A new archaeological cave has been discovered on Saturday in North Sinai’s Wadi El-Zolmat, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Anquities mission which is documenting rock inscriptions in Sinai.
The newly discovered cave, which is located in a tributary of Wadi El-Zolmat or Valley of Darkness, holds unique and diverse groups of rock engravings.
Ayman Ashmawy, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities sector, said the cave is in a mountainous area of limestone about 90 km southeast of the city of Qantara, and 60 km east of the Suez Canal. He added that the engraved scenes inside the cave differ significantly in artistic style from those found in the valleys of South Sinai. The cave will be studied further to determine its history.
Ashmawy also said that the cave, the first of its type to be discovered in Wadi El-Zolmat, is larger than the recently discovered Zaranij cave. The cave’s ceiling is of weak limestone, and is filled with large quantities of animal waste and fire ash.
Hisham Hussein, Director General of the North Sinai Archaeology Region and the mission’s head, said that most of the unearthed scenes were carved along the walls of the inner cave. They depict a number of animals, including unique representations of camels, deer, mules, mountain goats, alongside many scenes of donkeys.
Yahya Hassanein, Director General of Antiquities of Al-Arish, said that Wadi El-Zolmat stands at 15 metres in length and about 20 metres high.
