Gebel el-Silsila or Gebel Silsileh (Arabic: جبل السلسلة – Jabal al-Silsila or Ǧabal as-Silsila – “Chain of Mountains” or “Series of Mountains”; Egyptian: ẖny, Khenyt, Kheny or Khenu – “The Place of Rowing”; German: Dschabal as-Silsila – “Ruderort”, or “Ort des Ruderns” – “Place of Rowing”; Italian: Gebel Silsila – “Monte della Catena” – “Upstream Mountain Chain”) was an important site during ancient Egypt as a vital sandstone quarry of the region. It provided the raw materials required to build the massive sandstone structures that spread all over Upper Egypt. Kheny (or sometimes Khenu), which means “The Place of Rowing”, was a primary quarry site on both sides of the Nile from the 18th Dynasty to the Greco-Roman times. Silsila is famous for its New Kingdom stelai and cenotaphs.
Location of Gebel el Silsila
Gebel el Silsila lies 65 km (40 mi) north of Aswan in Upper Egypt, where the cliffs on both sides are close to the narrowest point along the length of the entire Nile. The location is between Edfu in the north towards Lower Egypt, and Kom Ombo in the south towards Upper Egypt.
Sandstone quarry
During the 18th Dynasty, the Egyptians switched from limestone to sandstone. At this time, the quarries at Gebelein were not yielding as much limestone as before. Gebel el-Silsila became a source of sandstone. The use of this stone allowed for the benefit of larger architraves.
A stele from the early part of Akhenaten’s reign shows the king offering to Amun beneath the winged sun disk. The inscription records that stone was cut for the great Benben of Harakhty in Thebes. Many of the talatats used by Akhenaten were quarried from here and used in buildings at Luxor and Amarna. Akhenaten’s sculptor, Bek, oversaw the opening of a stone quarry here.
Shrines, chapels and temples
The site provided numerous stone quarries on both the west and east sides of the Nile. Ancient Egypt’s great temples derived their sandstone from here, such as Karnak, Luxor, Ramesses III’s Medinet Habu, Kom Ombo, and the Ramesseum. The site contains many shrines erected by officials who would have been in charge of quarrying the stone.
Principal deity Sobek
The principal deity of Gebel el-Silsila is Sobek, the god of crocodiles and controller of the waters. Silsila is located within the Ancient Egyptian nome of Kom Ombo (or Ombos), Kom Ombo being 15 km (9.3 mi) to the south or upriver. The Roman coins of the Ombite nome exhibit the crocodile and the effigy of the crocodile-headed god Sobek.
West bank subsites
The rock-cut temple of Horemheb is referred to as the Great Speos and may have been created in a former sandstone quarry. The temple is dedicated to seven deities, including Amun, the local god Sobek, and Horemheb. Later rulers included different scenes and inscriptions in this structure. The scenes on the facade of the Great Speos include Ramesses III offering Maat to Amun-Re, Mut, Khonsu and Sobek in one scene and offering Maat to Anhur-Shu in another scene. Elsewhere, Ramesses II is depicted in the company of his Vizier Neferronpet while offering Maat to Ptah and Sobek. The central doorway contains a stele showing Sety II before Amun-Re, Mut and Khons.
The Great Speos also contains two chapels belonging to Viziers. On the south end of the entrance is the chapel of Panehesy, Vizier to Merenptah. Panehesy is shown adoring Merenptah. Panehesy is also depicted on a stele showing Merenptah, Queen Isetnofret, and Prince Sety-Merenptah (later Seti II). On the northern end is a chapel similar to the Vizier Paser from the reign of Ramesses II. A stele in the doorway shows Ramesses II, Queen Isetnofret and Princess-Queen Bintanath. The king is offering Maat to Ptah and Nefertem.
South of Horemheb’s Great Speos is a collection of erected royal stelae. The stelae date to a variety of reigns. They include a rock stela depicting Ramesses V before Amun-Re, Mut, Khons and Sobek. The goddess Mut leads the king and his son before Amun-Re, Re-Harakhti and Ptah. Ramesses III is shown offering Maat to Amun-Re, Mut and Khons. From a much later time is the stele of Shoshenq I. The scene shows Shoshenq accompanied by his son Iuput. The text is dated to the year 21 of his reign.
South of the royal stelae, several cut shrines are found. These include shrines for the Scribe of the Treasury of Thutmose, the Overseer of the Seal of Min (from the time of Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III), an official named Maa, and the Scribe of the Nome Ahmose (from the time of Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III).
North of the royal stelae, more shrines can be found. One shrine that belonged to an official date to the reigns of Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III: User, vizier. A shrine at this site records the User’s family, including his father, Amethu, called Ahmose.
Different shrines were constructed near the river—most of these date to the reigns of Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III. Included are the shrines of high-ranking officials such as the Overseer of the Granaries Minnakht, the Overseer of the Seal and Royal Herald Sennufer, the Overseer of the Seal Nehesy, the Overseer of the Prophets of Upper and Lower Egypt Hapuseneb, and the Great Steward of the Queen Senenmut. Senenmut’s is noteworthy because the inscriptions show a change in the status of Hatshepsut. She is said to be the “King’s First-born Daughter” and is depicted as a pharaoh in a striding fashion.
Three rock-cut shrines were constructed, and the site also shows some royal stelae. The shrines belong to Seti I, Ramesses II and Merenptah. One stele depicts Ramesses III offering wine to Amun-Re, Re-Harakhty and Hapi. The stele mentions year 6 of the reign of Ramesses III. Adjoining this is another stele, this one depicting Horemheb adoring Sety I.
Between the shrines of Merenptah and Ramesses II, a stele was erected depicting Merenptah and a son (likely Sety-Merenptah, but the name has been destroyed) offering Maat to Amun-Re. The Vizier Panehesy accompanies the royals.
East bank subsites
- Survey work of the east bank has revealed 49 quarries, the most prominent being Quarry 34 (Q34) (reviewed in 7 partitions due to its immensity), containing 54 stone huts.
- The East Bank holds several steles from the time of Amenhotep III. The stele and their texts are described in Karl Richard Lepsius’ Denkmahler. The stelae are damaged, but one was inscribed in the year 35. Amenhotep is shown adoring Amun-Re and is called “beloved of Sobek” in the inscriptions. The stela has been studied and described by Georges Legrain.
- A shrine with a stele on three sides depicting Amenhotep III is located at Gebel el-Silisila East. In the scenes, Amenhotep III is accompanied by an official named Amenhotep, who holds the title “Eyes of the King in the whole land”.
- A stela was discovered showing Akhenaten—named Amenhotep IV—before Amun-Re.
- Further finds date to the time of Sety I. An inscription from year 6 shows Sety I before Amun-Re, Ptah and a goddess. Another stele shows the Commander of troops of the Lord of the Two Lands fortress, named Hapi, adoring the cartouche of Sety I.
- The rediscovery of the Temple of Kheny is a significant find for the east bank. The other item of significance is the collection of over 5,000 epigraphic symbols and hieroglyphs from this site and all over Egypt. There appears to be an image depicting the actual transport of the sandstone blocks to temple sites.
- The east bank also has two unfinished ram-headed sphinxes or criosphinxes.
- Indications have been noted of possible stables providing horses to the Roman Caesars.
