We arrived at our next destination of Tel El Amarna just before sunset. There was another boat there and instead of tieing up side by side we tucked in behind. This place is much quieter and I’m really not sure of the reasons for the swift departure of Minya other than maybe a security issue. I am told it is easier to move on to our next stop from here even though we have to double back by road to view our historical sites today. As this is a new itinerary for this boat it seems that the itinerary is a work in progress.
Today, as with most tours it was an early start, we were again on the road just after 8:00 this morning and on our way to stop number one. It was around a 40 minute drive to get to Ashmunein where we had a 45 minute walking tour around the remains of the old city which included a brief photo stop at the 2 Baboon statues.
The ruins themselves were absolutely littered with ancient pottery and we found it quite disturbing to be walking and damaging all these artifacts while in contrast with Stonehenge you can’t get within 50 feet of the stones!
From there it was a short trip to Tuna Al Gebel to see 3 tombs, one of which housed a mummified baboon. We were there maybe for an hour and a half before hitting the road to the tomb of Akhenaten.
To get to it you come off the main road and drive for about 1½ miles before going into a valley and driving a similar distance to reach the tomb entrance itself. Absolutely miles away from anything and I felt it was a very privileged opportunity we were being given. Not a big tomb but cut very deep into the rock of the valley side and it is the location for me that made the trip worthwhile.
Next and last stop were 3 of 4 Northern Tombs of the Nobles at El Amarna. All of them are situated at the top of an escarpment, we visited the best of the 3 first which belonged to Meryra who was a high priest. The tomb had lots of scenes depicting the Arten Temple and were in a very good state of preservation. A horse and chariot being one of the stand out items.
We were back to the boat at 2:10 and it was swiftly on the way to our next stop where we are due to pass through a lock some time around midnight.
After lunch it was time for some relaxation and Nile life observations up on the sun deck. All the small children come running out to wave as we pass by, I have no idea what they are shouting but they are smiling so I’m sure it’s something positive.