Marsa Nakari

Marsa Nakari is still very close to the Red Sea, which has retreated since ancient times. This supports the hypothesis that it once was a Roman harbour, probably Nechesia:
 
Most of the structures in Marsa Nakari were built of anhydrite gypsum blocks which must have given the town, at the time when it was active, a bright white appearance:
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
Objective of visit:
 
To participate in the survey, excavations and study of the finds of Marsa Nakari as financed by John and Valerie Seeger. Specific tasks included the survey of the site and the planning of the excavation trenches.
Date of visit:
  - June 1999
- September 2002
Fellow visitors:
  The teams of scholars and local workmen were directed by Eng. John Seeger.
Results: A map was drawn of the site and its environs, using the Global Positioning System and a theodolite with steel tape measures. Nine trenches were excavated and the finds photographed and studied. The results of the first visit are partly published in het Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 38; 2001: 77-88.
Approximate position and date of the site:   Marsa Nakari is in the south of Egypt, just south of Marsa Alam, on the Red Sea coast. Pottery indicates that the town was active in the Roman period (ca. 30 BC - 600 AD).
Short description of the site:   Marsa Nakari must have been one of the Roman harbours on the Egyptian Red Sea coast, probably ancient Nechesia. The lay-out of the town suggests a centrally organized, probably military, organization.
Additional remarks: The town at Marsa Nakari was much smaller, but much better built than Berenike. This project was sponsored by John and Valerie Seeger.
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