Aten, Archaeological site near Luxor, Egypt

Aten, called Pen-tjehen-Aten in ancient Egyptian, lies on the west bank of the Nile in the Theban Necropolis, about 5 km northwest of Luxor. Its zigzagging mudbrick walls form rectangular and curved enclosures, with some sections reduced to low stubs and others standing as solid blocks with rounded corners and small arched openings. Loose rubble and dark debris lie between the structures.

Aten was founded under Amenhotep III (1386–1353 BCE) on the west bank of the Nile near Luxor. An inscription dates activity to 1337 BCE, in Akhenaten's reign, before he moved his capital to Akhetaten. The city later passed to Tutankhaten, who became Tutankhamun, and to Ay, penultimate ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Four settlement layers show habitation into the Coptic Byzantine era, 3rd to 7th centuries CE.

The city's Egyptian name, Pen-tjehen-Aten ("The Dazzling Aten"), honours the sun god Aten; early Arabic accounts rendered it Soʿoud-Aton, "Ascent of Aten". Excavations have uncovered a bakery quarter with ovens and everyday objects, showing how bread was produced for the city's residents and workforce.

The excavated area lies about 300 m north of the mortuary temple of Ramses III, roughly 5 km northwest of Luxor, between the temples of Ramses III and Amenhotep III. Ground is flat sand and rubble between the mudbrick walls, so wear closed shoes. The northern quarters and the cemetery are located but not yet excavated, so visitors see only the southern neighbourhoods.

Archaeologists found workshops here with remains of glass beads and jewelry, indicating that craftsmen worked in this quarter. Some of these finds show colors and techniques that were no longer used in other Egyptian cities later.