Next to the Horus Resort, an ugly concrete fountain greets nearly non-existent travellers to Middle Egypt. Whenever we walk the streets of Minya, people wave at us, crying „Welcome to Minya“ and “How are you”. For many years, the pleasant university town of Minya in Middle Egypt has been a difficult and rare destination for independent travellers, and very few groups went there. Security measures were high since the violent clashes between government security forces and Islamists during the 1990s. Therefore, usually a police escort was required when moving around.
We find a room in a small Coptic hotel (Beach Hotel / Funduk Sharta) near the Corniche, where a policeman is always sitting in the lobby. Every time we pass him, he inquires about our sightseeing plans and means of transport. He then proceeds to make telephone calls to inform all the other security staff in Middle Egypt at the checkpoints and sightseeing spots about our coming. But otherwise he leaves us alone.
The ruins of Beni Hassan
On the first day we visit the fantastic rock tombs at Beni Hassan about 20 km south of Minya. Most of the 39 tombs belonged to governors of the Middle kingdom, and four are open to visitors. The walls are covered with scenes from everyday life, like wine-making, dancing and hunting. Not so long after the (3rd millennium BC) civil war, wrestling and martial arts training for policemen also feature extensively.
The ruins of Al Ashmunein
The next day we go by taxi to more sights in Middle Egypt: Al Ashmunein, Tuna El Gebel, and finally to the capital of Pharaoh Akhenaton and Nefertiti, Tell el Amarna. El Ashmunein (ancient Hermopolis) is a vast overgrown site with some stone pillars, capitals and relics of houses lying around. We can practically feel like the 19th century explorers stumbling through pharaonic monuments. In Tuna El Gebel – a burial site in the desert – groups of youngsters a partying in the sand dunes, taking advantage of their day off on Fridays.
The ruins of Tell el Amarna – the top sight of Middle Egypt
Getting to Tell El-Amarna proves somewhat time-consuming. Although a bridge near Mallawi has recently opened, for some reason our driver insists on the ferry. When we arrive it is already around 3 pm, and the staff, not used to having visitors at all, make it clear that they want to leave work by 4:30 pm. Escorted by yet another armed police guard we are rushed through the Northern tombs to the tomb of Akhenaton. Then – as we insist – we hurry over to the Southern tombs. And finally on the way out we are allowed just a quick look at the Small Aton Temple in the old town centre. We had known beforehand that there is not that much to see, however. But since we have the bust of Nefertiti in Berlin and have seen spectacular Amarna exhibitions there, we wanted to see Amarna itself.
The roads are very bad and every few kilometres there are bumps in the surface to slow down traffic. That’s presumably a relic from the 1990s security measures. After the 10 hour taxi ride (with sightseeing breaks) we feel really sick.
Leaving Minya the next day, we would prefer the train. The policeman in the lobby sends for a young security guy to escort us to the station. He will have to make sure we leave the region (and the responsibility of Minya police!). At 10 am, the 9:30 train has not passed yet. Indeed, it may well take another one or two hours to arrive. The security guy suggests a bus. “This one is good,” he urges us onto the next microbus. Then he stays to confirm that we buy a ticket and leave town. The bus, it turns out, is extremely slow, taking in every traffic-slowing bump, every village and every fish-vendor going to market.
How to get to the pharaonic sites in Middle Egypt
Public transport may be available to Beni Hassan, but you would definitely need a taxi to see the other sites. We paid 30 LE per hour without bargaining. The driver was not very familiar with the area, let alone the tourist sites. Nevertheless he did find his way around by asking several people. Getting to Minya from Cairo, the train is the easiest option.
A very good site on Tell-el-Amarna with detailed descriptions and background: www.amarnaproject.com
NB: We had no sponsoring for our travels to Middle Egypt and the trip to Minya and Tell el Amarna. Our visit was part of the research for our German-language guidebook about Egypt.
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We saw such a small part of Egypt when we visited but always wanted to go back and see more. More unstable spots like Middle Egypt would never have really been on our radar. But I can see why you would go through the special security process to visit. But sadly we would probably pass.
Dear Linda, you are right – Middle Egypt is not on the radar of the tourists. Although there are now some cruises that do the long nile cruise starting in Cairo and going via the archeological sites around Minya. That is a good way to organize a safe trip in Middle Egypt. Although we never felt unsafe during our multiple visits there.
Haven’t even been to Giza’s Pyramids and the Sphinx. You are so bold to go into Middle Egypt! Thanks for the peek. Interested in Nefertiti.
Egypt has been on my bucket list since I was a child. It must be amazing to stand in a tomb and imagine the real people who painted the scenes so many centuries ago. It must be like going back in a time machine.
I agree with you that there’s not much to see at the Temple of Aton, even at the ruins of Al Ashmunein. Especially after you saw the biggest and way famous tombs and ruins in Egypt. In my opinion, you must have extra time and really really into Egypt history if you want to visit Middle Egypt. However, I like hearing about the protection you got every time you left for an excursion of the day.
Dear Umiko, I guess we are very, very interested in Egyptian history. But actually the police escorts were rather anoying…
This sounds great – I would love that. I’ve been to the standard touristy spots a couple of times, hence it was more vacation than travel. Yet, we went on some tours, and I won’t forget how entire school classes were surrounding mainly my then 10-year-old daughter repeating Welcome to Egypt! We must have heard that about and hundred times in that one day; we felt truly welcomed….
Dear Renata, I am glad that you had many positive experiences in Egypt. It is a country we love and we write about. But recently I also read also a lot from people who had bad experiences in Egypt.