Historical Sites

Tell El-Amarna lies in Al Minya Governorate on the east bank of the Nile River. It is also called Akhetaten. It was the capital of ancient Egypt during king Akhenaten or Amenhotep IV period in the eighteenth dynasty.

The history of Tell El-Amarna city After king Amenhotep IV become the ruler in the 18^th dynasty, he believed in the god Aten (the solar disk). But the god Amun was the main god of Egypt in that time.

So king Amenhotep IV decided that:
• He changed his name to be Akhenaten, meaning effective for the god Aten.
• He transferred the ancient Egyptian capital from Thebes to a new place, where no god was worshiped before to establish his new town, Akhetaten, meaning the horizon of Aten.

When king Akhenaten constructed Akhetaten, he surrounded it with official boundary stelae to determine the borders of the city.

After king Akhenaten, this city had been deserted, and the priests of Amun reopened temples and returned the cults as old age.

• He announced the god Aten, the main god of ancient Egypt, eliminated other gods, and closed temples. Aten took the shape of the solar disk with human hands holding (Ankh) sign referring that Aten god giving life to humans.

The origin of the name of Tell El-Amarna The name Amarna comes from the Beni Amran tribe living in the area and founded a few settlements.

This site should be distinguished from Tell Amarna in Syria, a Halaf period archaeological tells.

Let’s go on a tour in Tell El-Amarna Tell Al-Amarna city contains several attractions back to the Amarna period as the royal palaces and tombs and tombs of high officials as Hoya, Ahmos, Meriri, and Maho. All of these sightseeing depict a new type of art called Amarna art.

Visit Tell El-Amarna or Akhetaten to discover this great capital and know more about king Akhenaten history with Egypt Vacation Tours day tours to Al Minya.

Beni Hassan Necropolis is an important historical site in Al Minya Governorate. It is located on the east bank of the Nile River.

The importance of Beni Hassan Necropolis in Al Minya Governorate The golden history of Beni Hassan began during the middle kingdom in ancient Egyptian civilization, as local rulers and military ‎leaders built their tombs there. It houses approx. 39 carved tombs in a limestone hill. These tombs reflect the power of the high officials at that time.

To know more about these tombs: These tombs distinguish with their decorations presenting the daily life of ancient Egyptians, especially sports as wrestling, violent warfare, and military training.

Let’s go on a tour in these tombs: 1 – Kheity tomb: Kheity was a governor of the nome during the 11th dynasty, the first intermediate period. The scenes in this tomb show the daily life activities as hunting in the deserts and soldiers playing some sports. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities launched a virtual reality tour for the Kheity tomb.

2 – Baqete III tomb: Baqete III was the father of Kheity. He was the governor of the nome during the 6th dynasty, the old kingdom. The scenes in this tomb depict the same theme of other tombs in Beni Hassan Necropolis, but the different depiction is showing Baqete III in battles taking place in the 6th ‎dynasty.

3 – Khnumhotep tomb: Khnumhotep was a governor during king Amenemhat III period in the 12th dynasty, middle kingdom. Like other tombs, this tomb has depictions of daily life activities and military training during the Middle Kingdom. Besides, it includes the biography of Khnumhotep. It is written in 222 columns.

Kindly submit the Egypt Vacation Tours day tours to enjoy discovering this unique necropolis with our experts.