Northern Nile Valley
Dendara was an important administrative and religious centre as early as the 6th dynasty (c 2320 BC). Although built at the very end of the Pharaonic…
Must-see attractions in Northern Nile Valley
Northern Nile Valley
The first structure you’ll see at Abydos is the Great Temple of Seti I, which, after a certain amount of restoration work, is one of the most complete,…
Northern Nile Valley
The Red Monastery, 4km southeast of the White Monastery and hidden at the rear of a village, is one of the most remarkable Christian buildings in Egypt…
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Northern Nile Valley
Tuna Al Gebel was the necropolis of Hermopolis; about 5km past the village of Tuna Al Gebel you'll find the catacombs and tombs of the residents and…
Northern Nile Valley
As the main cult centre of Osiris, god of the dead, Abydos (known as Ibdju in ancient times) was the place to be buried in ancient Egypt. The tomb of Djer…
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Northern Nile Valley
Amenemhat was a 12th-dynasty governor of Oryx. His tomb is the largest and possibly the best at Beni Hasan and, like that of Khnumhotep, its impressive…
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Northern Nile Valley
The necropolis of Beni Hasan occupies a range of east-bank limestone cliffs some 20km south of Minya. Most of the superb tombs date from the 11th and 12th…
Northern Nile Valley
Deir Al Muharraq, an hour’s drive northwest of Asyut, is a place of pilgrimage, refuge and vows, where the strength of Coptic traditions can be…
Northern Nile Valley
Directly behind the Temple of Seti I, the Osireion is a weird and wonderful structure, unique in Egypt and still baffling for Egyptologists. The entire…
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Northern Nile Valley
The satellite town of Akhmim, on Sohag’s east bank, covers the ruins of the ancient Egyptian town of Ipu, itself built over an older predynastic…
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Northern Nile Valley
The clifflike Gebel At Teir (Bird Mountain) rises east of the Nile, some 93km south of Beni Suef and 20km north of Minya. The mountain takes its name from…
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Northern Nile Valley
On rocky ground above the old Nile flood level, 6km northwest of Sohag, the White Monastery was founded by St Shenouda around AD 400 and dedicated to his…
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Northern Nile Valley
The necropolis of the governors of Cusae, the Tombs of Mir, as they are commonly known (sometimes also Meir), were cut into the barren escarpment during…
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Northern Nile Valley
Akhenaten’s tomb (No 26) is in a ravine about 12km up the Royal Valley (Wadi Darb Al Malek), which divides the north and south sections of the cliffs and…
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Northern Nile Valley
You will see the ruins of Akhetaten – temples and private or administrative buildings – scattered across the plain of Tell Al Amarna, but the main sights…
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Northern Nile Valley
If the guardian allows, you can follow a cliffside track that leads southeast for about 2.5km and then some 500m into a wadi to the rock-cut temple called…
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Northern Nile Valley
The tomb of Panehsy, chief servant of the Aten in Akhetaten, retains the decorated facade most others have lost. Inside, scenes of the royal family,…
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Northern Nile Valley
The centre of Akhetaten contained the temple complex, the Great Palace and the King's House. The temple complex contained two main buildings, a sanctuary…
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Northern Nile Valley
Baqet was an 11th-dynasty governor of the Oryx nome (district). His rectangular tomb chapel has seven tomb shafts and some well-preserved wall paintings…
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Northern Nile Valley
The Tomb of Petosiris, a high priest of Thoth from the late period (between the Persian and Greek conquests), is unusual because it copies the form of…
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Northern Nile Valley
This tomb, in the southern group, is the finest at Tell Al Amarna, with the images reflecting the importance of Ay and Tiyi. Scenes include the couple…
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Northern Nile Valley
Until the Nile-side Alexan Palace, one of the city’s finest 19th-century buildings, has been renovated and reopened, the Asyut Barrage serves as the most…
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Northern Nile Valley
Northwest of Seti I’s temple, this smaller, less well-preserved, roofless structure was built by his son Ramses II (1279–1213 BC). Following the…
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Northern Nile Valley
At Dirunka, some 11km southwest of Asyut, this convent was built near a cave where the Holy Family are said to have taken refuge during their flight into…
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Northern Nile Valley
Khnumhotep was governor during the early 12th dynasty, and his detailed ‘autobiography’ is inscribed on the base of walls that contain the most detailed…
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Northern Nile Valley
Kheti, Baqet’s son, inherited the governorship of the Oryx nome from his father. His tomb chapel, with two of its original six papyrus columns intact, has…
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Northern Nile Valley
Ahmose, whose title was ‘True Scribe of the King, Fan-Bearer on the King’s Right Hand’, was buried in the northern cemetery. Much of his tomb decoration…
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Northern Nile Valley
Five kilometres south of Tihna Al Gebel, the Frazer Tombs date back to the 5th and 6th dynasties. These Old Kingdom tombs are cut into the east-bank…
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Northern Nile Valley
Huya was the steward of Akhenaten’s mother, Queen Tiye, and relief scenes to the right and left of the entrance to his tomb show Tiye dining with her son…
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Northern Nile Valley
On the east bank about 7km southeast of town, this large Muslim and Christian cemetery, called Zawiyyet Al Mayyiteen (Place of the Dead), consists of…
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Northern Nile Valley
The new Akhenaten Museum on the east bank is now complete, but no date has been set for its opening. If the Egyptian authorities can swing it, it will be…
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Northern Nile Valley
High priest of the Aten, Meryre is shown, on the left wall of the columned chamber, being carried by his friends to receive rewards from the royal couple…
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Northern Nile Valley
Next to the governorate building and behind the zoo, this museum is Beni Suef’s main attraction. There is a small but worthwhile collection of objects…
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Northern Nile Valley
Penthu, the royal physician and 'First under the King', was buried in a simple tomb. The left-hand wall of the corridor is decorated with images of the…
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Northern Nile Valley
Isadora was a wealthy woman who drowned in the Nile during the rule of Antoninus Pius (AD 138–161). Her tomb has few decorations but it does contain the…
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Northern Nile Valley
This is one of the best preserved southern tombs. The paintings show interesting details of Mahu’s duties as Akhenaten’s chief of police, including taking…
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Northern Nile Valley
An isolated building on the north of the city and once entered through a monumental gate, this domestic complex contained a central courtyard with rooms…
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Northern Nile Valley
Meryre II was scribe, steward and 'Overseer of the Royal Harem of Nefertiti'. To the left of the entrance, you will find a scene that shows Nefertiti…
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Northern Nile Valley
Banana Island, to the north of town, is a shady, pleasant place to picnic. You’ll have to bargain with a felucca captain for the ride: expect to pay at…
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Northern Nile Valley
The recently renovated Sohag National Museum displays local antiquities, including those from ongoing excavations of the temple of Ramses II in Akhmim.
