This is the Nile Valley: Beni Suef to Qena chapter from Lonely Planet’s Egypt guidebook.

Archaeological sites in this now quiet region include the lavishly painted tombs at Beni Hasan to the remains of the doomed city Akhetaten, where Tutankhamun was brought up, and the pharaonic-inspired monasteries of the early Christian period.

• marvel at one of the best-preserved temple complexes in Egypt in Dendara’s magnificent Temple of Hathor
• maps
• visit the early Coptic monastery of Deir al-Muharraq to see why the Copts claim to be heirs to the ancient Egyptians
• transport
• gaze upon some of ancient Egypt’s finest temple reliefs at the Temple of Seti I in Abydos
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Beni Suef, Gebel At-Teir & Frazer Tombs, Minya, Beni Hasan, Tell Al-Amarna, Tombs Of Mir, Deir Al-Muharraq, Asyut, Sohag, Abydos and Qena.