25 5. FORTIFICATIONS (Fig. 7) Of the fortification walls surrounding the town, re- and up to a height of about 2.40m (Pls. 16 and mains on the north, south and west sides still ex- 17.1).68 They are situated to the south of Rue EO4 ist. These remains enable a secure reconstruction of and the row of magazines M1–M7. To the west, the at least these three sides of the fortification walls, city wall was overbuilt by the Ottoman fort, using resulting in a north-south extension of the town of the Pharaonic fortification as a substructure, while 242m. In regard to the eastern side, hardly any evi- the eastern part of the southern enclosure wall has dence of the former city wall has so far been traced. completely deteriorated. The width of the fortifica- Previously, one had assumed that the cliffs along the tions in the south is 4.40m, consisting of mudbricks Nile had reached further to the east and had at some of the format 40 × 19 × 9cm, which were laid in point in time collapsed, together with the eastern for- alternating layers of headers and stretchers.69 On the tification wall.63 Through the recent examinations, outside of the wall, the remains of two small towers however, it is now clear that the sandstone cliffs and or buttresses70 can still be seen. The western one, sit- the water table of the Nile have not changed consid- uated directly to the east of the southern gate, is bet- erably since antiquity64 and therefore the city wall ter preserved and measures 2.23 × 2.34m (N–S). Of must have been situated further to the west than pre- the eastern one, only sparse remains on floor level viously assumed. Instead of an east-west extension still exist. Nevertheless, the eastern tower or buttress of 140m, as originally presumed, only about 120m can be reconstructed measuring 2.56 × 2.30m with can be accounted for.65 In the course of his examina- the distance between the two protrusions measuring tions in 2014, Erich Draganits assumed that remains 11.96m. A simple 1.68m wide gate is situated direct- of a mudbrick wall directly to the east of Temple A ly next to the western protrusion (Pl. 17.2). In a later actually belonged to the fortification wall,66 which, period it was closed off with walls on the northern however, cannot be verified at this time. In any case, and southern sides. This gate lies opposite of House the eastern enclosure wall must have been situated H5 and has no direct connection to any north-south close to the eastern side of Temple A and also the oriented street. Even though no clear evidence re- so-called governor’s palace SAF2, possibly only mains, it seems plausible that there was also a tower leaving a relatively narrow gap for a proposed wall or buttress directly to the west of the gate. The forti- street.67 fication wall in that area is badly damaged, and the The remains of the fortifications on the southern face of the wall is irregular, which could indicate side of the town can be traced to a length of 41.80m that a tower bonded to the city wall existed here. 63 Azim 1975, 94, pl. II; 122; Geus 2004, 115, fig. 89; Morris ging to the fortification were uncovered (Fig. 7). Personal 2005, 86, fig. 13; Doyen 2009, 18. communication by J. Budka. By reconstructing the wall at 64 Draganits 2014, 22; Budka 2014b, 60; Budka 2015b, 67; this location, the presumed wall street at SAF2 would be Budka 2016. about 1.05m wide. 65 Cf. Budka 2014b, 60; Budka 2016; Budka forthcoming. 68 Cf. Azim 1975, 120–121. Compared to the more or less square-shaped layout of the 69 This layering method is very common and is also attested fortified towns of Sesebi (270 × 200m) and Amara West (c. for at the Nubian forts of the Middle Kingdom. See Vogel 100 × 100m), the layout of Sai is thus surprisingly elonga- 2004, 120. ted. For a plan of Sesebi see Spence/Rose 2011, 34, fig. 1; 70 Cf. Vogel, 2004, 121–122; Vogel 2009, 177. As opposed Uphill 1988, 37, fig. 16. For an overview plan of Ama- to older reconstructions (cf. Emery/Smith/Millard 1979), ra West see Spencer/Stevens/Binder 2014, inside of the she proposes that the protrusions on the fortification walls back cover. of Buhen were not actually towers, but rather abutments 66 Draganits 2014, 22. that were about two-thirds of the height of the wall with the 67 The new excavation area SAV1 Northeast from the field purpose of distributing the load on