My Sunrise Struggle at Amarna
Okay, so picture this. Woke up stupid early in Minya city. My hostel bed felt like concrete, honestly. Dragged myself up, chugged some strong, weird-tasting tea they call “chai,” grabbed my cheap hat and water bottle. Totally forgot sunscreen, genius move. Hired this old beater taxi, the driver smoked like a chimney and drove like he was in Mad Max. The road east out of the city? Rough doesn’t cover it. Felt like we were off-roading half the time, dust coating everything inside the car. Took ages, just staring at dry fields turning into even drier desert hills.
Finding Stuff in the Dirt
Finally bounced into this tiny village called El Till. Looked around – where are the famous ruins? Seriously? An old guy chewing on something waved us down, pointed vaguely north. Paid him a few pounds to basically look important and say “guard.” We drove another few minutes, kicked up more dust, and parked near a cluster of mudbrick houses that looked ancient themselves. Got out. Blazing hot already. Saw… basically a whole lot of sand and low dirt piles stretching forever under a huge, empty sky. Needed a guidebook just to know where to look. Started walking towards what I hoped were actually ruins and not just random dirt piles.
- The Royal Tomb Fiasco: Headed south first. Found this crumbling path cut into the limestone hills. Steep scramble, rocks sliding underfoot. Found the entrance to Akhenaten’s tomb – just a dark, nasty hole guarded by an actual rusty gate. Locked! Our “guard” shrugged, muttered about keys. Great.
- Northern Palace Drama: Trudged further north across totally exposed desert. Sun was brutal. Finally saw outlines in the dirt – low walls maybe knee-high. Had to squint and imagine hard: “Okay, this pile here must be a room… That bigger lump was probably the throne area.” Got excited finding faded painted plaster bits in the rubble – bright colours! Touched it. “Guard” cleared his throat loudly. Probably shouldn’t have touched it.
- Great Temple Grounds: Hiked towards the river side. Massive open space marked by these weird rows of low foundations – like a giant outlined in chalk dust. Stood where the main gate might have been. Imagined trying to find breadcrumbs or beer jars amongst these endless foundations. Felt totally small. And thirsty.
- Workers Village Wandering: Ended up at the Workers’ Village way up north near the cliffs. Actually the best preserved part! Saw small mudbrick houses still standing kinda tall, narrow alleyways you could walk down. Peeked into tiny rooms. Thought about families crammed in there, baking under this same sun 3000 years ago. Found loads of broken pottery chunks – literally everywhere underfoot.
Survival Tips I Learned the Hard Way
By noon I was baked like a potato. Here’s what that desert taught me:
- Water is Life: Drank my 2L bottle way before lunch. Mistake. Bring like 3L per person. No shops, no taps. Sand is thirsty work.
- Cover Everything: Sunscreen? Duh. Light, long sleeves? YES. That hat saved me. Sunglasses non-negotiable. Sandals? Bad idea – scorpions and sharp rocks. Closed-toe shoes.
- Navigation Nightmare: Google Maps? Forget it. Signal is a myth. Guidebook pages ripped out or downloaded offline crucial. Or hire a guide IN MINYA before you go – smarter than finding a random ‘guard’.
- Donkeys & Distances: Place is HUGE. Like, really huge. Walking between major areas can take 30-40 minutes each in scorching heat. Considered flagging down a donkey cart local – looked tempting.
- Cash Only & Permits: Small Egyptian pounds needed for entrance fees, random tips, buying cold water later. Rumour was you needed a permit even though nobody asked. Annoying.
- Start STUPID Early: Seriously. First light. By 10 AM the sun is trying to murder you.
- Realistic Expectations: It’s not Karnak. It’s rubble. You gotta use your imagination hard. Think ghost town outlines, not towering statues. It’s powerful, but subtle. Requires effort.
Staggered back to the taxi covered in dust, sweaty, feet sore. Chugged a cold Fanta at a shack near the car park. Best. Drink. Ever. Saw vultures circling the cliffs. Felt fitting. Amarna isn’t easy, it’s hot and huge and confusing, but standing alone in that massive desert city where Akhenaten tried to change everything… it gets under your skin. Would I do it again? Yes. But smarter. And with way more water. That cold beer back in Minya tasted like pure victory.
