The Egyptian archeological team working in Northern Sinai discovered the remains of a limestone building that was once a repair workshop for boats and vessels during the Greco-Roman period in Egypt. The shipyard is about 2,000 years old, dating back to the Ptolemaic era between 332 BC and 30 BC and was once connected to a branch of the Nile through a lake; both branch and the lak have dried up since.
The building is located near the southern side of Abu-Yousif hill eastern Qantara, formally known as the city of ‘Silla Roman’, and extends to the south towards the ancient lake. The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, explained that the workshop consists of two dry basins for the repair and construction of ships, its width is about six meters so that the ships would be pulled inside for repair.
Unfortunately, during the span of time, the workshop lost its construction especially after the Nile’s branch passed through the area and dried up. Therefore, a few blocks were removed from the site to be used in the construction of other buildings.
On the other hand, the General Director of the Northern Sinai Antiquities, Hisham Hussien, said that there were also remains of fish bones and clay pots. Those along with wooden beams, shipwrecks, bronze, and iron nails in different sizes that were found inside the workshop.
Egypt hopes that such discoveries will enhance our tourism that has suffered a major setback during the past few years.