the wall. This could also campaign 2016 could shed some light on the position of the have been the case at Sai, especially considering the small eastern enclosure wall. Here, a few bricks possibly belon- size of the abutments at roughly 2.50 × 2.50m. 26 5. Fortifications SAV1 North Nile Building A SAV1 West Temple A Western Gate H4 SAF4 SAF2 SAF5 H3 Magazines H2 H5 H1 Southern Gate 0 10 m N Fig. 7. Plan of the Pharaonic town of Sai in its topographical setting 5. Fortifications 27 SAV1 North Building A SAV1 West Temple A Eastern Gate (Water Gate)? Rue EO1 Houses Western Gate Rue NS4 SAF2 Rue EO2 H4 Rue NS1 SAF5 Magazines H3 H5 H2 H1 Rue EO3 Rue EO4 Southern Gate 0 10 m N Fig. 8. Reconstruction plan of the Pharaonic town of Sai 28 5. Fortifications On the north side of the town, remains of the en- two towers flanked the entrance, protruding out closure wall were excavated during the campaigns for a further 2.35m. On the inner (eastern) side of in the years 2008 to 2012 (Pl. 17.3).71 They can be the wall were protrusions as well, albeit smaller at traced to a length of 39.32m and show similar re- 0.60m. These structures are all documented by sin- sults as in the southern part of town, with the en- gular parts of the walls still remaining in situ, where closure wall being 4.26m thick, composed of ten mostly only a few of the mudbricks on floor level rows of mudbrick headers alternating with layers of exist. The possibility of a ditch on the western side stretchers. Bricks laid in various positions existed of the gate, as proposed by Azim,76 must remain as well. No gate was discovered in this part of the unanswered. The current state of the site allows no town wall, but a small protrusion, measuring 2.64 × interpretation of a ditch, nor has a ditch been yet 2.12m existed on the outer side, similar to the south- established at SAV1 West.77 Moreover, a wall to the ern side of the fortification. In addition, a curtain west of the city gate that Azim had interpreted as wall surrounding the original bastions is proposed a terracing wall situated on the eastern side of the as well as an enlargement of the protrusion during ditch78 seems to have been erected at a later date, Pharaonic times.72 taking the building material with a small brick for- During the recent excavations in 2014–2015, an- mat and the building technique into account.79 other part of the enclosure wall was uncovered in So far it is not known if a further gate had existed SAV1 West, on the western side of the settlement.73 somewhere along the missing parts of the enclosure This newly excavated part of the wall exactly fol- wall. Looking at the Nubian Middle Kingdom forts, lowed the presumed course of the fortification, as the main gate was always facing the desert,80 so it proposed by previous surveying,74 and in line with seems plausible to address the western gate at Sai as the remains at SAF4 further to the south. Here, the the main gate. In general, smaller and less fortified thickness of the wall was about 4.30m and the build- gates – so-called water gates – were nearer to the ing technique was identical to those of the northern water and often offered direct access to a stairway and southern parts of the enclosure wall. leading to the Nile.81 That the southern gate at Sai ac- Further to the south remains of the western city tually represented this water gate cannot be verified, gate exist, which presumably was the main gate since no walkway to the Nile has so far been discov- (Pl. 18). Even though the remains are sparse and ered. It seems plausible, however, that at least one preserved only at floor level, it is possible to recon- other gate existed at the eastern side of the enclosure struct the former layout of this gate. It was situated wall, since here the fortification is situated on the in the axis of the main east-west street Rue EO1, cliffs bordering the river. Thus, in the reconstruction which led from the gate to Temple A.75 Remains of of the town (Fig. 8) a small gate is proposed on the four stone thresholds in a row can be found here, eastern side at Temple A. In view of the possibility whereby only the two eastern ones seemed to have of a landing place for ships to the north of the temple belonged to the original city gate, the others stem site, as proposed by J. Budka and S. Neogi,82 a gate from a later period.