Regional Setting

Amarna lies in Middle Egypt, within the boundaries of the governorate of El-Minia. Foreign visitors are welcome in Middle Egypt but are nevertheless closely supervised by the Egyptian Tourist and Antiquities Police. The only available hotels are in El-Minia itself, 58 kilometres (36 miles) to the north of Amarna, along the main north-south highway. Several of these hotels are of fair standard. El-Minia also possesses a modern railway station.

The two nearest towns, across the river on the west bank, are Mallawi in the north and Deir Mawas in the south.

Four villages lies along the edge of the Amarna plain, adjacent to the river and the modern fields. They are, from north to south, Et-Till Beni Amran (or Et-Till), El-Hagg Qandil, El-Amariya and El-Hawata esh-Sharqiya (or El-Hawata).

The majority of visitors to Amarna come by road, even if they have journeyed to El-Minia by train. The last stage of the journey requires a river crossing from the west side of the Nile. There are at present two vehicle ferries, one to the village of Et-Till in the north and one to El-Hagg Qandil in the south. The first is reached from a road that leaves the main highway 5 kms south of Mallawi; the second from a turning in the centre of the town of Deir Mawas. Most tourists use the Et-Till ferry which is closer to the most visited parts of Amarna. It is also where the Tourist Police offices are located.

At the time of writing (June 2006) work had begun on a road bridge across the Nile in the area of Deir el-Bersha which will give direct road access to Amarna from the north.