The temple of Serabit el-Khadim is located on a plateau on top of a mountain in south-west Sinai. From earliest dynastic times, pharaohs sent expeditions to Sinai in search of turquoise and copper, and abundant seams of turquoise were found in the Serabit region. Hathor had the epithet ‘Lady of Turquoise’, so it is no surprise to find a temple dedicated to Hathor near the mine workings. Members of the ancient expeditions hoped that, by making offerings to Hathor, they would extract good quantities of turquoise and return safely to the Nile valley.
Although the sacred cave of Hathor may have been venerated by visitors before the Middle Kingdom, the temple seems to have been first built by Senusret I (c.1965-1920 BC). He was responsible for the enclosure walls and for setting out the processional ways towards the double caves in the sanctuary area. Additions to the temple were made throughout the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom, and the site seems to have been abandoned in late Ramesside times.
The first comprehensive excavation at Serabit was carried out by Flinders Petrie in the winter of 1904-1905, and he published his findings in 1906. The inscriptions recorded during this expedition were translated and published by Gardiner and Peet in 1917 and 1955, building on those by R Weill in an earlier publication.
Excavating Cambridgeshire