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Adel Kelany

SCA, Egyptology, inspector of Antiques

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Archaeological survey, rock art , ancient quarries and mines export
Address: Aswan , Egypt

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Papers by Adel Kelany

Modern Quarries and Archaeology Protection issues, regulations, methodologies, impact, sustainability

BAR Publishing, 2025

The recent and historical development of quarries has had significant impacts on landscapes, biod... more The recent and historical development of quarries has had significant impacts on landscapes, biodiversity and non-renewable resources, including on archaeological heritage. The analysis of the past and present impact of modern quarries and the assessment of the threats they pose to the landscape and underlying palaeontological or archaeological remains are key issues in the holistic protection of cultural heritage. The book aims to discuss varied international regulations concerning this topic, and provides examples of different approaches and methodologies used to manage the complex relationship between quarries and archaeology. The papers present case studies mostly derived from preventive archaeology, but also focused on non-direct and non-destructive surveys on the landscape, such as aerial and satellite remote sensing, or on archival and bibliographic documentation. The goal is to understand how the problem is currently managed globally, and if best practices and shared strategies can be identified and applied to create future methodological and operational trajectories

Recording rock inscriptions: Methods and challenges from an Egyptian per spective

The Oxford Handbook of Egyptology Edited by Ian Shaw and Elizabeth Bloxam, 2020

This chapter presents the Egyptian perspective in the recording and documenting of epigraphic dat... more This chapter presents the Egyptian perspective in the recording and documenting of epigraphic data in Egypt. Usually the domain of non-Egyptian epigraphers and philologists, the chapter brings a unique insight into the methods and challenges faced by Egyptian Egyptologists in the recording and documenting of rock inscriptions that are facing nu merous threats from modern development. Two case studies are presented: the first situ ated in Aswan and the second in the Wadi Hammamat. Both localities present differing examples of the range of methods that can be adapted to specific locales, as well as the ways in which increasing pressure from modern destruction requires a different focus to building a database relating to protection measures. As an Egyptian perspective and archive for future generations in Arabic, these approaches allow greater access to infor mation which has largely remained in the domain of foreign institutions and archives.

Adel Kelany Epipalaeolithic Rock Art

Over the past few years, an archaeological survey has been conducted in several areas of Aswan. T... more Over the past few years, an archaeological survey has been conducted in several areas of Aswan. This research has revealed various archaeological sites. Most contain rock art of which the oldest rock art site dates back to the Late Palaeolithic, followed by rock art assemblages dating back to the Epipalaeolithic. The latter is one of the most challenging types of rock art regarding the difficulty of its documentation and interpretation. This article highlights those Epipalaeolithic rock art sites discovered on the east bank near Aswan and aims to focus on the landscape of these sites. Moreover, I would like to shed light on the relation between Epipalaeolithic rock art sites and other rock art found in the same area of other time periods. The article also attempts to address the meaning of this rock art and discuss whether we are able to understand it at all.

A Possible Transition in Rock Art from the Late Palaeolithic to the Epipalaeolithic Period in Wadi Abu Subeira, Aswan

Stone Canvas Towards a Better Integration of ‘Rock Art’ and ‘Graffiti’ Studies in Egypt and Sudan, 2023

The Oxford Handbook of EGYPTOLOGY

ا‬ Late Paleolithic Rock Art

نقوش من العصر الحجري القديم المتأخر اسوان

A new archaeological survey in Wadi Abu Subeira and el-Aqaba el-Saghira by a team from the Egypti... more A new archaeological survey in Wadi Abu Subeira and el-Aqaba el-Saghira by a team from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities has recently identified many new rock art sites. So far, nine sites with Late Palaeolithic rock art have been identified in Wādi Abū Subeira and only one in Aqba. The Late Palaeolithic rock art in both Wādi Abū Subeira and Aqba was executed in a naturalistic style-Franco-Cantabrian, Lascaux-like style, using both techniques of hammering and incision to create the images. This style is substantially different from the later rock art located nearby. Rock art style, patina, technique and subject matter are proved the date of these rock art assemblage to Late Paleaolithic. This date is support by recently OSL date of similar rock art assemblage located at Qurta north of Wadi Suabeira.

