El Amarna

The so-called Amarna, or el-Amarna, today the city of Akhenaton (the horizon of Aten). It was created by the heretic king of Egypt, Akhenaten's religion of Aten worship the revolutionary era el-Amarna.
The ancient capital of Akhenaten is located about 365 kilometers south of Cairo on the runway between the natural steep slopes. This gap exists for the narrow, eight miles along the River Nile and the average depth of about five miles from the tour.
This is where, in about the fifth year of the reign of the king, and tells us that the revelation of the divine, Akhenaten build his capital.
History of discovery
The site was unknown for travelers coming from Europe on their behalf, which was a town called T-Back - el-Amarna. The first visitors to misread your name, what became known as Tel el-Amarna, but saying not a single or a large hill which marks the old site.
Although the John Gardner Wilkinson at the outset the investigation of the site in 1824, and soon returned with James Burton continue to examine the graves in the el-Amarna, which was at that time was not aware of the importance of it. It was during this period of time that the initial discovery of Champollion Egyptian writing, and therefore the two explorers in the early can not read the names and inscriptions were on this trip. In fact, the location was identified as a Roman Alabastronopolis alabaster quarry nearby.
Later, and to investigate Robert Hay site is not only to review all the graves open, but other compensation under the sand drifts wide. However, as was the work of Wilkinson and Burton before him, was never published. Others also in the el-Amarna, and also declined to publish their work, despite the fact that most of their efforts available in various museums today.
More details, but, given the unique decor in the tombs of Amarna, do not show many of the activities undertaken by the royal family to worship the official position often repeated in other tombs, but intimate and live as human beings to participate in local affairs journal, and scientists continued to visit site. There was also uncertainty. In fact, we understand that the representations which represent Akhenaten and Nefertiti, and these explorers was wondering if this is the home of two queens, King physical almost feminine.
Although the ability to read hieroglyphs scattered among Egyptologists in the early, and the discovery of the nature of this site is still elusive. So completely, the ancient Egyptians, and helped later by the first Christians, destroyed this place was not easy to find on the cartridge intact with the name of the king or queen that has been built. So when I found the cartridges, which were larger than those of other pharaohs, and surrounded by a double border. In addition, samples within this complex and difficult to interpret, but it is clear that the same as those that accompanied the representation of the sun god, and re-Horakhty find monuments elsewhere.
Finally, Richard Lepsius, a disciple of Champollion, and certainly Egyptologists all of his time, who arrived in el-Amarna inscriptions to register and take the role of favorite privileges and then publish their work. This work led scientists are finally making progress in understanding the city and the king, who at the outset as Khuenaten. Now, more than a century of study has given us the correct name for this king Akhenaten, and reveal many secrets that once surrounded the place.
The general area


Located on the east side of the Nile, el-Amarna, like all the other capitals in ancient Egypt, and consists of temples and public buildings and public facilities, such as grain silos and bakeries, palaces, houses of mud brick tombs, and several joint, and a number of zoos, parks and other public buildings. In fact, the scope of this city is somewhat surprising, considering it was founded in 1350 BC and abandoned about twenty years later. The city's population had been estimated that between twenty and fifty thousand people.
In the area of the city and the surrounding properties is a set of copies of decrees carved in fourteen CDs in the slopes on both sides of river. Therefore, these blocks of stones are known by Egyptologists as paths of the border. It does not cover only the city itself, but also in the areas and towns of the West Bank. The most impressive of these today is the wake of U, which measures about 7.6 meters from top to bottom, and occupies almost the entire rise from the abyss, and to the north of the Creek at the entrance to the valley of the monarchy. On the basis of this effect on both sides are the remains of a group of sculptures of the royal family.
These paths provide a vivid description to choose the King and the dedication of the site for his capital, under the instructions of his father when illuminated by the roar of a particular place in the desert at dawn.
Many of the western part of the region, including homes, ports and main palace of the king, he hid in modern culture. However, there are a large number of structures that have survived in the desert in the east, and in general more than this provision is notable institutions.
Region is divided into quarters, with the officers of the so-called "downtown" housing units of the Royal Palace and the Mayor Templo (and each furnace), and archaeologists, identified several buildings (police, taxes ...). It is here in this building, and records "of office ', in the Amarna letters found by rural women. This was the area completely exploration in Tel el-Amarna 1930s. And other residential areas, consisting of the city or the northern suburbs, or the major southern city, The people who work.
Center of the city seems to have been carefully planned, while the other residential areas, and where there is no. In these other areas, and spaces between the large houses were gradually filled with the first small groups of houses.
Downtown
There was the old road leading from the north to the city center, which had an identical way for today's modern methods. It is the city center of the scenes in the tombs of the North, notwithstanding that the design of this part of the region requires time and patience so far due to the decline. Within a generation and the era of Akhenaten, the majority of the construction materials are removed, leaving the brick now that everything has changed.
Could be that the sequence of the buildings here are well designed. Chapel in the temple and built the first real property, followed by about six to nine years on the Temenos wall of the temple and sanctuary, and to replace the old church. The palace, which started but not completed.
The main street in Street Kings is the modern name. From the south, and passes through the old city on the move in south-central city of the royal palace and official property, which is crossed by a bridge and into the plaza outside the main facade of the Templo Mayor. When I run this road West, in the wake of the priests Street south of the city, through the Office of Registration and magazines to stop at the temple.


The city was divided by two from the east and west street, which met in the way of the West. South between the king's house, and a small temple, and then recorded in the offices and staff residences in the south and up to the headquarters of the army. The second route passes to the north of the property along the south side of the magazines.
This whole neighborhood was left in the third year of the reign of Tutankhamen.
Temples
Here, the roar of the great temple, the Temple of Aten small. Temples at Amarna vary greatly, and most places of worship in ancient Egypt. Were, of course, and the Temple of solar energy, with the key elements which consists of a small obelisk on a base and the high altar. Although the sun temples were built during the Old Kingdom, the worship of Aten, which do not require equipment and architectural elements found in these old facilities, with the exception of the altar. There is no need to build ships and because of the presence of God to be protected.
However, some basic elements of the structure. These features include generally rectangular wall that is surrounded by tremenos symmetrically about the longitudinal axis and direction with the western facade. Then there are columns in the front entrance of the court with the introduction of indirect to hide inside the eyes of the uninitiated. The court also must be cut, and the altar, and the trees that wing of the input focus. Most of these properties, which had been characteristic of the Egyptian temples from antiquity, it was not easy to be absent even in the Tel el-Amarna.
The most basic elements of the Temple of Aten is the altar, which ramp or stairs leading from the west in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by a fence of Temenos. Can the altar platform from time to time be surrounded by a wall and on the front with the balcony. Can also be bounded by some stairs oriented four main points. The altar was usually surrounded by rows of tables contained in the offer. Court also housing the altar may be preceded by another court or more.