Wadi al-Jarf

Wadi al-Jarf

وادي الجرف
Shown within Egypt
Alternative name	Wadi al-Garf, Rod El-Khawaga
Location	Egypt
Region	Red Sea Governorate
Coordinates	28°53′30″N 32°39′30″E / 28.89167°N 32.65833°E / 28.89167; 32.65833
Site notes
Archaeologists	J. G. Wilkinson

Wadi al-Jarf (Arabic: وادي الجرف) is an area on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, 119 km (74 mi) south of Suez, that is the site of the oldest known artificial harbour in the world, developed about 4500 years ago. It is located at the mouth of the Wadi Araba, a major communication corridor between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea, crossing the Eastern Desert. The site is across the Gulf of Suez from the small Sinai fortress of Tell Ras Budran. A somewhat similar ancient port is at Ain Sukhna, a little north of Wadi al-Jarf.

The site was first discovered by J. G. Wilkinson in 1832. It was rediscovered by a French team in the 1950s, who named it Rod el-Khawaga. Archeological work was quickly abandoned when the Suez Crisis broke out in 1956. A joint French–Egyptian team resumed excavation in 2011.^[1]

The harbor at the site dates to the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, approximately 4,500 years ago. Also discovered at the site were more than 100 anchors, the first Old Kingdom anchors found in their original context, and numerous storage jars. The jars have been linked with those of another site across the Red Sea, indicating trade between the two sites. A large number of papyrus fragments were found at Wadi al-Jarf, providing insight into life during the Fourth Dynasty. The papyri are the oldest ever found in Egypt.