Abstract
Bir Hammamat (Persou I) was an important stone quarry for the extraction of greywacke (Bekhn stone) in the Egyptian Eastern Desert that represents a comprehensive image of the stone quarrying process, extraction activities and the life of a quarrymen community. In addition to the archaeological findings, quarrying activities have culturally created a memory of the industrial society.
The paper investigates some historical and cultural aspects related to the technical and industrial heritage of Bir Hammamat ranging from the pre-dynastic period until the Roman period. A long quarrying history that left behind a series of tools, settlements, paths, forts and inscriptions.
These relics can promote certain types of sustainable tourism where the ancient quarrying industry and technology become a tourist attraction and consequently enhance the preservation of the ancient quarry site heritage and landscape through innovative projects and new itineraries, a step that was started by the author himself during a site survey as a part of a research program in the university of Padua, Italy between 2014 – 2015.