SHALLOW SEISMIC PROFILES DEFINING THE CHANNEL USED FOR TRANSPORTING OBELISKS TO THE NILE FROM THE UNFINISHED OBELISK QUARRY IN ASWAN, EGYPT

Starting from the dockng area at the Unfinished Obelisk Quarry a series of shallow seismic profil... more Starting from the dockng area at the Unfinished Obelisk Quarry a series of shallow seismic profiles were run that have defined the location and dimensions of the channel that was used to transport obelisks to the Nile River. Besides the profiles nearest the quarry showing how the obelisks left the site, a key new set of seismic profiles located approximately halfway to the Nile conclusively located the channel confirming that it turns northward on its path to the Nile. The channel depth was found to steadily increase away from the quarry from a depth of approximately 2.5 m in the bedrock near the quarry to approximately 7 m at the midway site. The width of the channel is approximately 30 m. Grafitti on the walls near the quarry depicts sea life likely indicating the connection between the obelisk quarry and the Nile that transported them to sites at large distances downstream from Aswan. The logistics of how the massive obelisks were transported to the Nile remain to be determined. The seismc surveys were carried out using a digital recording system with 24 geophones spaced typically at 2 m intervals and a Betsy Seisgun to detonate shotgun blank sources located at both ends of each profile. Examples of the seismic record sections along with their 1D-2D P-and S-wave velocity profiles and interpretations will be presented along with illustrations of the location of the lines.

Human Figures in the Aswan Rock Art. Recent Survey along the East Bank of Aswan City (Egypt

Recent survey work, focusing on modern quarries and mines along the east bank of Aswan City (Egyp... more Recent survey work, focusing on modern quarries and mines along the east bank of Aswan City (Egypt), has led to the discovery of many previously unknown rock art sites. Most of these sites are located along wadis leading from the Eastern Desert into the Nile Valley. These dried-up stream beds have been used by humans from very early times onwards for a variety of purposes, such as quarrying and mining activities, as well as travelling between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea through the Eastern Desert. This paper will deal with rock art in the context of the wadis' use over time.

8 Fire-setting in Ancient Quarries; Ancient Sources, New Evidence and Experiments

From the Delta to the Cataract, 2015

Paysages graves : la longue continuité du Wadi Abu Subeira (région d’Assouan, Egypte)

The wadi of Abu Subeira coincides with a valley which is today dry and crossed by a fossil stream... more The wadi of Abu Subeira coincides with a valley which is today dry and crossed by a fossil stream, on the rock plateau of the eastern desert. It connects the Nile river valley it merges into to the Red Sea. This passage has been used since very remote time, as proved by the evidence of rock art dating back to the Upper Paleolithic up to the contemporary age. The site is included in the area commonly referred to as 'Lascaux on the Nile' . There can be found engravings dating back to the Paleolithic, the Pre-dynastic Period, the Pharaonic period, the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the Middle Ages and contemporary ages. The terraces of the wadis also present remains of dwelling sites used since the Middle and Upper Paleolithic. The entrance to the wadi is irrigated and nowadays people of Bedouin origin, members of the Ababda tribe, dwell in it and have made contemporary engravings. The placement of rock art sites shows the demarcation and structuring of the territory. Engravers chose the passage ramifications and the hills in the landscapes. The iconographic themes constitute evidence for the importance of the exploitation of the rich natural resources,access to which is made possible by the wadi: there can be found representations of ships and camel caravans recalling the route to the Red Sea, as well as hunting scenes with wild animals of the desert. More recently, the wadi of Abu Subeira was used to reach the Arabian Peninsula during the Hajj, till about the mid-20th century. The Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities granted the author of this paper permission to lead a study and inventory survey of the rock art and archeological heritage in the area. The intervention will show the early results of the fieldwork, as well as the methodological and scientific aims of the 'Engraved landscapes' project, which includes the work led at Assuan.

