Egypt Discovers Mamluk-Era Caravanserai in Lost Sinai City of Asila

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a medieval travelers’ inn during excavations at the long-lost city of Asila, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced this month.

The find emerged from the ministry’s ongoing initiative to illuminate the history of the Sinai Peninsula, its ancient urban centers, and the commercial arteries that once traversed the desert.

Situated in northern Sinai along the Egyptian Hajj Route—also known as the Sultan’s Road—Asila occupied a critical node on the extensive network linking Egypt with the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula from the early Islamic period through the Ottoman era. The route fell into disuse during the 11th century CE due to Crusader incursions, prompting a shift of pilgrimage traffic to a southern corridor passing through the Red Sea port of Aydhab and the coastal city of Jeddah.

Excavations revealed mudbrick and red brick walls set on limestone-reinforced foundations, a construction technique characteristic of Islamic-era architecture, according to Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. The walls extend north, east, and south, with evidence of internal chambers that likely functioned as shops attached to the hostelry.

Dr. El-Leithy noted that the site’s layout strongly resembles that of Khan al-Khuwainat, another commercial waystation discovered in northern Sinai. Though Asila is smaller in scale, the structural parallels reinforce the hypothesis that both served as rest stops for merchants and pilgrims traversing the trade route.

Green-Glazed Ceramics Link Site to Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad

Olive-green glazed vessels, decorated pottery sherds, and lamp fragments recovered at the site date the complex to the reign of the Bahri Mamluk Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad. Several artifacts bear Arabic inscriptions that may spell “al-Nasir,” though specialists caution that further analysis is required to confirm the precise chronology and the specific functions of the structures. Red-and-white decorated ceramics were also among the finds.

Infrastructure Underpinning Trade and Pilgrimage in the Islamic Period

“This discovery enhances our understanding of the infrastructure that facilitated commerce, pilgrimage, and military logistics across the Islamic periods,” said mission co-directors Mohamed Khalil and Saddam Hussein. The site also provides valuable data on the network of strategically positioned waystations established along Sinai’s routes to service caravans and travelers.

Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy described the Asila excavation as a window into the trade nexus connecting Egypt with the Arabian Peninsula. He characterized the find as “an important addition to a series of archaeological discoveries that contribute to rereading Sinai’s history and shedding light on the civilizations and communities that flourished on its land.”

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