Tuna Al Gebel

Top choice in Northern Nile Valley


Tuna Al Gebel was the necropolis of Hermopolis; about 5km past the village of Tuna Al Gebel you'll find the catacombs and tombs of the residents and sacred animals. The dark catacomb galleries once held many thousands of mummified ibis and baboons, both seen as the ‘living image of Thoth’. This wonderfully atmospheric subterranean cemetery is on two levels and extends for at least 3km, perhaps even all the way to Hermopolis.

There is an impressive shrine to the baboon god and a single human burial on the lowest level. You need a torch to get the most out of the galleries.

At one time Tuna Al Gebel belonged to Akhetaten, the short-lived capital of Pharaoh Akhenaten, and along the road you pass one of 14 stelae marking the boundary of the royal city. The large stone stele carries Akhenaten’s vow never to expand his city beyond this western limit of its farmlands and associated villages, nor to be buried anywhere else, although it seems he was eventually buried in the Valley of the Kings at Luxor. To the left, two damaged statues of the pharaoh and his wife Nefertiti hold offering tables; the sides are inscribed with figures of three of their daughters.

The most striking ruins at Hermopolis itself are two colossal 14th-century-BC quartzite statues of Thoth as a baboon. These supported part of Thoth’s temple, which was rebuilt throughout antiquity. A Middle Kingdom temple gateway and a pylon of Ramses II, using stone plundered from nearby Tell Al Amarna, also survive. There is also the remains of a Coptic basilica, which reused columns and even the baboon statues, though first removing their giant phalluses.

The site is several kilometres south of Hermopolis and then 5km along a road into the desert.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Northern Nile Valley attractions

1. Tomb of Petosiris

0.11 MILES

The Tomb of Petosiris, a high priest of Thoth from the late period (between the Persian and Greek conquests), is unusual because it copies the form of…

2. Tomb of Isadora

0.14 MILES

Isadora was a wealthy woman who drowned in the Nile during the rule of Antoninus Pius (AD 138–161). Her tomb has few decorations but it does contain the…

3. North Palace

13.09 MILES

An isolated building on the north of the city and once entered through a monumental gate, this domestic complex contained a central courtyard with rooms…

4. Central City

13.26 MILES

The centre of Akhetaten contained the temple complex, the Great Palace and the King's House. The temple complex contained two main buildings, a sanctuary…

5. Tomb of Meryre II (No 2)

14.36 MILES

Meryre II was scribe, steward and 'Overseer of the Royal Harem of Nefertiti'. To the left of the entrance, you will find a scene that shows Nefertiti…

6. Tomb of Meryre I (No 4)

14.36 MILES

High priest of the Aten, Meryre is shown, on the left wall of the columned chamber, being carried by his friends to receive rewards from the royal couple…

7. Tomb of Ahmose (No 3)

14.37 MILES

Ahmose, whose title was ‘True Scribe of the King, Fan-Bearer on the King’s Right Hand’, was buried in the northern cemetery. Much of his tomb decoration…

8. Tomb of Panehsy (No 6)

14.37 MILES

The tomb of Panehsy, chief servant of the Aten in Akhetaten, retains the decorated facade most others have lost. Inside, scenes of the royal family,…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "egypt/nile-valley/beni-hasan-to-tell-al-amarna/attractions/tuna-al-gebel/a/poi-sig/1426418/1330436",
      "destination": "Northern-Nile-Valley",
      "continent": "Africa",
      "country": "Egypt",
      "region": "Northern-Nile-Valley",
      "position": "superzone"
    }