Malkata (or Malqata) is a place located on the west bank of Thebes, Egypt, in Egypt, in the desert south of Medinet Habu. It is most famous for being the location of the palace of the king Amenhotep III. Its modern Arabic name means the place where things are picked up. Thebes For the ancient capital of Boeotia, see Thebes, Greece. ... Medinet Habu from the air Medinet-Habu is the mortuary temple of Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses III. It is located on the west bank of the River Nile at Thebes, Egypt, south of the morturary temple of Tutankhamun/Horemheb. ... nomen or birth name Nebmaatre Amenhotep III (called Nibmu(`w)areya in the Amarna letters) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty. ...

Palace of Amenhotep III

There are various structures in the desert, consisting of several residential palaces, a temple of Amun, a festival hall, elite villas, houses for the relatives of the Royal Family, apartments for attendants, and a desert altar termed the Kom al-Samak, all of which were constructed by mud bricks. Amun (also spelt Amon, Amoun, Amen, and rarely Imenand, and spelt in Greek as Ammon, and Hammon) was the name of a deity, in Egyptian mythology, who gradually rose to become one of the most important deities, before fading into obscurity. ...

Palace of Malkata from the air, looking north

Originally the palace was known as the Palace of the Dazzling Aten. and was constructed mostly out of mud-brick, the palace was Amenhotep's residence throughout most the later part of his reign. Begun around year 11 of his reign and continued until the king moved here permanently around year 29. Once completed it was the largest royal residence in Egypt. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x683, 76 KB)Palace of Malkata from the air I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x683, 76 KB)Palace of Malkata from the air I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

To the east of the palace a large ceremonial lake was dug. The palace area was connected to the Nile through a system of canals, which end in a large habour or quay, now called Birket Habu. The Nile (Arabic: ‎, translit: , Ancient Egyptian iteru) is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river on Earth, though some sources claim the Amazon in South America is longer. ...

Excavations

The palace ruins were "rediscovered" in 1888 by Daressy, then by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1910-1920, then by University Museum of Pennsylvania in the 1970s and have been the site of excavations by the Archaeological Mission of Waseda University since 1985. 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... Georges Émile Jules Daressy (19 March 1864 – 28 February 1938) was a French Egyptologist. ... The Metropolitan Museum of Art, often referred to simply as The Met, is one of the worlds largest and most important art museums. ... Waseda University ), often abbreviated to Sodai ) is the top private university in Japan, known for the liberal culture symbolized by its motto Independence of Learning. Apart from University of Tokyo, it is one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in Japan. ...

Deir el-Shelwit

Just south of the palace there is a temple devoted to Isis which was built in the Roman period. The modern name for this temple is Deir al-Shalwi. Isis is a goddess in Egyptian mythology. ...

Temple of Isis

Roman settlement and cemetery

Excavations of the area by the Waseda team in the early 1970's unearthed the remains of a Roman settlement and cemetery, finding remains from the times of Trajan and Hadrian. : Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus (September 18, 53–August 9, 117), Roman Emperor (98–117), commonly called Trajan, was the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Roman Empire. ... Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus (January 24, 76–July 10, 138), known as Hadrian in English, was Roman emperor from 117–138, and a member of the gens Aelia. ...

Malkata today

Next to the site is a modern village. Here there is a tiny church and monastery dedicated to St Tawdros.

References

• Fletcher, J. Egypt's Sun King: Amenhotep III, 2000

External links

• Malkat South excavations (Waseda University - in English)
• Malkat excavations (Waseda University - in English)