Egypt: 10,000-year-old rock art site discovered in Sinai

Archaeologists have uncovered a 10,000-year-old rock art site in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, in what officials are calling one of the country’s most significant recent archaeological discoveries, as reported by The New Arab staff on February 13th.

The site, located on the Umm Irak Plateau in southern Sinai, features a 100-metre-long rock formation adorned with carvings and inscriptions dating from prehistoric times through to the Islamic era. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said the discovery highlights the region’s long-standing cultural and artistic heritage.

According to the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the site holds exceptional historical and artistic value. Council Secretary-General Hisham El-Leithy described it as an “open-air natural museum” due to the wide chronological range of its engravings.

The rock shelter’s ceiling contains red pigment drawings of animals and symbolic motifs, alongside inscriptions in Arabic and the Nabataean language. Officials said some of the engravings offer insight into the lifestyles and economic activities of early communities that once inhabited the area.

Archaeologists also found physical evidence suggesting prolonged human use of the shelter, including animal droppings, stone partitions, and remnants of hearths. These findings point to successive civilisations occupying the region over thousands of years.

Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi called the site a “significant addition to the map of Egyptian antiquities,” emphasising its importance for understanding Egypt’s layered history.

The discovery comes as authorities pursue a major tourism development initiative in southern Sinai, aimed at boosting visitor numbers to Saint Catherine. The mountain town, home to the historic Saint Catherine’s Monastery, is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, the megaproject has raised concerns among local Bedouin communities who fear for the future of their ancestral lands.

Experts say further excavation and documentation of the Umm Irak Plateau site could shed new light on migration patterns, trade routes and cultural exchange across the Sinai Peninsula, a region that has historically served as a bridge between Africa and Asia.

The New Arab staff and agencies, Maghrebi.org