1842. Plate XVI, drawing after Nestor L’Hôte.
- ↑: Pan you désert. Suffer: Brill, 1977, Pp. 167-183, plates 57 f. Inscription 69. — : Polyphantos-Polyphantès et l’inscription Pan 69. In:Chronique d'Égypte (CdÉ), ISSN0009-6067, Vol.52,104, Pp. 342-344, doi:10.1484 / J.CDE.2.308451.
