Did you know that during the reign of the pharaoh Amenhotep III., which lasted almost 40 years, Egypt had reached a golden age of its existence? That is one of the main reasons why he was able to build the foundations of the city called the Dazzling Aten (Pen-tjehen Aten), now located between mortuary temples of Ramses III. and Amenhotep III. The city was also used during the reign of pharaohs Ay and the famous Tutankhamun, being abandoned in the later years. Thanks to the thick layer of sands, it was left undisturbed until today.
Called the second most important find of the century since the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, it is the largest ancient city excavated in Egypt. The dig started in September of last year and just after a few weeks of excavations, the first zigzagged walls were discovered. Since then, archaeologists have uncovered several neighbourhoods, including administrative, residential districts and shops, namely a bakery.
The found was announced by Egyptologist Zahi Hawass on 8th April this year. Since then, some of the founds have been made public. Those include a jewellery, coloured pottery and scarab beetle amulets alongside mud bricks with seals of Amenhotep III. But considering the fact that the team has also found a rock-cut stairs into presumably the tombs, the list is far from over.
Egypt has been dealt a heavy blow by the Arab Spring in 2011 but it has made an enormous effort to appeal to the tourists. From the lavish Pharaohs‘ Golden Parade realized for the moving of 22 mummies of ancient kings and queens, including Amenhotep III., to the long-awaited opening of the Great Egyptian Museum, the Egyptian government has managed to capture the sights of avid historians and lovers of all ancient from around the world. And with bated breath will we certainly pay close attention to future finds, because Egypt has proven to still be relevant and full of surprises.