King Ahmose I: The Liberator Pharaoh and Founder of the New Kingdom

Meet King Ahmose I, the "Liberator Pharaoh" who saved Egypt from foreign occupation. This guide chronicles his dramatic military victory over the Hyksos rulers in the Delta, marking the end of the Second Intermediate Period. Discover how his reign established the 18th Dynasty, reunified the Two Lands, and laid the foundation for the unparalleled wealth and power of the New Kingdom.
The eye of Horus
WhatsApp
Email
Print

Who is King Ahmose I?

King Ahmose I was the founder of the 18th dynasty and a member of the royal line of Thebes, the son of Monarch (Seqenen Ra), and brother of the seventeenth dynasty’s last king, King (Kamis). Ben-T-Re was Ahmose’s nickname (the lord of the power of Ra). Ahmose Merit Amun and Ahmose Set Amunumen were his daughters from his marriage to his sister, Ahmose Nefertari. Si Amun, Amenhotep I, Ahmose Ankh, and Ra Mos were their sons.

Divider

Ahmose’s Most Notable Accomplishments

King Ahmose I fighting the Hyksos - Egypt Fun Tours

The Egyptian Army at that time

King Ahmose developed the Egyptian army. He was the first to use war chariots and make military weapons. These weapons included arrows with iron tips. King Ahmose marched to the Hyksos capital near the city of Zagazig. He fought the Hyksos until they fled to the northern delta. Following the departure of the Hyksos, Ahmose came to Phoenicia with his army and assaulted Nubia in order to reclaim it for the Egyptian monarchy, which reached its southern limits at the second cataract.

The internal affairs

After Ahmose’s campaigns to remove the Hyksos and secure Egypt’s borders, he focused on Egypt’s internal affairs. The Hyksos’ rule had damaged the country. Ahmose made Amon the official deity and chose Thebes as his capital. He built a memorial at Karnak Temple to honor his own memory and his mother’s efforts.

Golden Scarab

Military campaigns of King Ahmose I

King Seqenenre Taa II was the first to fight the Hyksos, but he died in battle. His son, Ahmose, continued the war at around 19 years old. Ahmose’s army cleansed Upper Egypt of the Hyksos and then drove them out of the entire country. The soldiers marched on Avaris, the Hyksos’ capital, and destroyed them there. They then pursued the Hyksos to Palestine, where they besieged the fortress of Sharuhen until they captured it. The Hyksos then vanished from history. This battle took place around 1580 BC.

The eye of Horus

Education in Egypt during the Time of King Ahmose I

Education in ancient Egypt was limited. It was mostly for the elite. Only a few people could be scribes. Scribes worked for temples, the pharaoh, and the military. The hieroglyphic system was hard to learn. This kept the scribes’ power. The first formal school was much earlier. It was started by Kheti. He was the treasurer for Mentuhotep II. Information about King Ahmose I’s reign is scarce. The details of education then are not well documented. More research is needed to learn about that time.

Divider

His Mummy and His Tomb

King Ahmose died in 1525 BC. He had a tomb at Abydos, which included a ramp temple and a funeral tomb. The remnants of a pyramid were found there in 1899. In 1902, people discovered that he also had a pyramid in Thebes, a temple for the pyramid, and another cemetery, but robbers stole from them. Gaston Maspero discovered his mummy on June 9, 1886. The mummy stood 1.63 meters tall and had a diminutive face in comparison to the height of his chest. There is no better way to experience the magic of ancient Egypt than joining an Egypt tour package and boarding a Nile river cruise to witness the glory of Egyptian civilization.

The eye of Horus
Divider

Early Layover Tour in Cairo

My husband, 2 sons – aged 9 & 11 – and I landed in Cairo at 5:15am on Saturday 12 January 2013. We had booked an early layover tour with Egypt Fun Tours after reading the great reviews in TripAdvisor. As promised he and his driver awaited us in a

More »

Cairo Day Trip

My day trip to Cairo was brilliant, and close to the best one-day experience of my life. Hani was an amazing ambassador for his city and country; his wealth of knowledge, courtesy, and good humour was awesome. The itinerary was perfect, I visited most of the famous landmarks as well

More »

Jeep Safari in the Sahara

I contacted Hani two days before I went to Egypt and asked him if it was possible to combine two of their tours as we were short on time. We had planned to stay in Cairo but with the uprising we decided it would be safed outside of the hot

More »

Great layover tour

First things first…I was in Cairo about a week before the protests of 2011 started. As far as the tour was concerned, I was very pleased. I was met at the airport by a knowledgeable guide (Sara) who spoke great English and a driver. They took me to Giza first,

More »

2 week group private tour – Egypt and Jordan

Our US-based agency takes small groups of experienced travelers to the most beautiful and exotic places in the world. In Dec ’19 – Jan ’20, we used the services of Egypt Fun Tours to plan, organize, and conduct an amazing trip to Cairo, Giza, Saqqara, Luxor, and Aswan. The New

More »
God_Anubis_Icon

Top-rated Tour Packages

God_Anubis_Icon
WhatsApp
Email
Print