Zawyet Umm El Rakham ( arz, زاوية أم الرخم lit. "the resthouse of the mother of vultures") is an archaeological site located on the
North coast of Egypt
The Northern Coast of Egypt ( ar, الساحل الشمالي, "'", North Coast, commonly shortened to "'", "The Coast" or "The Egyptian Coast") extends for about along the Mediterranean Sea, it covers entirely the northern territory of Egypt. ...
20 km to the west of
Marsa Matruh
Mersa Matruh ( ar, مرسى مطروح, translit=Marsā Maṭrūḥ, ), also transliterated as ''Marsa Matruh'', is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway ...
, and about 300 km to the west of
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
During the reign of
Ramesses II
Ramesses II ( egy, wikt:rꜥ-ms-sw, rꜥ-ms-sw ''Rīʿa-məsī-sū'', , meaning "Ra is the one who bore him"; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Along with Thutmose III he is oft ...
, it was the location of a major fortress-town which probably marked the western extent of direct
Egyptian
Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
influence.
It was discovered in 1948 and in the subsequent years was sporadically examined by
Alan Rowe and
Labib Habachi
Labib Habachi (لبيب حبشي) (April 18, 1906 – February 18, 1984) was an influential Coptic Egyptian Egyptologist.
Dr Habachi spent 30 years in the Antiquities Department of the Egyptian Government, ending his career as Chief inspector. D ...
. Since 1994 extensive excavations have been undertaken at the site by a team from the
University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
under the direction of
Steven Snape
Stephen or Steven is a common English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Ac ...
.
References
Further reading
*S. Snape & P. Wilson ''Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham I: The Temple and Chapels'' (Rutherford Press, Bolton: 2007)
*L. Habachi: ''The Military Posts of Ramesses II on the Coastal Road and the Western Part of the Delta'', in: ''BIFAO'' 80 (1980), S. 13-30
*S. R. Snape: ''Walls, Wells and Wandering Merchants: Egyptian Control of the Marmarica in the Late Bronze Age'' in: C.J. Eyre (Hrsg.), ''Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress of Egyptologists'', Leuven 1998, S. 1081-84
*S. R. Snape: ''The excavations of the Liverpool University Mission to Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham 1994-2001'', in: ''ASAE'' 78 (2004), S. 149–160, Kairo.
Archaeological sites in Egypt
{{AncientEgypt-stub