Description of the attraction
The Mons Claudianus quarry is a unique historical landmark in Egypt. They are located 44 km from the city of Safari, not far from the oldest Egyptian ruins - the temple of the god Serapis, a famous fortress and a Roman city.
Mons Claudianus is the largest and best-preserved ancient Roman settlement in the Eastern Desert. About a thousand soldiers and stonecutters lived here.
Due to the prevailing circumstances, it was the ancient architects and builders who worked on the erection of monumental architectural structures who paid attention to the Mons Claudianus quarry. In these quarries, natural white marble and black granite were mined, from which the famous Pantheon in Rome was erected. The mining of high-quality granite and quartz diorite was the main occupation of this settlement. Massive granite blocks weighing 60 tons were transported on special wooden carts to the Nile. Then the blocks were loaded onto barges and then onto ships. It should be noted that all who lived in the settlement of Mons Claudianus were free inhabitants of Egypt, and not slaves, which is confirmed by recently found documentary evidence.
The beauty of the ancient Roman Pantheon does not cease to admire to this day. No wonder the ancient builders spent so much time looking for the best material for the construction of various architectural structures. The material, as you can see today, turned out to be quite strong, durable, and also very beautiful. Thanks to this, tourists can contemplate the amazing columns of rocks and preserved walls made of standard blocks of "granodiorite" (gray granite).
Today, the Mons Claudianus quarry is one of the main attractions of the Egyptian city of Safaga, which is definitely worth a visit.
