Serabit el-Khadem Temple of Hathor

In South West Sinai desert, the area of Wadi Maghara, an ancient turquoise mine, Serabit El Khadem. For the Egyptians, turquoise was sacred. It was found in graves and temples. Egyptian Pharao's sent military expeditions who worked with the local Semitic people who knew the trade of turqoise and copper mining. In Wadi Maghara the oldest alphabetic script 'PROTO SINAITIC' was discovered in rock engravings dated to beginning of the 2nd millenium BC. The temple is dedicated to the godess Hathor, (the godess of miners and way farers) and to, Sepdu a minor deity, the god of the East dated to the 3d millenium BCE The photos are with permission and courtesy of Dr. Uzi Avner.