The allure of gold within Egypt's Sukari Mountains was powerful enough to establish a gold-mining camp 3,000 years ago. A long-term archaeological project named "Reviving the Ancient City of Gold," as stated by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities, has brought to light this ancient gold mining operation. The project extended far beyond merely finding the site.
The grandeur of this ancient mining operation was so substantial that a whole camp was formed around it. Upon discovery, the camp had to be relocated nearly two miles to prevent interference with the modern Sukari Mine.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, noted the remains of a 3,000-year-old gold processing complex. This complex, featuring a fully equipped facility for extracting gold from quartz veins, included grinding and crushing stations, filtration and sediment basins, and ancient clay furnaces used for smelting gold into a pure form. This highlights the highly organized nature of the mining operation.
To accommodate the gold miners, an expansive residential district evolved on site, comprising houses, workshops, temples, administrative buildings, and Ptolemaic Period bathhouses. Khaled mentioned that the team discovered architectural remains from the Roman and Islamic periods. The continued use of this area well after the initial encampment's creation indicates its prolonged significance among various groups.
Khaled further explained that this finding improves our comprehension of ancient Egyptian techniques for extracting gold from rock, while also shedding light on the social, religious, and economic lives of gold miners. Among the artifacts uncovered were 628 pieces of broken pottery, many inscribed with hieroglyphic, demotic, and Greek script, showcasing the region's linguistic diversity.
Additionally, the crew unearthed Ptolemaic bronze coins, terracotta figurines depicting human and animal forms from the Greco-Roman period, small stone statues of deities such as Bastet and Harpocrates (some finished and some unfinished), a variety of pottery vessels containing personal items like medicines and incense, an assortment of beads made from semi-precious stones, decorative items crafted from seashells, and five Ptolemaic offering tables.
As part of the project, the team constructed a full-scale replica of the mining complex on a 6.3-acre plot situated nearly two miles from the active mining area. This visitor center includes exhibits and comprehensive information about both the discovery and the life of ancient Egyptian gold miners.