Ancient site · Minya
Great Temple of the Aten
The main place of worship of the sun-disk Aten in Akhetaten (Amarna), built by Akhenaten just north of the city's centre.
The story
The Great Temple of the Aten was the main place of worship of the god Aten in Akhetaten (Amarna) during the reign of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten, about 1353 to 1336 BCE. Akhenaten established the cult of the sun-disk Aten and shut down traditional worship of gods such as Amun-Ra, opening a short-lived era of seeming monotheism. He built his new capital on the east bank of the Nile, and the temple stood just north of the Central City as the largest temple of the Aten. Aten temples were distinguished by open courtyards that let sunlight in from every angle, unlike the dark sanctuaries of other temples. The temples fell into ruin after the city was abandoned, and their layout is known from depictions on the walls of some tombs.
Good to know
- It was the largest temple of the Aten, built north of the Central City at Amarna.
- Aten temples had sunlit open courtyards, unlike the dark sanctuaries of other New Kingdom temples.
- The temple precinct measures about 750 x 270 m and is enclosed by a thick mud-brick wall.