Horus Military Route

In spite of the divergent opinions of Egyptologists as regards the beginning of the
military route or what is called " The Great Horus Route" illustrated in the battle relief of
King Seti I in the columns court of the Karnak Temple, as having 12 fortresses and
military compounds, yet they agree upon the route's real existence. 

Egyptologists have discovered until now 4 fortresses, two at Qantrah Sharq (Eastern
Qantarah) at Tell Habouh and Tell Al-Borg; the third in Bir Al-Abd; the fourth in the
Kharoub area near Al-Arish. 

But the largest is that of Tell Habouh which had been previously the old Pharaonic
Fortress of Tharou, the first to be built on the great military route. This was confirmed by
the Anstasy Papyrus which bears variegated drawings inscribed by Thutomose III. The
fortress embraced a station of the Egyptian army, the barracks of the soldiers and the
houses of the officers; the central stores of the State and a stable. In fact, it is an important
discovery because it constitutes a model of Ancient Egypt's military architecture, and the
Egyptian strategy, through different ages, for the protection of the entirety of Egypt. 

It presents, likewise, a pattern of the Egyptian commander and soldier, three thousand
years ago, while founding this great edifice and defensive line in the form of a series of
fortresses and military cities. 

According to an old Pharaonic script, the Tharou Fortress had been chosen by the
Egyptian military strategy, to be at the end of the line separating the green line from the
yellow one. It was the first to be fortified by two parallel walls, followed by 11 fortresses
acting as early alert points before the arrival of any conquering army to the strategically
located Tharou Fortress. In the same area there was an economic society, indicating that it
had been a commercial and customs zone where customs taxes were collected before
reaching the Delta. 

The most significant discovery by the American mission in Tell El-Borg was a collection
of blue-coloured pottery dating back to the 18th Dynasty; a drawing of King Ramesses II;
earthen jars bearing the seals of Tutankhamun, a matter which indicates that the Horus
route had been used by several Pharaonic kings such as Thutmose III, Ramesses II,
Memeptah and Horemheb. 

The discovered earthen jars which date back to El-Amarna Era, indicate that there had
been economic relations between Thebes in Upper Egypt and Tharou area, famous for
exporting the jars containing the best wine at the time; this is an indication also that this
area of East Qantarah (Assalam Canal at present) had been planted with grapes. 

Among the new discoveries in Tell El-Borg, is an important archeological cemetery
containing rectangular graves built of bricks, wide chambers and pottery imported from
Palestine, Syria and Cyprus, thus indicating that there had been commercial relations
between Egypt and Ancient Near-Eastern countries; and that the Horus route had been
both a military and commercial route. 

The head of the Egyptian archeological mission working in the area refers also to Tell
Abu Seify near Tell Habouh in Eastern Qantarah as representing the second main location
which defined the Eastern Gate of Egypt; there, it was discovered the fortress of Sylah with
its 13-meter-wide walls intervened by spaces and rooms for the guards. 

The Fortress has an eastern tower with an outer principal gate and a path of limestone
leading to the interior of the fortress and to the main 1500-sq-meter temple of Sylah, the
Romanian city; were discovered also chambers of the different deities, provisions' stores
and a wide collection of educational tableaux used by the priests to teach the students
inside the temple. 

A small city dating back to the Ptolemaic Era was also discovered with a series of
houses looking on four main streets intersecting like a chessboard, in a way similar to the
Ancient Hellenic architectural planning. 

The discovery of Tell Seify led to the discovery of a large dykelike structure and a
series of anchorage, as a sign of the existence of harbors' architecture in the Eastern Gate
of Egypt, a matter which indicates that there had been commercial exchange between
Egypt and the Mediterranean countries. 

Finally, and by the discovery of some existing fortresses along the Horus military route,
in addition to the endeavors for the Egyptian-American mission responsible of the search
and excavations to discover the ruins of the route's fortresses.. Northern Sinai has become
the open military museum with its military monuments, after the flooding of the Nubian
fortresses which were the remaining military symbol of Sinai's fortresses.