Armana
Travel Guide to Armana
The Travel Guide to Armana highlights
the most important places to visit in this area of Egypt and its
significance to the history of Egypt together with Ancient Egyptian
facts and information about Armana. Armana was the site of a city
entirely built under the instructions of Akhenaten, the father of
Tutankhamun. The story of Armana and why the city was built plays a
fascinating part of the History of Ancient Egypt.
Places to Visit and
facts about Armana
The most famous places to visit in
Armana are as follows:
-
The Ancient City
of Akhetaten at el-Amarna
-
Akhenaten was
the Pharaoh who built the city of Akhetaten at el-Amarna
-
Akhenaten, known
as the heretic Pharaoh , was the father of Tutankhamun. One
his wives was Nefertiti
-
The Ancient City
of Akhetaten at el-Amarna is situated 250 miles north of
Luxor and 200 miles south of Cairo
Information & Facts
about the Pharaoh Akhenaten
Akhenaten was a Pharaoh of the
Eighteenth dynasty and the son of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Queen
Tiye. He was a second son and not expected to succeed to the throne but
his elder brother Thutmose died unexpectedly. Akhenaten was originally
known as Amenhotep IV meaning 'Amun is Satisfied'. This title relates to
the chief god Amun who was worshipped throughout Egypt, together with
many hundreds of other gods. The cult of Amun was based in the Ancient
Egyptian city of Karnak and was the center
of worship of Amun. Karnak is located on
the East Bank of Luxor, which was originally called Thebes.
Akhenaten and
building the city of Akhetaten at el Amarna
The Ancient Egyptians had worshipped Amun and their other animal headed
gods for nearly two thousand years. Thebes was the centre of the Amun
cult and one of its capitals. Thebes was the home of many thousands of
Ancient Egyptians. A few years into his reign Akhenaten had a religious
revelation which resulted in his belief that their was one god, the sun
god Aten, and that all the other ancient gods should be discarded. His
religious revolution forced his subjects to accept and worship the new
god Aten. The pHaroah then changed his name from
Amenhotep IV
to Akhenaten meaning the 'Effective spirit of Aten'. He wanted to severe
all ties with the old religion and therefore set about building the city
of Akhetaten (meaning the Horizon of the Aten) at Amarna.
Moving to Armana
Akhetaten believed that the location at Armana was revealed to him by
the Aten and this is confirmed in a stele, or stone monument, cut high
into the rock overlooking Armana. The inhabitants of Thebes were
eventually ordered to leave the city and their homes and move 250 miles
away to Akhetaten at el Amarna. But first the new city had to be built.
And the building at Armana had to be fast and cheap. A new building
system was designed using small pre-cut stone blocks called
talatat, all the same size and 50 cm long. These pre-cut stone blocks
and the use of mud bricks enabled the city of Akhetaten at el Amarna to
be completed in less than seven years.
The city of
Akhetaten at el Amarna
The city of Akhetaten at el Amarna included all the different types of
structures and buildings found in other Ancient Egyptian cites
including:
-
Temples
-
Palace
-
Statues
-
Tombs
-
Pylons
-
Houses
-
Roads
-
Gardens and Zoos
-
Government
Buildings
-
Military
Quarters
-
Police Barracks
-
Store houses
The city of
Akhetaten at el Amarna is now in ruins but
it is still a fascinating place
to visit.
The Destruction of
Akhetaten at el Amarna
The Ancient Egyptians hated the heretic King Akenaten and his new ideas
about religion. Following his death the city was destroyed and the
inhabitants returned to the old city at Thebes where they again
worshipped Amum and the other gods. Many of the stone blocks were
removed and re-used for new buildings in Thebes. An attempt was made to
destroy or deface all records and monuments to Akenaten as if he never
existed.
Armana
Each section of this Egyptian website addresses all topics and
provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of
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of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of Egypt, the Ancient Egyptians and of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, King Tut.
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