Maru-Aten, short for Pa-maru-en-pa-aten (The Viewing-Palace-of-the-Aten), is a palace or sun-temple located 3 km to the south of the central city area of the city of Akhetaten (today's el Amarna). It is thought to have been originally constructed for

Akhenaten Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dy ...

's queen

Kiya Kiya was one of the wives of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Little is known about her, and her actions and roles are poorly documented in the historical record, in contrast to those of Akhenaten's ‘Great royal wife’, Nefertiti. Her unusual n ...

, but on her death her name and images were altered to those of

Meritaten Meritaten, also spelled Merytaten, Meritaton or Meryetaten ( egy, mrii.t-itn) (14th century BC), was an ancient Egyptian royal woman of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Her name means "She who is beloved of Aten"; Aten being the sun-deity whom h ...

, his daughter.Aayko Eyma ed., ''A Delta-Man in Yebu'', Universal-Publishers. 2003, p.53 This site is now lost beneath modern fields, but was excavated first by Barsanti in 1896 and more fully by

Leonard Woolley Sir Charles Leonard Woolley (17 April 1880 – 20 February 1960) was a British archaeologist best known for his Excavation (archaeology), excavations at Ur in Mesopotamia. He is recognized as one of the first "modern" archaeologists who excavat ...

in 1921. The Maru-Aten consists of two adjacent enclosures, one slightly larger than the other. Both enclosures contained shallow pools and garden areas planted with trees. Some interesting features of the sunshade include:Kemp, Barry, The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and its People, Thames and Hudson, 2012 * The larger of the lakes held a long and narrow causeway with a pier. On one end was a decorated kiosk. * The north-east corner of the large enclosure shows an artificial island surrounded by water. On the island a stone platform with offering tables was erected (2 on the plan). * Behind the artificial island, a pillared structure provided shade to a collection on T-shaped water basins (number 4). The basins were surrounded by a

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...

pavement decorated with scenes from nature.

References

External links

Amarna Project page for the Maru-Aten
Buildings and structures completed in the 14th century BC 1896 archaeological discoveries Amarna Palaces in Egypt {{AncientEgypt-stub