Malkata

Malqata (alternatively Malkata ) was an ancient Egyptian palace complex, which is to locate on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes (Egypt).

The Palace of Amenhotep III.

This palace was of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. built and provided with a temple that was dedicated to his wife Tiy and the crocodile deity Sobek. The entire palace is built of mud brick. To the east of the palace, a large Zeremoniensee was located. This was connected by a system of canals to the Nile. The channels ended in a major port or wharf, known as the Birket Habu today.

There are several structures in the desert, where the palace is located. So you have been a temple to Amun, a festival hall, rooms for the elite of the empire and the relatives of the royal family, chambers for guards and an altar of Kom al - Samak was named, found.

History

The palace was built in the 14th century BC, and carried in the time in which it was inhabited, the name means " Per- Hay " what house of rejoicing. Originally the palace under the name Palace of Shining Aten was known. It was the residence of the pharaoh in his later years in government. The construction was begun in the eleventh year of the reign and was completed about eighteen years later.

Malqata was the main residence of the pharaoh Amenhotep III. , The close to the capital of the former kingdom, Thebes, was. Since no palace near and in and around Thebes was as big as this, it is suspected that he was the main palace in Egypt in ancient times.

The palace has not been inhabited for a long time: his son, Amenhotep IV ( Akhenaten ), announced the residence after he had built in honor of the god Aton, the new capital of Akhetaten in Middle Egypt. As Tutankhamun became king, returned to the old religion and moved the capital of the country to Memphis. Eje II, the penultimate pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, could have visited the palace again for a short time, as his successor, Horemheb. During the reign of Ramses II Malqata had dwindled into a small residence and the capital of the empire lay to the north.

The entire palace complex was later occupied by the Romans and then the Byzantines.

Structure

The palace included several audience halls, and central courtyards, villas, smaller complexes for the royal family and housing for the staff. A channel and port connected the palace with the Nile, which allowed easy travel to Thebes, which lay on the east bank of the river. There are several findings that support the existence of such channels and a port.

The complex, which was granted to the royal family, comprised of a bedroom, a dressing room, a space for audiences and one for the harem of the Pharaoh. However, the last room shortly after moving Amenhotep III was. converted for storage. Compared to the room for Amenhotep there were also rooms for children. The palace had a central courtyard. Tiye was a private area permitted in Malqata that lay diagonally across from the apartments of her husband.

Outside the living room there was a large garden and a lake was suitable for swimming.

Furthermore, there remains in the north of the palace, which originate from a temple of Amun. In the south of the palace, in turn, there is a temple for the deity Isis.

Malqata was passed by a large servants and a bar. Near the royal apartments are the remains of a kitchen could be found, as well as several quarters. All in all, similar to the palace due to the diversity of inhabitants and rooms of a small town.

Decoration

The paintings on the walls, archaeologists have conveyed an impression of how the palace was decorated. Several paintings of the deity Nekhbet could be found on the ceilings of the bedchambers of the rulers. Many walls were decorated with animal scenes, even floral or wetlands have been immortalized on the walls. There were wooden pillars that were also colored so that they give the impression of oversized flowers. Despite the poor preservation of the building you can still see some of these paintings.

Decoration of faience

Excavations

The remains of the palace were several times " rediscovered " in 1888 by Georges Daressy, between 1910 and 1920 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of the University of Philadelphia in 1970, and since 1985 from Waseda University. In addition, a separate altar was excavated, which was located in the outskirts of Malqata.

Malqata today

Today, near the ruins of the palace is a modern village. In addition, you can locate a small monastery and a church called St. Tawdros nearby. The modern Arabic name of the palace literally means The place to be repealed on the things.