Investigating the Predynastic origins of greywacke working in the Wadi Hammamat

by Adel Kelany and Elizabeth Bloxam

Archéo-Nil est une revue internationale et pluridisciplinaire à comité de lecture (« peer review ... more Archéo-Nil est une revue internationale et pluridisciplinaire à comité de lecture (« peer review ») dans le respect des normes internationales de journaux scientifi ques. Tout article soumis pour publication est examiné par au moins deux spécialistes de renommé internationale reconnus dans le domaine de la préhistoire ou de l'archéologie égyptienne. L'analyse est effectuée sur une base anonyme (le nom de l'auteur ne sera pas communiqué aux examinateurs ; les noms des examinateurs ne seront pas communiqués à l'auteur).

format_quoteThe quarry landscape served as a hub for interaction among social networks, crucial for the flow of materials and finished stone products.format_quote

Ancient desert and quarry roads on the west bank of the Nile in the First Cataract region

by Per Storemyr, Tom Heldal, and Adel Kelany

In: Förster, F. & Riemer, H. (eds.), Desert Road Archaeology in Ancient Egypt and Beyond. Africa Praehistorica 27 (Cologne: Heinrich-Barth-Institut), 399-424. , 2013

More'Lascaux along the Nile'? Possible Late Palaeolithic rock art in Wadi Abu Subeira, Upper Egypt

by Per Storemyr and Adel Kelany

Sahara, Jan 1, 2008

Late Palaeolithic Rock Art Sites at Wādi Abū Subeira and el-’Aqaba el-Saghira, Upper Egypt

Presentation of engravings recently discovered in two places south of Qurta, the style of which s... more Presentation of engravings recently discovered in two
places south of Qurta, the style of which strongly recalls
this site. The whole of this region turns out to be
rich in rock art ascribed to the Upper Palaeolithic,
which leads to a complete overhaul of our knowledge.
It is extremely important to protect these exceptional
testimonies.

DOLERITE POUNDERS: PETROLOGY, SOURCES AND USE

CANAL EXTENSION CONFIRMED BY GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS, ASWAN OBELISK QUARRY, ASWAN EGYPT

A narrow, more than 2.5 m deep granite cut was discovered in a Supreme Council of Antiquities exc... more A narrow, more than 2.5 m deep granite cut was discovered in a Supreme Council of Antiquities excavation at the Unfinished Obelisk Quarry, Aswan. A. Kelany postulated that due to the depth and length of this bedrock trench, it might be the end of a canal ancients used to transport obelisks and other blocks to the Nile gorge. Use of canals in ancient Egypt is supported by inscriptions that tell about canals being cut through granite during the Middle and New Kingdoms.

$Fig. 6. Site map, Aswan Unfinished Obelisk Quarry, locations of shallow soil temperature access holes, seismic reflection and refraction survey lines, cultural features and extension of “canal” based upon geophysical surveys. All temperature survey lines are designated by prefix T; seismic lines by prefix S. The prefix ST- means same line used for both surveys.$

$Fig. 9a and b. Seismic record sections for line ST-1. Horizontal lines show time in milli-seconds (msec); 210 msec of ground motion is shown in this and all other record sections presented. In (a) the source is located 1 m from geophone 24 on the southem end of the line (see map, Fig. 6). The vertical arrows show the buried locations of the channel boundaries (curved dashed line). The vertical arrow in (b) panel (center source location) shows the northern channel boundary. The horizontal arrows show the difference in arrival times for bedrock refraction signals propagating outside the channel (right side) and those propagating in the channel (left side).$

$Fig. 17. Proposed cost-effective groundwater control scheme. (a) Dewatering wells, clay or grout cutoff wall and (b) cone of pumping depression to reduce capillary fringe within fractured granite.$

More Late Palaeolithic Rock Art at Wadi Abu Subeira, Upper Egypt

Granite-quarry survey in the Aswan region, Egypt: shedding new light on ancient quarrying

Marks of the Quarry Workers at the Unfinished Obelisk Quarry, Aswan, Egypt: Preliminary Report

Constructing a quarry landscape from empirical data. General perspectives and a case study at the Aswan West Bank, Egypt

QuarryScapes: ancient stone quarry landscapes in the …, 2009

... Bloxam 2003). Pottery is key in terms of indirectly determining periods when quarrying oc-cur... more