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Tora, Egypt


Tora (Egyptian Arabic: طرة‎‎ Tora  IPA: [ˈtˤoɾˤɑ]) was a site in ancient Egypt, located about halfway between modern Cairo and Helwan. It was Egypt's primary quarry for limestone.

Tora was known to the ancient Egyptians as Troyu or Royu. This name was misinterpreted by Strabo to mean that it was inhabited by Trojans, thus the Hellenistic city was named Troia. This site was located at 29°51′10″N 31°20′45″E / 29.85278°N 31.34583°E / 29.85278; 31.34583, and its site is occupied by the modern town of Tora in the Cairo Governorate.

The limestone from Tura was the finest and whitest of all the Egyptian quarries, so it was used for facing stones for the richest tombs, as well as for the floors and ceilings of mastabas which were otherwise made of mudbrick. It was used during the Old Kingdom and was the source of the limestone used for the "Rhomboidal Pyramid" or Bent Pyramid of Sneferu, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the sarcophagi of many old kingdom nobles, the pyramids of the Middle Kingdom, and certain temples of the New Kingdom built by at least Ahmose I, who may have used Tura limestone to begin the temple of Ptah at Memphis and the Southern Harem of Amun at Thebes.


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