Al Minya City

Al Minya City is located on the west bank of the Nile River, in the center of the country, Also Al Minya City is the regional capital of El Minya, which was a rich cotton center in the early twentieth century. Its Arabic name is EL Minya
During the decade of the 70's, it received great international importance because a papyrus codex containing the Gnostic Gospel of Judas was found inside some caves.
Undoubtedly this city will allow you to know important sites for the history of Egypt and in a quiet way, enjoying not only the Egyptian history but also the Roman and Greek architecture as this city has much heritage of these two powers. When you travel around Egypt you will be able to compare the difference in architecture and different styles.

What is the For archaeological areas of Minya ?

Beni Hasan:

It is a small locality located 20 km to the south of El Minya and in it is a necropolis, known as the Tombs of Beni Hasan, corresponding to the New Empire (2055 to 1650 BC), and whose tombs are excavated in the rocky hills of the eastern bank of the Nile. The tombs belong to different regional governors who sought to demonstrate a certain administrative independence by being buried in their own province and in place of the royal necropolis at Saqara.

Of the 39 existing tombs, only a few are open to the public, but their vivid murals reveal many aspects of daily life in ancient Egypt. Notable in this regard is the tomb of Jnumhotep, regional governor of the 12th dynasty; as well as The Tomb of Amenemhet, which is decorated with hunting scenes in the desert, while the wall paintings in the Tomb of Jeti uncovered to archaeologists many aspects of rural life, such as wine making.

Tell el-Amarna:

This is the Arabic name for a region located on the eastern bank of the Nile River, near the city of Al Minya and famous for being the territory where the city of Akhethaton was built in the mid-fourteenth century B.C. This pharaoh ordered the construction of a new capital for his reign, as he made monotheism official as the religion of the kingdom and wanted to reinforce the new belief with this “refoundation” of the kingdom. Amarna was completed in a short period of five years, but its life was equally short, because at the death of Akhenaten, his son and successor, decided to return to the old capital in Luxor, so that the new city was practically abandoned, being used almost exclusively as a source of material for the construction of other sites.

The city, which stretched 15 kilometers from north to south and looked beautiful temples and palaces with stone facades, as most of the buildings were made with adobe to speed up construction, today is only an almost desolate stretch of land, but in which even important archaeological finds are produced.

Tell el-Amarna:

This is the Arabic name for a region located on the eastern bank of the Nile River, near the city of Al Minya and famous for being the territory where the city of Akhethaton was built in the mid-fourteenth century B.C. This pharaoh ordered the construction of a new capital for his reign, as he made monotheism official as the religion of the kingdom and wanted to reinforce the new belief with this “refoundation” of the kingdom. Amarna was completed in a short period of five years, but its life was equally short, because at the death of Akhenaten, his son and successor, decided to return to the old capital in Luxor, so that the new city was practically abandoned, being used almost exclusively as a source of material for the construction of other sites.

The city, which stretched 15 kilometers from north to south and looked beautiful temples and palaces with stone facades, as most of the buildings were made with adobe to speed up construction, today is only an almost desolate stretch of land, but in which even important archaeological finds are produced.

Tuna al Gabel:

This site also close to the city of Al Minya, is, like Beni Hasan, a necropolis where visitors can appreciate a beautiful stele dedicated to Akhenaten, in addition to admiring the catacombs where mummies of different animals such as falcons, baboons or ibis (a characteristic bird of the place) have been found. Also, you can visit the tomb of Petosiris, built in the period in which Alexander the Great conquered Egypt; and the chapel dedicated to Isadora, which contains her tomb; she lived in the second century A.D. and her tragic story was told by the tomb of Petosiris. She lived in the second century A.D. and her tragic love story gave way to a cult to her person.