Wadi al-Jarf

Welcome to Wadi al-Jarf, a remote and groundbreaking archaeological site on the Red Sea coast of Egypt. Located roughly halfway between Suez and Hurghada, this site represents the oldest known man-made harbor in human history,…

Our tour begins at the base of the limestone hills, where you can see the entrances to thirty carefully carved caves, or 'galleries'. Each cave is roughly 20 to 30 meters long and was designed to store the dismantled components…

Descending toward the shoreline, we find the remains of the massive stone jetty that once extended into the Red Sea. Constructed of large limestone blocks, this L-shaped breakwater created a protected harbor where ships could…

We now focus on the most important discovery at the site: the Journal of Merer. Merer was an inspector who led a crew of 200 elite workers, and his diary accounts for several months during the 26th and 27th years of Khufu's reign. …

Who was Merer? His title, 'Sadj,' or inspector, placed him as a middle-manager in the vast Egyptian bureaucracy. …

Adjacent to the storage caves are the remains of a 4th Dynasty settlement where the sailors and administrators lived during the work season. Unlike the permanent cities of the Nile, this was a specialized logistical hub, built to…

High on the sandstone cliffs overlooking the harbor, you can find delicate hieroglyphic inscriptions carved into the rock. These include the royal seals of kings such as Mentuhotep IV, who ruled much later in the 11th Dynasty,…

As we conclude our tour of Wadi al-Jarf, we are left with a new perspective on the age of the pyramids. This site has proven that the ancient Egyptians were not just masters of the Nile, but also pioneers of the sea, reaching…