Amarna
The ruins of Akhetaten, the capital built by the pharaoh Akhenaten from 1346 BC for his worship of the sun disc Aten. It was abandoned soon after his death, and its rock-cut tombs and city outlines lie on a wide desert plain by the Nile.
- Where
- Mallawi, Minya, Egypt
- Grade
- Well known
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 1 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 27.6617, 30.9056
Get the Amarna stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Amarna. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Minya volume with your photos and a note.
Near Amarna
Wadi El Rayan 175 km
A nature protectorate in the Faiyum desert, known for two lakes joined by low waterfalls, a rare sight in Egypt. Around them lie sand dunes, springs and wide desert, under the care of the Ministry of Environment.
Abydos 192 km
One of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt and the sacred centre of the god Osiris, some 11 kilometres west of the Nile. The Temple of Seti I here has some of the finest reliefs in Egypt and a list of the kings who came before him.
Wadi Al-Hitan 198 km
A desert valley about 150 kilometres south-west of Cairo, listed by UNESCO in 2005 for its hundreds of fossils of the earliest whales. The skeletons, some with small hind legs, show how whales moved from land to sea.
Monastery of Saint Anthony 199 km
A Coptic Orthodox monastery in an oasis of the Eastern Desert, below the cliffs where Saint Anthony, father of Christian monasticism, lived as a hermit. It is one of the oldest monasteries in the world, and its church holds layered medieval wall paintings.
Faiyum Oasis 202 km
A broad basin in the desert just west of the Nile, about 100 kilometres south of Cairo, green with fields watered by the Bahr Yussef channel. Around its farms lie salt lakes, ancient pyramids and the old waterwheels of Faiyum town.
Lake Qarun 203 km
A salt lake in the Faiyum, all that remains of ancient Lake Moeris, which once filled much of the basin and was fed by the Nile. Today its shores are lined with reeds and birds, with the desert rising on the far side.
Monastery of Saint Paul 208 km
A Coptic Orthodox monastery in the Eastern Desert near the Red Sea mountains, built around the cave where Saint Paul the Anchorite lived. It is also called the Monastery of the Tigers, and lies about 405 kilometres south-east of Cairo.
Bahariya Oasis 215 km
An oval valley in the Western Desert about 370 kilometres from Cairo, 94 kilometres long, with springs, palm groves and the town of Bawiti. It is known for the Valley of the Golden Mummies and as the gateway to the Black and White Deserts.
Questions
Where is Amarna?
Amarna is in Mallawi, Minya, Egypt. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Wadi El Rayan (175 km), Abydos (192 km), Wadi Al-Hitan (198 km).
How do I get the Amarna stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Amarna and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Minya volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Amarna before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Minya volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.