Buhen Fortress — Great Walled Town
Fortress of Buhen · Buhens fortress
Old Kingdom precursors; Middle Kingdom–New Kingdom·Ancient Egyptian·🇸🇩 Northern State, Second Cataract west bank, Sudan
About
About Buhen Fortress — Great Walled Town
Southernmost bastion of Egyptian 12th Dynasty canal road, first founded as Old Kingdom copper smelting settlement (2500 BCE) then rebuilt by Senusret I and massively expanded by Senusret III as fortress-town with double walls, outer ditch, glacis and 29 bastions. Excavated by Emery and Smith (1957–64), Buhen contained grid-planned streets, temple of Horus of Buhen (re-erected at Khartoum), copper workshops, barracks and headquarters. New Kingdom rebuilt as walled town with Isis temple. Now beneath Lake; its temple reconstructed at Sudan National Museum garden.
Why it mattersType site for Egyptian frontier urbanism and copper technology in Nubia.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Scale of Old Kingdom copper operation
Theories
- 01Buhen acted as customs and smelting station for Wadi Allaqi gold and copper
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1960 BCE (expanded Senusret III c. 1860 BCE)
- Period
- Old Kingdom precursors; Middle Kingdom–New Kingdom
- Culture
- Ancient Egyptian
- Purpose
- Southernmost great fortress-town and copper working centre guarding Second Cataract head, later New Kingdom town with temples
- Excavation
- Excavated
1960 BCE
Senusret I founds Buhen
1860 BCE
Senusret III enlarges to classic fortress
1958–64
Emery excavations rescue
On the ground
Structures & features
21.9167° N · 31.2833° E · 185 m · 2 mapped features
Double-walled fortress plan
fortressInner and outer walls, ditch, glacis and bastions circuit
21.9177° N · 31.2843° ETemple of Horus of Buhen
templeMiddle Kingdom temple reconstructed in Khartoum Museum garden
21.9157° N · 31.2823° E
Gallery