Wadi el-Hudi is a geologically rich region in the Eastern Desert, east of Aswan. From the Paleolithic period until today, people have travelled to this part of the Eastern Desert to mine precious minerals, especially amethyst and later gold. Small groups of miners and prospectors travelled to the desert mines throughout much of Egyptian history. During the Middle Kingdom especially, large scale, state-sponsored expeditions led hundreds or thousands of workers into the desert to mine for amethyst. These expeditions left dozens of archaeological settlements, camps, and mines in the desert. Expeditions of the Middle Kingdom also carved and erected over 280 inscriptions that document the large project as well as the roles of individual members of the expeditions. Evidence from Wadi el-Hudi provides extensive insights into the organization and supply of expeditions by the ancient administrations, mining, labor, and industry practices of precious mineral acquisition, daily life in a desert community, and protection and surveillance of the missions by soldiers in the desert.
Wadi el-Hudi was first recorded by Ahmed Fakhry in 1952. At that time, he recorded over 150 inscriptions and 14 archaeological sites from the region, but the majority of his work photographed the inscriptions. The first full and authoritative edition of the important inscriptions and graffiti from the Egyptian amethyst mines at Wadi ed-Hudi. All the texts are given in clear normal hieroglyphs, with full apparatus of text notes, translations and line by line commentary.