Sikait (Roman Emerald Mines)
A Roman emerald-mining settlement with rock-cut temples in the Wadi el-Gemal National Park, south of Marsa Alam.
The emerald mountains
Sikait lies in the mountains of the Eastern Desert within the Wadi el-Gemal National Park, south-west of Marsa Alam. The surrounding region, known to the Romans as Mons Smaragdus, "the emerald mountain", was the only source of emeralds within the Roman Empire. Emeralds were mined here, with interruptions, from the Ptolemaic period through the Roman and Byzantine eras, and possibly into the Islamic period; stones from these mines were traded across the Mediterranean world and appear in Roman jewellery.
The settlement
The settlement of Sikait, the best preserved of the mining villages of the region, consists of stone houses built along the sides of a wadi, together with small temples, some cut into the rock. The largest rock-cut temple, with a façade and inscriptions in Greek, is associated with the cult of Serapis and Isis and other deities. Around the settlement, the mountainsides are pierced with mine shafts and galleries where miners followed the veins of beryl. The site has been studied by international archaeological missions in recent decades.
Wadi el-Gemal
The Wadi el-Gemal National Park, established in 2003, protects mountains, desert valleys, coastal mangroves and coral reefs, and is home to gazelles, ibex and many birds, as well as communities of the Ababda nomads. Sikait is reached by four-wheel-drive vehicle with a local guide, usually from Marsa Alam.
Exhibo editorial
Deep in a desert valley of the Wadi el-Gemal park, the stone houses of a Roman mining village still line the wadi, and a temple cut into the rock looks out over it all. Somewhere in the mountains around, miners once tunnelled after the only emeralds in the Roman world.
It's a long, dusty 4x4 journey, best combined with time among the Ababda people and the wildlife of the national park. Go with a good local guide and start early — the light in the valley in the morning is beautiful.
How to find it
Sikait lies in the mountains of the Wadi el-Gemal National Park, south-west of Marsa Alam. Book a 4x4 excursion with a local or Ababda guide from Marsa Alam; the track runs through the national park to the settlement.