Amarna

Amarna is the modern name for the archaeological remains of Akhetaten, the capital city established by Pharaoh Akhenaten in the mid-14th century BCE (c. 1350 BCE). The site preserves city ruins, royal tombs and rock-cut burials that document a brief, distinctive period in ancient Egyptian history.

The site contains the remains of the royal city and palace precincts, the Royal Tomb cut into the cliffs, numerous decorated tombs of officials and several inscribed boundary stelae. Much of the site is exposed on a flat desert plain and visitors move between spread-out ruins and cliff-side tombs.

Akhenaten founded the city as a center for the Aten cult and relocated the royal court there during his reign; after his death the city was abandoned and many royal structures were dismantled by later rulers. Archaeological work since the 19th century has documented palaces, administrative buildings and decorated tombs.

Amarna lies on the east bank of the Nile in Minya Governorate, between the traditional capitals of Memphis/Cairo and Thebes/Luxor, on a desert plateau overlooking the river valley.

• Founding date and fate: Founded as the capital Akhetaten by Pharaoh Akhenaten in the mid-14th century BCE, around c. 1350 BCE, and abandoned soon after his death.
• Visiting practicalities: The archaeological remains are primarily open-air ruins across a desert plateau, so visits are best in cooler months and require walking between dispersed sites.

What to See#

• City of Akhetaten: The planned city of Akhetaten encompassed palace districts, administrative buildings and residential quarters laid out on a desert plateau east of the Nile; excavation has revealed remains of houses and public structures.
• Royal Tomb: The Royal Tomb is a rock-cut complex on the cliffs above the city, intended for the burial of the royal family but left unfinished and accessible to visitors at parts of the site.
• Tombs of the Nobles: Tombs of the Nobles are a series of rock-cut burial chapels and decorated tombs clustered along the cliffs north and south of the main city area.
• Boundary Stelae: Boundary Stelae are inscribed stone markers set into the surrounding hills that record the foundation and limits of the city and royal decrees.

• Visit Amarna very early in the morning or late afternoon - the low sun makes the carved reliefs easier to read and the heat and dust are far less oppressive than at midday.
• Plan transport between the dispersed ruins in advance; the remains are scattered along the east bank of the Nile so a taxi or private driver from Minya saves wasted time between the main mounds and tomb areas.
• Hire a licensed Egyptologist/guide based in Minya or at the site - they can point out rarely explained reliefs and inscriptions that are easy to miss when you walk the open mounds on your own.