Egyptian Monuments: Palace of Amenhotep III (Malkata)

Malkata (Palace of Amenhotep III)

View of Palace of Malkata from the air.

Pharaoh Amenhotep III founded the royal city and palace complex at Malqata on the western shore of Thebes. The Theban necropolis is on the West Bank of the Nile in the Luxor area. Malqata includes many kinds of structures in the desert such as various residential palaces, a temple of Amen, a festival hall, elite villas used for the relatives of the King, apartments for attendants, and a desert altar called Kom al-Samak and at least four other palaces.

In addition, the track of a huge artificial canal and a harbor named Birket Habu is observable from continuous piles of sandy soil on the southeastern side of the Palace City. The soil removed from that harbor by the excavation was used to make a series of artificial hills along the southwestern shore. Malqata Palace is located at the south of the mortuary temple built by Ramesses III. Malqata Palace was not like smaller ceremonial palaces connected to the funerary temples of New Kingdom Kings, rather it was a residential place or actual living place even though it might not had been a yearlong residence.

Like Elizabethan rulers, Amenhotep made royal palaces spread throughout the legeance. The large palace of Malqata consists of small chapels, large audience halls, parade grounds, villas for public officials, kitchens, offices workshop and quarters for servants. The area of the Malqata palace is about 50 by 125 meters wide. Having a long and narrow hall extended along the central axis, the structure of the palace was planned roughly symmetrical. The throne room was situated at the south edge of the hall, and Pharaohs private apartments in behind.

Palace of Amenhotep III (Layout, Decorations & History)

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 by mud bricks.

The palace was built in the 14th century BC and its ancient name was Per-Hay, "House of Rejoicing". Originally the palace was known as the Palace of the Dazzling Aten. It was constructed mostly out of mud-brick, the palace was Amenhotep's residence throughout most the later part of his reign. Begun around year 11 of his reign and continued until the king moved here permanently around 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 habour or quay, now called Birket Habu.

The palace contained many audience halls, central halls, courtyards, villas and smaller palace complexes for the king's family, and apartments for cabinet members. A harbor and canal connected the palace with the Nile, allowing easy travel across river to the city of Thebes situated on the East Bank. There is little evidence of this lake today, and little but the foundations of the palace itself remain.

The King's Apartments 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 king's rooms were apartments for his daughters and son. His Great Royal Wife, Tiye, had her own smaller palace complex diagonally across from the King's. The palace grounds contained gardens, and a large pleasure lake.

Remains of a temple of Amun to the north of the palace, but still in the complex, have been found. Also, a "desert altar" on the outskirts of the ruins has been excavated. Other remains of a temple to the goddess Isis lies south of the main palace complex.

Malqata was managed by a veritable army of servants and staff. Remains of kitchens, near the king's chamber, have been found, and servant's quarters. The palace was in itself almost like a city, with officials in charge of different sections such as the gardens and the different apartments and quarters.

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 king's bedchamber. The walls were decorated with scenes of wildlife - flowers, reeds and animals in the marshes, and decorative geometric designs complete with rosettes. Ornate wood columns painted like lilies supported the ceilings. In the palace archaeologists also found some pictures of queen Tiye.

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. Malqata was most definitely Amenhotep's main residence in 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 across Egypt have been found, but none as large as Amenhotep's palace at Malqata.

Malqata was abandoned by Akhenaten, Amenhotep III's son and successor, when he moved the capital to his new city at Amarna. However, it may have been inhabited again by Tutankhamen, when the traditional religion, and capital, were restored. Tutankhamen's successor Ay probably inhabited it briefly, and King Horemheb after him, but obviously by the ascension of Ramses II, it was simply a minor residence, as the capital was moved to Pi-Ramesses in the far north.

The Pharaohs apartment consisted of a number of continuous courts, mostly with raised throne divas at the other side of the entrance. The palace was located at the southwestern corner of a huge enclosure wall, at least 100 by 200 meters. The enclosure also included storage rooms, courts, kitchens, and smaller buildings. To enter the palace, Pharaoh passed through a rampway cutting the western face of the enclosure wall via a number of off-axis hallways and large courts. From these, one could go through an antechamber that led into the long central hall.

