Mons Porphyrites
The only source of imperial purple porphyry in the Roman world — remote mountain quarries in the Eastern Desert inland from Hurghada.
The purple stone of emperors
Mons Porphyrites, Gebel Abu Dukhan in Arabic, lies in the Red Sea Mountains of the Eastern Desert, about 50 kilometres inland from Hurghada. It was the only known source in the ancient world of imperial porphyry, a hard, deep purple-red stone flecked with white crystals. Purple was the colour of imperial power in Rome, and porphyry from these mountains was reserved for the emperors and their monuments: it was used for imperial statues, columns, sarcophagi and decorative elements in Rome, Constantinople and elsewhere, including the porphyry sarcophagi of Constantine's mother Helena and daughter Constantina and the famous group of the Tetrarchs now in Venice.
The quarries
The quarries were worked from the first century AD until the fifth century. The site preserves several quarrying areas high on the mountain, linked by steep ramps and paths down which the blocks were dragged, as well as a settlement with a fortified camp, workers' houses, a temple of Serapis, an unfinished temple of Isis, wells and animal lines. Blocks were transported across the desert along a road to the Nile at Qena, a journey of several days.
Visiting
The site is remote and reached only by four-wheel-drive vehicle with an experienced guide, followed by walking; some of the quarries require a steep climb. Pieces of porphyry can still be seen scattered over the hillsides.
Exhibo editorial
Imagine a mountain in the middle of a desert where the rock is purple. That is Mons Porphyrites: the only place in the ancient world where the emperors' own stone could be found, cut by hand, dragged down ramps and hauled across the desert to the Nile and on to Rome and Constantinople.
It's a demanding trip — a long 4x4 drive and a stiff climb — but standing among the ruins of the workers' settlement, with chips of imperial porphyry glittering underfoot, you feel the reach of an empire. Go with a reliable desert guide in winter.
Gallery
How to find it
Mons Porphyrites lies in the Red Sea Mountains inland from Hurghada; visits are made by 4x4 with a desert guide from Hurghada or El Gouna, followed by a walk or climb to the settlement and quarries.