In the parched desert between the Red Sea and the Nile lies the fascinating ruins of a Roman settlement. For over two centuries, from 68 AD to 282 AD, Mons Claudianus used the surrounding mountains to produce high quality columns and building blocks of grey granite known as granodiorite for the sole purpose of beautifying imperial Rome. Today, you can witness these magnificent objects in the Pantheon, in Hadrian's Villa and in the unfinished Temple of Venus. |
The largest and best-preserved Roman site in the Eastern Desert, Mons Claudianus, was once home to one thousand quarrymen and soldiers. You can still see remnants of the fortress, dwellings, workshops, stables, baths, broken granite columns and slabs. One column is an impressive 16 meters long and 2.4 meters wide, weighing 209 tons. Mons Claudianus is definitely well worth a day trip from Hurghada, Safaga or Quseir. |