Much of the upper part of the palace was ruined. However, a considerable amount of the original decorated elements were still preserved. A large number of fragments of the paintings on the walls and ceilings were found from each room of the Malqata palace. Among those prominent motifs painted on the fragments were spiral patterns and rosettes, even though other motifs have been rarely found. Detailed analyses of the fragments led to the identification of several other ornamental patterns. One of the most incredible motifs was a series of vultures representing the Goddess Nekbet with wings spread out, and the names and titles of Amenhotep III are depicted under the motifs. The series of vultures is surrounded by geometrical patterns on each side. The motif has been found in several rooms (Room B, G, and H), and at the Pharaohs bedchamber of the Main palace.

The ceiling painting of each room has been restored and color drawings have been made using the actual painted fragments found from the rooms as a reference. The wall paintings at Malqata are the most complete of the other remaining palaces. They are significant in determining the spatial alignment of the palace activities. The palace had been adorned with a deliberate series of wall murals, painted pavements, ceilings and inlays. The pavements included symbols of pools with swimming ducks and fish surrounded by a border of papyrus with flying birds. The throne bases had steps adorned with bound prisoners and symbols of the nine bows, the traditional enemies of Egypt, who would be under foot whenever the King ascended or descended from the throne.

The columns of the Palace were made of wood with representations of lotuses carved and painted. Also, there were flying birds painted on the ceilings. The antechamber and Pharaohs bed chamber were the rooms that had most of the ornamentations. For example, the ceiling of the antechamber was adorned with a deliberate panel of spreading spirals, buchrania and rosette. The Pharaohs bedchamber had a ceiling adorned with flying vultures and amulet signs like the antechamber. Pharaohs room was surrounded by figures of the goddess Bes.

Amenhotep III built this fabulous palace at Malqata in western Thebes for his Queen Tiye and for other members of the royal family. He retired to this palace with his wife where she supervised the affairs of state with the help of counselors and officials. Amenhotep died when she was forty-eight. Depictions of Tiy illustrate a powerful woman who had a sharp chin, deep-set eyes and a firm mouth. Tutankhamon, Pharaoh of Dynasty XVIII who was believed to be the grandson of King Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye, was born in Malqata.

There was a temple dedicated to the goddess Isis constructed during the Roman Period at the South of Malqata. Local people named the temple and its precinct Deir al-Shalwit . The excavations of Malqata-south were done from December 1971 to January 1979, and laboratory research continued three more seasons at al-Qurna village.

After nine years of excavation, portions of the site were excavated intensively in addition to the test excavations at the grid corners. Remains found by the excavations were categorized into four groups depending on their time periods: Paleolithic, Predynastic, the 18th Dynasty and the Roman-Byzantine period. Paleolithic sites are situated on the desert edge beside the Roman settlement and further into the desert. Some of the Predynastic period remains were discovered under strata in the Roman settlement area. However, there have been no remains of any structures identified up until now. Magnificent relics of the 18th Dynasty were found at a small mound called the "Kom al-Samak". Artifacts from the Roman-Byzantine period were uncovered from all over the area, which should be investigated as an assemblage consisted of a temple, a settlement and related mass graves.

J. Daressy started the partial excavation of this huge site (originally three square kilometers if Kom al-Samak is included) in 1888. After this excavation, R. de Tytus, published a personal preparatory report. Afterward, much of this site was removed between 1910 and 1920 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The University of Pennsylvania started re-excavation in 1970s. Elizabeth K. Ralph, who did magnetic survey at Malqata in 1973, revealed the usefulness of magnetometry in Egypt in her publication from University of Pennsylvania Museum. David O'Connor, Egyptian Section Curator, and Cambridge University Egyptologist Barry Kamp also did excavations at Malqata from 1971 to 1977. Since 1985, most of the rooms of the Malqata palace have been re-excavated including Pharaohs bedchamber under the direction of Dr. Yasutada Watanabe, Professor of the Department of Architecture at Waseda University (Japan).

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