3,000-Year-Old Gold Mining Camp Unearthed in Egypt's Red Sea Province, Revealing Ancient Extraction Techniques and Community Life

A 3,000-year-old mining camp and gold deposit have been discovered in Egypt's Red Sea province. The find, a result of a conservation project by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, documents and protects a historically significant site near Mount Sakari, southwest of Marsa Alam. The mining camp features a complex gold processing system that extracted the metal from quartz veins. Archaeological findings indicate a highly organized operation with distinct zones for extraction, processing, and storage. Excavations also revealed dwellings, workshops, religious temples, administrative buildings, and Ptolemaic baths, providing insights into the social and economic organization of mining communities in Egypt's eastern desert. The discovery sheds light on ancient mining techniques and the dynamics of life in a desert industrial settlement, confirming the site's use through the Roman and Islamic eras.