Sesebi

Sesebi is a walled Egyptian town on the Nile founded in the reign of Amenhotep IV before he became Akhenaten, and it is unusual because the temple there carries decoration from that transitional period, with the king shown in the older style and evidence of the change that followed. Three sandstone columns still stand. The mud-brick town wall encloses a substantial area with housing and storage inside it. The town was probably abandoned within a generation or two of its founding, which is part of why the layout survives so clearly under the sand.

What you actually see

• The standing columns - three sandstone shafts left upright at the temple.
• The transitional decoration - carving from the reign before Akhenaten's break.
• The town wall - the mud-brick enclosure around the settlement.
• The internal layout - the housing and storage within the walls.

When to go

November to February is the cool season. March to May is extremely hot. Sand cover varies across the site.

Honest expectations

Much of the site is eroded mud brick and takes reading. There is no shade or interpretation. The track in needs a suitable vehicle.

Nearby

Soleb is north, and Delgo is nearby.