Malkata (or Malqata; ),
Royal Village
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 of mud bricks.
Festivals At Malkata
As stated by Jennifer Houser Wagner, this site contained a large manmade lake expanding 2.5 km. This Lake was believed to be part of Amenhotep III sed festival ritual where in the pharoah becomes one with the God Re. Theses festivals took place during the years 30, 34, and 37. These festivals took place for months and expanded across Egypt.
Royal Palace of Amenhotep III
The royal palace was built in the 14th century BC and its ancient name was
Per-Hai, "House of Rejoicing". Originally, the palace was known as
the Palace of the Dazzling Aten. Built mostly out of mud-brick, it was Amenhotep's residence throughout most of the later part of his reign. Construction began around year 11 of his reign and continued until the king moved there permanently around his year 29. Once completed, it was the largest royal residence in Egypt.
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 harbour or quay, now called Birket Habu (Hapu's Lake). While excavating the Birket Habu Egyptologists David O'Connor and Barry Kemp discovered fragments of painted wall plaster from a palace they termed Site K. This palace had apparently been demolished when the lake was built in the last decade of Amenhotep III's reign. These fragments of painted decoration are significant as their artistic style closely resembled that of the Minoan art, similar to those found at the earlier Thutmosid palace of Tell el-Dab’a in the Delta.[Barry Kemp, “The Discovery of the Painted Plaster Fragments at Malkata,” in Κρητη-Ανγυπτος,
ed. Alexandra Karetsou, 45-46 (Athens: Kapon, 2000), 45-46.] Birket Habu was used as an important feature of Amenhotep III's heb-sed festival in year 30 of his reign; it was also used as a super highway as it was connected to the Nile. The man made harbor acted as a location for goods and transportation being brought to Malkata.
Layout of the palace
The palace contained many audience halls, central halls, courtyards, villas, smaller palace complexes for the royal family, and apartments for officials. The harbor and canal connected the palace with the
Nile, allowing easy travel across the river to the city of Thebes, which was situated on the eastern bank. There is little evidence of this lake today but the foundations of the palace itself remain.
The royal apartment featured a bedroom, a dressing room, a private audience chamber, and a harem, which, after the reign of Amenhotep III, was used simply for storage. The palace had a central courtyard, and across from the pharaoh's rooms were apartments for his daughters and son. His Great Royal Wife, Tiye, had her own smaller palace complex diagonally across from the pharaoh's. The palace grounds contained gardens and a large pleasure lake.
Remains exist of a temple of Amun to the north of the palace, within the complex. A "desert altar" on the outskirts of the ruins has also been excavated. Remains of a temple to the goddess Isis lie south of the main palace complex.
Malkata was managed by a veritable army of servants and staff. Remains of kitchens near the royal chamber have been found, as well as servant quarters. The palace resembled a complete city, with officials in charge of different sections, such as the gardens and the different apartments and quarters.
Palace decorations
Fragments of plastered wall paintings have given archaeologists a glimpse of how the palace was decorated. Various paintings of the goddess
Nekhbet made up the ceiling of the royal bedchamber. The walls, ceiling, and floors were painted with scenes of wildlife - flowers, reeds, and animals in the marshes, as well as geometric designs, complete with rosettes. Ornate wooden columns painted to resemble lilies supported the ceilings. Rare traces of original wall paintings are still visible on site, despite the badly ruined state of the mudbrick walls.
History of the palace
The palace seems to have been begun by
Amenhotep III in the early 14th century BC and the site was occupied as late as the Roman-Byzantine Period. Malkata was most definitely Amenhotep's main residence near Thebes, the capital of
ancient Egypt, and therefore, probably his main palace in all of the country. Remains of other smaller palaces in Thebes and other cities throughout Egypt have been found, but none were as large as Amenhotep's palace at Malkata.
Malkata was abandoned by Akhenaten, Amenhotep III's son and successor when he moved the capital to his new city at Amarna, perhaps in order to break the influence of the powerful priests of the Temple of Amun. However, it may have been re-inhabited by the youthful Tutankhamen, when the traditional religion and capital were restored and the priests of the temple regained their influence in the interwoven religion and government of Ancient Egypt.
Tutankhamen's successor, Ay, probably inhabited the palace briefly, and pharaoh Horemheb after him as well, but by the ascension of Ramesses II, it was simply a minor residence, as the capital was moved to Pi-Ramesses in the far north.
Excavations
The palace ruins were excavated several times: in 1888 by Daressy; by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1910–1920; by University Museum of Pennsylvania in the 1970s; and since 1985, they have been the site of excavations by the Archaeological Mission of Waseda University.
Deir el-Shelwit
Temple of Isis
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.
Roman settlement and cemetery
Excavations of the area by the Waseda team unearthed the remains of a Roman settlement and cemetery, finding remains from the times of
Trajan and
Hadrian.
Malkata today
Next to the site is a modern village. Here there is a tiny church and monastery dedicated to Saint Theodore Stratelates, also called Tawdros (or Tadros) of Shotep (AD 281-319).
See also
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Fletcher, J. Egypt's Sun King: Amenhotep III, 2000
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Uphill, Eric P.: Egyptian Towns and Cities. Shire Egyptology Series 8 (1988).
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Wegner, Jennifer Houser. "Festive Fragments." Expedition Magazine 65, no. 3 (March, 2024): -. Accessed November 14, 2024. https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/festive-fragments/
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