The temple of Hathor at Serabit el-Khadim

This article is from Ancient Egypt issue 145

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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.

Turquoise was used in jewellery from the earliest dynastic period. For example, the bracelets found by Petrie on an arm in the Abydos tomb of King Djer of the First Dynasty featured turquoise, as well as gold, lapis lazuli, and amethyst. But it was in the Middle Kingdom that turquoise seems to have increased in popularity – the pectoral and necklace of Princess Sithathoryunet from the pyramid of Senusret II at Lahun is a spectacular example.

Visiting the temple

Access to Serabit is not straightforward, since it is off the normal tourist route. The nearest town is Abu Zenima on the Sinai coast, and a poor-quality road leads about 40km from there to the camp at the foot of the Serabit mountain. It is easy to reach Abu Zenima by driving from Cairo, taking the tunnel under the Suez Canal and then the road along the western side of Sinai. It would be equally possible to drive from Sharm el-Sheikh. My Egyptian driver and I arrived in Abu Zenima and booked into the only hotel in town. I was concerned about the road to Serabit – online research suggested that we would need a four-wheel drive vehicle as a minimum, and perhaps a donkey to cover the final approach. My ever-optimistic driver scoffed at the idea of hiring a 4 × 4 – he said we should set out in his regular car and see how we got on.