[5] The limestone from the quarry is thought to be part of the Mokattam Formation, which was deposited during the late Lutetian stage of the Eocene epoch, about 42 million years.

[6][7][8] 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,[9] as well as for the floors and ceilings of mastabas, which were otherwise made of mudbrick.

[4] These tunnels were surveyed by British Forces in 1941, and in quarry 35, workmen found many loose quires from books by Origen and Didymus the Blind, two Alexandrian Church Fathers.

[16] The caves were adapted by British forces during World War II initially used to store a variety of equipment, including munitions.

[17] In 1942 it was decided they would serve better as a bomb-proof location for the repair of aircraft engines by the Royal Air Force, and it was the engine repair section under 111 Maintenance Unit that was inspected on 22 August 1942 by Winston Churchill who recorded that "Everything looked very smart and efficient on the spot, and an immense amount of work was being done day and night by masses of skilled men.