The Way of Horus
Qantara on the Suez Canal is the site of the largest mud-brick temple in the Sinai, according to recent reports from Egypt. The newly discovered temple is 77 x 87 yards and has walls 10' thick, which is far in excess of what was required by the simple architecture. It is quite possible that the temple was intended to serve a dual purpose - as a place of worship and also as a fortress. The temple was apparently built by Rameses II, for it contains inscriptions commemorating him and his predecessor, Rameses I.
Qantara is one station on the "Way of Horus", an ancient military road whose exact route is still a matter of dispute among archaeologists and historians. We know, from an inscription of Seti I that it had twelve major fortresses and a number of smaller forts, though so far only four of these fortresses have been identified - two at Qantara, the third in Bir Al-Abd and the fourth in the Kharoub area near el-Arish. It is believed that the route terminated near the modern town of Rafah on the border between Israel and Egypt.
Excavations conducted last year on the site of the new temple uncovered rows of warehouses, used in the New Kingdom to store wheat and weapons, making this a major supply base for the Egyptian army as it sought to keep the Sand Ramblers in check. It has been suggested that the newly discovered temple may have been another weapon in the task of impressing the natives, as its size and bulk could have been intended to impress visitors with the power and might of Egypt, thus discouraging them from rebelling or attempting to invade.
According to Mohammed Abdul-Maqsoud, leader of the excavation team, the temple contains four hallways decorated with inscriptions that mention Rameses I and II. Three large stone purification bowls have been found.
The dig is part of a project that began in 1986 with the specific aim of finding the fortresses along the Way of Horus. According to Abdul Maqsoud, the fortress at Qantara corresponds with a fortress described in an inscription on the walls of the Temple of Karnak, which illustrates eleven of the fortresses which protected travellers on the Way.
"Way of Horus" Some people identify this road with the "Way of the Philistines" mentioned in the Bible. Return
© Kendall K. Down 2009
