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The City of the Dead, or Zawiyet el-Mayyiteen, was for me one of the greatest sights of all of Egypt. Perhaps much because of the surprise — I didn't expect it to be so enormous, nor so visually attractive. It is has been called the World's largest burial ground. I don't know whether that is true, but it must be the place with most domes. Every grave, or mausoleum, is topped by a one, all looking shaped the same way. Looking down at the burial ground in southern direction the domes seem to just go on and on, until they disappear in the haze. The City of the Dead is a short taxi ride out of Minya centre, crossing.
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The monastery on the eastern side of the Nile from Minya, and a 30 minutes drive in northern direction, is no longer inhabited. Travellers to the place in the 18th century described it as poor place where monks lived together with normal families, and where all inhabitants were naked. Today it is mainly a small church where much of the interior is cut directly into the rock. Pillars form a tiny squared court in front of the typical sacred platform where a curtain keeps the most sacred items off-hands to non-clergy. But you can see it all through the peep-hole.
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The story of the site outshines the site itself. There is really
little to see of Akhenaten's capital of the 14th century BCE (1374-1360), both due to effective
demolition of his enemies but also because large areas are still unexcavated. Of some unknown reason
or inspiration, did Akhenaten declare the worship of the formerly inferior sun-god Aten, as the only
accepted cult. Aten was declared as the only god. In cases where a new god was made the leading god,
priests would declare all other gods as his subjects. But not this time. They were declared powerless,
they were stripped of their divine powers. Akhenaten would head the first known monotheistic religion
in world history. The move to Akhetaten, "Horizon of Aten" can be explained in several ways. Most
important appears the need to distance himself from Thebes, the leading cult centre of Egypt and
also the capital for centuries. The position, in the middle of his dominion, may also have served
practical needs. The fact that at this place, the sun rises between two mountains forming a
wide "V" may also have created an idea that it was a holy place.
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Beni Hassan in itself is a modest little village, but in the
limestone cliffs over it, 39 tombs from the Middle Kingdom are located. These tombs were built
for feudal lords, and they come full with decorations in frescos. Events from their military and
political life are spread out on these frescos, in between everyday scenes. The necropolis has a
regulated entrance, but is open most of the day. The tombs are normally organised with two square
rooms in from the cliff wall, before ending in a small niche. The tombs vary in size, but lies on
a row parallel to the Nile's eastern bank.
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Tuna el-Gebel, as it is known now, was the necropolis of Khmun
(Hermopolis) for several centuries. The distance between the city and the necropolis is 5 km. The
urban history for this region goes back at least to the middle of the 2nd millennium BCE, and would
last a couple of centuries into the Common Era. The oldest monument found evidence that. It is made
up of six stelae which indicated the boundary between Hermopolis and Akhetaten (Tell el-Amarna), the
ancient capital of Akhenaten. Few people make it out here. This part of Egypt offers few amenities for
travellers, even if Minya (65 km north) has one of Egypt's best 3 star hotel deals. Getting out here
involves hiring a taxi for the day and being accompanied by a police officer. The good thing is that
you will have the place to yourself, but most visitors to Egypt will have problem putting Tuna
el-Gebel's attractions into a historical framework. The sights here are not part of the golden
ages of Egypt, and do not give light to important historical events or personalities.
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