Widan el Faras basalt quarries, Giza Governorate, Egypti

Regional Level Types
Widan el Faras basalt quarries	Group of Quarries
Giza Governorate	Governorate
Egypt	Country

Located in the Northern Faiyum Desert which straddles both the Giza Governorate and Faiyum Governorate.

Widan el Faras Ancient Quarries consists of more than 4,500 years old basalt quarries used at the Old Kingdom pyramid fields. Basalt was extensively used during the 4th and 5th dynasty to pave the funerary temples such as the Khufu (or Keophe) Pyramid in Giza, the Userkaf Pyramid in Saqqara, and the Sahura and Niuserra Pyramids in Abu Sir. The black pavement was used to symbolize kmt (the ‘black land’) the ancient Egyptian name to refer to the dark organic-rich fertile soil of the Nile flood-plain.

Together with the quarries the area hosts the world's oldest paved road (11.5 Km long), the Lake Moeris Quarry Road that is recognized as the oldest surviving paved road in the world, the road is dating from the Old Kingdom period (2700 – 2200 BC), it was used to transport basalt blocks from the quarry to the shores of the ancient Lake Moeris in a quay west of the Qasr el Sagha Temple. When the Nile flooded and its waters reached a gap in the hills separating the Lake Moeris from the Nile River, the Egyptians were able to float the blocks down to Sakkara and Giza (south of Cairo), for a total travel of more than 80 Km.

The road was paved using a first layer of slabs of sandstone and limestone and on top irregular pieces of basalt and logs of petrified wood, this in order to prevent the sleds used to transport the basalt blocks to sink in the desert sand.

The road extends in a south-easterly direction from the quarries to a little north of Qarun Lake.

The Basalt quarries are located along the escarpment of Jebel Qatrani that represents the northern margin of the Faiyumm depression (Jebel Qatrani can be translated as Tar hills).

The 40-50m high escarpment is littered with black basalt pebbles originating from the weathering of the basalt as well as from the ancient quarrying operations.

Widan el-Faras (literarily "Ears of the Mare") refers to the distinctive twin peaks just to the east of the site, the quarries can be grouped as follows:
• The East quarry (with individual quarry areas numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4)
• The West quarry (with individual quarry area numbered 5)

In the work of Storemyr P. et al. (2003) coordinates and more details for the single quarries are reported, it seems also that some modern quarrying activity was ongoing at time of their work.

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References