Al-Minya
When Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti ruled from the city of Tell al-Amarna, near the modern-day Minya, it became the capital of Egypt. Today, burial sites and museums in the area house a surprisingly large number of historically significant sculptures, monuments, and paintings from this period.
Don’t Miss
Bani Hassan
A well-preserved burial site from the Middle Kingdom containing tombs of spectacular beauty. The site also provides a beautiful vantage point overlooking the Nile and the lush farmlands. Four tombs are open for visitors, containing detailed and vibrant wall reliefs depicting wrestling matches, foreign delegations, food and drink preparations, hunting of birds and other animals, and even some rare scenes of barbers at work.
Tell al-Amarna
the remains of the city that Akhenaten built to honor the sun-disc god Aten. This site contains the ruins of palaces and temples, including the Small Temple of Aten and the outline of the Great Temple of Aten; houses; and the unique rock-cut tombs of members of Akhenaten’s court. The tombs contain scenes depicting life in the royal court, the cult of Aten, and the pharaoh’s distinctive way of representing himself and his family. This is also where the famous painted bust of Queen Nefertiti was discovered in 1912.
Tuna al-Gabal
Egypt’s largest known Graeco-Roman necropolis, dating from the Late Period to the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods. The necropolis includes animal burials from the Late Period, with many mummies of ibises and baboons representing Thot. Some of the most impressive tombs on site include the Tomb of Petosiris, priest of Thoth whose tomb displays a fusion of Greek and Egyptian art styles, and the Tomb and Chapel of Isadora, a beautiful young woman who died during the reign of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161).
Tihna al-Gabal (Fraser Tombs)
Tihna al-Gabal (Fraser Tombs), on the eastern side of the Nile, north of the city of Al-Minya. Some of the tombs belonging to the Hathor priests from the Old Kingdom, contain statues and beautifully carved inscriptions.
The Mallawi Museum houses
Houses an impressive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts from Tuna al-Gabal and Amarna.
