The Mons Claudianus Quarries are a unique historical site in Egypt. They are located 44 kilometres from the city of Safari, near 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. It was home to about a thousand soldiers and stonemasons.
As it happened, it was the ancient architects and builders who worked on the construction of monumental architectural structures, paid attention to the quarries of Mons Claudianus. In these quarries natural white marble and black granite were extracted, from which the famous Pantheon in Rome was built. The extraction of quality granite and quartz diorite was the main occupation of this settlement. Massive granite blocks weighing 60 tonnes were transported on special wooden carts to the Nile. Then the blocks were loaded into barges and then onto ships. It should be noted that all who lived in the settlement of Mons Claudianus, were free residents of Egypt, not slaves, as confirmed by recently found documentary evidence.
The beauties of the ancient Roman Pantheon have not ceased to admire to this day. Not without reason 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 strong enough, durable, and also very beautiful. Thanks to this, tourists can see amazing columns of rocks and preserved walls of standard blocks of "granodiorite" (grey granite).
Today, the quarries of Mons Claudianus - is one of the main attractions of the Egyptian city of Safaga, which is definitely worth a visit.
