El-Amarna
is the site of the short-lived city of
Akhetaten
(“Horizon of the
Aten”), founded by the 18th Dynasty
pharaoh Akhenaten as his new capital. The
city was central in the king’s vision
to replace the traditional state religion,
with Amu-Re as its chief god, by the cult
of the Aten, the sun disc. At el-Amarna,
Akhenaten and his wife, Nefertiti, dedicated
many temples and shrines to this god. In
addition to a number of royal palaces,
the city boasted elaborate living estates
and
villas for nobles and courtiers, and houses
for various members of society, including
houses for the workmen employed in the
construction of the monuments and tombs.
After
Akhenaten’s
death, the city was abandoned, and his
probable son, Tutankhamun, returned to
the old religion
and moved the court back to its traditional
religious capital at Thebes (modern Luxor).
Later rulers dismantled the monuments
at el-Amarna for building material
and
left the city to fall into ruin until
it was occupied again in the Coptic period.
Since
excavations began here in the late
19th century, the remains of houses,
palaces, temples and tombs have been
uncovered. Unfortunately,
many of the buildings are badly eroded
and the stone used in temples and palaces
was
removed immediately after the city
was abandoned. Consequently, only parts
of
the once grand
city can be seen by visitors today.
Most notable are the North Tombs, the
North
Palace, the Royal Tombs, the Small
Aten Temple and
the South Tombs.
The current British
archaeological mission to the site, the
Amarna Project (http://www.amarnaproject.com/),
has been working here since 1977 under
the
auspices of the Egyptian Exploration
Society.
HOURS OF
OPERATION:
Open daily, 9 AM - 5 PM
TICKET COST:
Egyptian:
2 LE
Foreign: 25 LE
LOCATION:
12 km southeast of Mallawi and 58 km south
of Al-Minya on the east bank of the Nile
DIRECTIONS:
BY
TRAIN: to Al-Minya railway station, from
there the best option is to take a taxi
to the ticket office in the village of
Et-Till at the entrance to the site
BY TAXI: ask for “Tell el-Amarna”
NOTE: Due to heightened security, private
taxis are the only reliable way to visit
this site. Local police will provide an
escort for the vehicle.
ON THE
SITE: The distances within the site are quite
large
(e.g. 3.5 km from the entrance at Et-Till
to the North Tombs and another 10 km from
there to the
Royal Tombs) so prepare for long walks and hikes up the mountain if you are
on foot. Vehicles can use the asphalted roads
that run between the monuments within
the site.
FACILITIES:
There
is a cafeteria and a gift shop next to the
ticket office as well as toilets.
A site museum is under construction and is
expected to be opened in 2009.
There is a marked visitor route of the Central
City. Guides to this route and to the tombs
can be downloaded here:
(http://www.amarnaproject.com/downloadable_resources.shtml) |