Archaeological sites of ElMinya
Archaeological sites of ElMinya
Archaeological sites of ElMinya
Tunah al-Gabal
Tunah al-Gabal is the necropolis of the city of Hermopolis, located 12 kilometers to the south-west of the remains of the city whose deity was Thoth "identified with Greek god Hermes". The location of an interesting group of tombs dating from the Ptolemaic period, it represents a genuine funerary and cultural complex. Two tombs here are clearly of considerable importance, the tomb chapel of Petosiris "literally meaning a gift of Osiris" High Priest of Thoth during the reign of Philip Arrhidaeus, Half brother of Alexander the Great and also his successor, consisting of a vestibule and an older chapel decorated with traditional Egyptian themes, and the Tomb-chapel of Isadora a young woman who lived in the second century and drowned in the Nile while attempting to reach her lover. There are also three underground burial chambers for sacred animals principally containing ibis and baboons animals sacred to Thoth, the god of Hermopolis. Another interesting monuments in this area, just a couple of kilometers from the necropolis, is a large stele, one of the boundary markers placed to indicate the extent of Akhetaten "AlAmarnah" the capital city built by the pharaoh Akhenaton.
Beni Hasan
Half way between the royal
cities of Thebes and
Memphis in Middle Egypt,
situated on the river Nile in
an area of luxuriant oases
and palm groves, Beni
Hasan is famous in
particular for the remains
of a large necropolis with
spectacular rock-cut tombs
literally excavated in a cliff
face and dating from the
11th and 12th Dynasties.
Most of these are monumental burial places of the nomarchs,
the Governors of the 16th "oryx" Nome of the Middle Kingdom,
who were, at this time, in competition with the kings.
The progressive strengthening of their power during the Middle
Kingdom was a result of the decentralization of power by which
they were also conferred the recognized right to an eternal
resting place worthy of their rank.
And indeed, the tomb chapels of Beni Hasan are really quite
exceptional, both for their extraordinary architectural structure
and the quality of the decorations painted on stucco portraying
various subjects "farming, sailing, hunting, military operations and
many arts and crafts".
There are altogether 39 rock-cut tombs in Beni Hasan "the name
is derived from an from an Arab family who controlled this reign
between the 18th and 19th centuries" some of which have a
portico in front.
To the south of the necropolis id Speos Artemidos, a rock- cut
temple built by the female king Hatshepsut to the lion goddess
Pakht, identified with the Greek goddess Artemis.
Hermopolis
On the left bank of the Nile and
known in ancient times as
Khmunu "city of The Eight
referring to the primeval Gods of
Ogdoad, a fundamental
cosmological and theological
element in Egyptian religious
thought that had many devoted
supporters among the priests of
this region" Hermopolois was
the splendid capital of the Hare
Nome of Upper Egypt,
corresponding to al-Ashmunayn
near Tell al-Amarnah.
For centuries a powerful
religious center, the city was
particularly famous for the cult
of the highly venerated Thoth,
god of health and wisdom, patron of scribes and inventor of the calendar, messenger of the
gods and therefore identified with Hermes, for whom the city
was eventually maned.
Throughout the Greek and Roman periods, the city succeeded in
maintaining its prestige intact by its dedication to another cult,
that of Hermes Trismegistos "the thrice great", master of
alchemists and initiates.
The main evidence of the city's past splendor are the remains of
the magnificent Temple of Thoth restored by Queen Hatshepsut
"1479-1457 BC", later enlarged by Ramesses II "1279-1212 BC"
and often restructured until the 4th century AD.
Two imposing baboons "animals sacred to Thoth" reconstructed
from elements of the four colossal statues erected by
Amenhotep III, still stand guard over the sacred remains and the
ruins that reveal the existence of a vast Graeco-Roman agora.
Numerous red granite columns and long arcades surround quite
a large area. Today the entire ancient city is below the level of
the water table, while the necropolis are situated outside the
residential center.
Tell al-Amarnah
Between the world of the pyramids and the world of the temples
and sanctuaries, including that of Thebes, lies geographically as
well as ideally and stylistically, the world of Akheenaton, the
"heretic king".
This brief period of just a few decades which passed so fleetingly
in the history of Egypt, was certainly the result of a
transcendental impulse that began with the sphinx, matured
with the event of Imhotep, and finally emerged in the pyramids.
This ideal of the God-man which flashed into the collective
conscience had for centuries been latent in the intuition of a few
initiates and in particular the creators of the world of the
pyramids.
Akhenaton's vision took on concrete form in the city of Akhetaten
"Horizon of Aten" in Tell al-Amarnah.
