Virtual Tour: Where Is El-Amarna?

Figure 1: Map of Egypt Showing Location of Amarna (www.unites.uqam.ca/dhist/ pagesp/nakcrt1.jpg)         Figure 2: Map of Egypt Showing Location of Amarna (B. Kemp, 1989: Introductory Maps)

      To begin with, it is often helpful to get an idea of the geography involved in any given study. This tour will concentrate specifically on the Egyptian city of el-Amarna, which is the modern name for the ancient city named Akhetaten. These names will be used interchangeably in this website as they are essentially describing the ancient city whether in its heyday or in its now ruined state. Many people are familiar with the two capitals of Egypt, Memphis of Lower Egypt and Thebes of Upper Egypt. Akhetaten was founded in the fifth or sixth regnal year of the pharaoh Akhenaten, who wished to set up a new capital city in honour of the the sun god Aten. It is immediately apparent that the new city is about halfway between both Memphis and Thebes, the old religious capital. The significance is clear. Anyone who fancies themself a bit of an Egyptologist knows about the Egyptian pantheon of gods, the leader of which was Amun. Akhenaten did away with this hierarchy in favour of a new religious paradigm where the Aten or 'sun-disk' was the supreme and only god allowed to be worshipped officially. More about all of the history and religion of the period later in the tour, but there is one more point to be made concerning the location of Amarna. By founding a single city between the two previous capitals of Egypt, Akhenaten made a bold statement that he was literally replacing the old polytheistic religion with the worship of a single god.