King Solomon’s Mines

King’s Solomon’s Mines was the first ‘Lost World’ Adventure Novel published by H. Rider Haggard in 1885. The hero, Alan Quartermain, leads an expedition for a missing relative who has disappeared into the unexplored interior of Africa, whilst searching for the mythical King Solomon’s Mines.
The Novel became an instant bestseller in Victorian Society after describing the source of the Legendary wealth of the Biblical King Solomon as a diamond mine in Africa.

In three seasons of digs between 1938-1940, the American Archeologist Nelson Glueck excavated a site at Tell el-Kheleifeh on the Gulf of Aqaba.
He declared that that he had found the Copper Mines that were the source of Solomon’s wealth, and linked them to Ezion Geber mentioned in the Book of Kings I, 10:22.
Consequently, although The Bible makes no mentions of any Mines, the theory has become widely accepted.

Copper Mines in the Ancient World

This contains a huge copper mining site which is the most likely contender.
Petra was 30 miles (48km) to the south of these Mines and would have controlled the Copper trade.
Wadi Faynan was extensively mined throughout history, but particularly during the Roman Empire.
The area was also mined during the 10th century BCE, the same period as King Solomon, and may be the source of the vast amounts of Copper needed to build the Temple of Jerusalem.
The site covers 13 square miles, contains 200,000 tons of slag and has been mined for 6,500 years.
Wadi Faynan Roman Copper Mine Archeological Site, is located in Wadi Arabah, Jordan.
Khirbat en-Nahas, another contender, was heavily mined in the 10th century BCE, the period during which King Solomon reigned.

Located 19 miles (30km) north of Eilat, has 2,000 tons of slag and has been mined for Copper for over 6,500 years.
The so-called King Solomon’s Pillars are rock formations which stand at the end of the Timna valley, so named by the American Archeologist Nelson Glueck in 1930.
Just below the base of the Pillars was found a temple to Hathor, the Egyptian Goddess of Mining, built in the 14th century BCE.

Wadi Meghara, Wadi Nas’b

Probably always under Egyptian control until the Roman era, so not really a contender, but it is included as it is in the region.
Located in the Western Sinai, Wadi Meghara held Copper and Turquoise Mines, while the Copper was smelted in Wadi Nas’b, which holds an estimated 100,000 tons of Copper Slag.
At Serabit el Khadim there are Turquoise Mines as well as the Temple of Hathor.
Copper was mined in Sinai since the Pharaoh Khufu (2,589-2,566 BCE).
100,000 tons of Slag would have produced approximately 5,500 tons of Copper,

Troodos Mountains Copper Mines.

The Ancient world’s most productive Copper Mines.
The Skouriotissa Mines, amongst other Mines in the area, have 2,000,000 tons of slag.
The area has been mined since the early Bronze Age c.3,000 BCE.
Cyprus, also known as Alashiya, was famed in the Ancient World for its Copper.
The Amarna Letters speak of the Pharaoh‘s trade in Copper with Cyprus.
The Uluburun Shipwreck, dating from the 14th century BCE, was found in 1982 off the southern coast of Turkey, and contained 355 Ingots of Cyprus Copper, and the vessel is thought to originated in Cyprus.
The Romans extracted 250,000 tons of Copper up until the fourth century CE.

Copper Mines of Oman

These began extraction in 3,000 BCE.
The Sumerian clay tablets refer to two countries where Copper came from called Dilmun (Bahrain) and Magan, thought to be Oman.
The Sumer Civilisation received all its Copper from this area.

The Huelva region has the Rio Tinto Copper, Silver and Lead Mines.
The Rio Tinto mining complex in Huelva, Andalucia also lays claim to be the Mines of King Solomon.
The mines were worked from 1,000 BCE until the end of the Roman era after which they were closed and not reopened until 1556 CE.
Two villages nearby are named Zalamea la Real and Zalamea La Vieja (Nerva today) in an area called Cerro Salomon.
The Phoenicians traded with Spain for its metal ores as well as for its wines and olive oil.

Wadi Feynan Roman Copper Mine, Wadi Arabah, Jordan