The Nuweiba Granite Column ('Solomon's Pillar')
An unmarked column on the beach said to have been raised by Shlomo to mark the crossing
Found 1978 — Ron Wyatt (1978)
Where Nuweiba beach, Gulf of Aqaba, Sinai (Egypt)
Dates from Unknown; claim 10th century BCE · Undated granite column, likely Roman–Byzantine or later · Reign of Shlomo (Solomon) (claimed)
Now at On the beach at Nuweiba, set upright on a modern concrete pad
How The Nuweiba Granite Column ('Solomon's Pillar') was found
Wyatt reported a fallen granite column lying in the surf at Nuweiba. Egyptian authorities later set it upright on a concrete base beside the road. Wyatt further claimed to have found a matching column on the Saudi shore bearing Phoenician words including Egypt, Solomon, Edom, death, Pharaoh, Moses and Yahweh, and said the Saudis removed it; no photograph of that inscription exists.
What it is
A single red granite column drum about 3.6 m long, smooth and without any visible inscription, now standing on a concrete plinth near the shore road. Granite columns of this kind were shipped around the Red Sea in Roman and Byzantine times and appear at ports and quarries.
Why it matters for the Bible
Proponents say Shlomo (Solomon), who kept a fleet at nearby Ezion-Geber, set up twin pillars to mark the crossing point. Nothing on the Egyptian column supports this, and the inscribed Saudi twin is known only from Wyatt's own report. Scholars note that a plain column is exactly what a Roman-period anchorage or a fallen milestone would leave behind. The pillar is real; the story attached to it cannot be checked, and the key evidence (the inscription) has never been seen by anyone else.
The Hebrew word: am-MOOD
עַמּוּד
עַמּוּד is pronounced am-MOOD and means pillar, column (Strong's H5982).
People this discovery connects to
- Solomon — שְׁלֹמֹה (shloh-MOH) — peaceful
Places
- Ezion-Geber — עֶצְיוֹן גֶּבֶר (ets-YOHN GEH-ver) — backbone of a man (uncertain)
Events
Shlomo's Red Sea fleet at Ezion-Geber (context for the claim)
The Nuweiba Granite Column ('Solomon's Pillar') in Scripture
Exodus 14:21-22 The sea divided; the column is claimed as a later memorial of this event.
2 Samuel 5:14 First mention of Solomon in Scripture.
1 Kings 9:26 Shlomo's ships at Ezion-Geber on the Red Sea near Eilat; proponents use this to place him at the Gulf of Aqaba.
Questions people ask
What is The Nuweiba Granite Column ('Solomon's Pillar')?
A single red granite column drum about 3.6 m long, smooth and without any visible inscription, now standing on a concrete plinth near the shore road. Granite columns of this kind were shipped around the Red Sea in Roman and Byzantine times and appear at ports and quarries.
When was The Nuweiba Granite Column ('Solomon's Pillar') discovered?
It was found in 1978 by Ron Wyatt (1978), at Nuweiba beach, Gulf of Aqaba, Sinai.
Where is The Nuweiba Granite Column ('Solomon's Pillar') today?
On the beach at Nuweiba, set upright on a modern concrete pad.
Which Bible verses does The Nuweiba Granite Column ('Solomon's Pillar') relate to?
Exodus 14:21-22, 2 Samuel 5:14, 1 Kings 9:26.
Is The Nuweiba Granite Column ('Solomon's Pillar') authentic?
The visible column is uninscribed and undated; the inscribed partner column rests solely on Wyatt's report and has never been documented.
Related discoveries
- רֶכֶבNuweiba Crossing and the 'Chariot Wheels' ClaimCoral shapes in the Gulf of Aqaba said to be Pharaoh's drowned army
- שְׁבָאAxum Chapel of the TabletEthiopia's claim to hold the Ark of the Covenant
- דְּבַשׁTel Rehov ApiaryThe oldest industrial beehives ever found, in a 'land of honey'
- אַבְנֵי גָזִיתMegiddo Ashlar Palaces (Stratum VA–IVB)Two fine-stone palaces claimed for Solomon's district capital
- צְלָעוֹתKhirbet Qeiyafa Model ShrinesTwo miniature shrines with architecture echoing Solomon's Temple
- תְּחוּםGezer Boundary InscriptionsRock-cut markers reading 'boundary of Gezer' that identified the biblical city
Sources
- 'The Saudi Sinai: More of the Evidence' (critical review)
- Franz, 'Is Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia?' (ABR)
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