Pelusium

Pelusium, also called Tel el Farama, was once a fortified city. During pharaonic rule it was called Peremun (= that which Amun created). The city was situated near the former eastern most branch of the Nile Delta, the Pelusiac branch, which was the gateway to Egypt as early as the 7th century BC. It was an important centre until the 2nd century BC.

Between the 1st en 3rd century AD it regained importance, becoming a major cultural centre. In the 4th century AD the city became a bishopric and the capital of a new province which included the route followed by pilgrims from the Holy Land to Mount Sinai. During the reign of Justinian in the 6th century AD (he had St. Catherine Monastery built) Pelusium was still a major port. Soon after sand choked the Pelusiac branch and the city declined and disappeared into oblivion

Excavations along the route of Horus have revealed many fortresses and citadels. Three citadels have been uncovered recently (2004) on the old Horus military route at Qantara Sharq (just west of Pelusium). The site of the find currently known as Tel Habwa is 30 kilometres east of the Suez Canal. In ancient times it was known as the city of Tharo. The existence of three fortresses or citadels, each built on the remains of the other, underlines the significance of Tharo as the eastern gateway to the Nile valley.

The old Horus route and its fortifications are inscribed on the walls of Al Karnak Temple in Luxor representing the trip of King Seti I following his return from a military mission to secure Egypt's eastern borders. The inscriptions reveal features of the route, including 11 citadels in the distance between Qantara Sharq and Rafah.

Two of the unearthed citadels go back to the Pharaonic age while the third belongs to the Persian age. The first citadel dates back to the age of the Hyksos (1603-1567 BC). Within the walls of the citadel there were found houses, store- houses, furnaces, and human remains, pottery from Cyprus and pottery from the age of the Hyksos. The second citadel dates back to the New Kingdom in the 18th and 19th dynasties. The citadel was built on the remains of a Hyksos citadel, following the war waged against them by Ahmos. The third citadel of the Persian age (341-332) was found to have no towers. Excavations unearthed pottery segments of the Persian age.