Myos Hormos

Myos Hormos was an ancient Red Sea port used in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods and is identified with archaeological remains at the site known as Quseir al-Qadim on Egypt’s Red Sea coast. It served as a primary Egyptian outlet for maritime trade with the Indian Ocean.

The port was active from the late Hellenistic period through the Roman era and into the early Byzantine and early Islamic centuries, handling goods and ship traffic between Egypt and ports in Arabia, India and East Africa. Archaeological finds at the coastal site include harbour works, ceramics and imported goods that attest to long-distance exchange.

Myos Hormos played a complementary role to other Red Sea ports in controlling maritime trade routes and facilitating the transport of luxury goods such as spices, textiles and other imports.

The site lies on Egypt’s Red Sea coast in the Red Sea Governorate, at the location of historic Quseir al-Qadim, between modern Quseir and more southerly Red Sea localities.

• Trade role: The port was a principal Roman-era Red Sea outlet for sea trade with India and the wider Indian Ocean from the late Ptolemaic and Roman periods into the early Islamic era.

What to See #

• Port remains (Quseir al-Qadim): The archaeological remains associated with the port include wharf and settlement traces at the site now identified with historic Quseir al-Qadim on the Red Sea coast.