As we came back home rather late last night (or early this morning) from our Egyptian vacation, a quick iPhone Friday post. During our last day in Cairo we spent a little bit of time at the Grand Egyptian Museum, aka the GEM. At this time, the full museum is not open yet, but even so, it is a truly stunning museum.
Here’s one quick photo from the GEM…
Of course, we know this pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty for two things in particular. His establishment of a monotheistic religion of the Aten, or Sun Disk is the first. Although, he might be best known for his queen, Nefertiti, whose beauty has captured the imagination of many across the ages. Her bust can be seen in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin.
As the first establisher of monotheism, Akhenaten made many enemies among the priest class, which got him to be almost lost to history. Upon his death, his monuments were dismantled, destroyed or hidden, and polytheistic practices were restored.