The Royal Wadi (known locally as
Wadi Abu Hassah el-Bahari) at
AmarnaThe site of Amarna is located on the east bank of the Nile River in the modern Egyptian province of Minya, some 58 km south of the city of al-Minya, 312 km south of the Egyptian capital Cairo and 402 km north of Luxor...
is a where the Royal Family of Amarna were to be buried. It can be thought of as being an Amarna replacement for the
Valley of the KingsThe Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the kings and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes , within the heart of the...
.
There has been a great deal of work to ease access to the
Royal TombThe Royal Tomb of Akhenaten is the burial place of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, in the Royal Wadi in Amarna.-Layout:A flight of twenty steps, with a central inclined plane leads to the door and a long straight descending corridor. Halfway down this corridor a suite of unfinished rooms...
, and to protect the tombs from damage by flash flooding. The
wadiWadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley; in some cases it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
can now be journeyed along on a metalled road, and the tomb is protected by a covering and channels to divert water away from its entrance.
The Royal Wadi (known locally as
Wadi Abu Hassah el-Bahari) at
AmarnaThe site of Amarna is located on the east bank of the Nile River in the modern Egyptian province of Minya, some 58 km south of the city of al-Minya, 312 km south of the Egyptian capital Cairo and 402 km north of Luxor...
is a where the Royal Family of Amarna were to be buried. It can be thought of as being an Amarna replacement for the
Valley of the KingsThe Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the kings and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes , within the heart of the...
.
There has been a great deal of work to ease access to the
Royal TombThe Royal Tomb of Akhenaten is the burial place of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, in the Royal Wadi in Amarna.-Layout:A flight of twenty steps, with a central inclined plane leads to the door and a long straight descending corridor. Halfway down this corridor a suite of unfinished rooms...
, and to protect the tombs from damage by flash flooding. The
wadiWadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley; in some cases it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
can now be journeyed along on a metalled road, and the tomb is protected by a covering and channels to divert water away from its entrance. The angle of the entrance and descent allows sunlight (Aten) to reach all the way down to the burial chamber, however the tomb is unfinished and had it been finished at the time, sunlight would not have been able to reach the chamber.
In the wadi itself, there are 5 tombs, the
Royal Tomb of AkhenatenThe Royal Tomb of Akhenaten is the burial place of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, in the Royal Wadi in Amarna.-Layout:A flight of twenty steps, with a central inclined plane leads to the door and a long straight descending corridor. Halfway down this corridor a suite of unfinished rooms...
, three unfinished tombs in a side wadi, and what seems to be a cache, near to the Royal Tomb.
Royal Tomb
The Royal Tomb (Tomb 26) is the only decorated tomb, and contained the burial of
AkhenatenAkhenaten was known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV . A Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, he ruled for 17 years and died in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
. It includes a suite of chambers for his daughters, his mother and probably
NefertitiNefertiti was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for changing Egypt's religion from a polytheistic religion to a henotheistic religion. They revered only one god, Aten, the sun disc...
, although she was never buried there.
Tomb 27
The next of the tombs, Tomb 27, seems to have been intended for a Royal Burial, as the doorway and entrance are of a similar size to that of the Royal Tomb. However, it was never finished and no burial material has ever been found. It may have been intended for the burial of
AkhenatenAkhenaten was known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV . A Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, he ruled for 17 years and died in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
's successor.
Tomb 28
This is the only finished tomb in the Wadi. It may have been used by a lesser wife of
AkhenatenAkhenaten was known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV . A Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, he ruled for 17 years and died in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
, maybe
KiyaKiya was a wife of Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Little is known about her, and her actions and roles are poorly documented in the historical record in contrast to Akhenaten's first royal wife, Nefertiti.- Name and titles :...
and their child Baketaten (if she was their child and not a sister of Akhenaten).
Tomb 29
This tomb was plastered, but never decorated. It consists of 4 corridors, and in plan is similar to the suite of rooms in the
Royal TombThe Royal Tomb of Akhenaten is the burial place of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, in the Royal Wadi in Amarna.-Layout:A flight of twenty steps, with a central inclined plane leads to the door and a long straight descending corridor. Halfway down this corridor a suite of unfinished rooms...
, and may have been intended for a lesser Royal Wife.
A docket found in this tomb refers to a Year 1, so the tomb must have been open in the time of
AkhenatenAkhenaten was known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV . A Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, he ruled for 17 years and died in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
's successors.