Akhet - The Horizon

In the area south of the Pyramid of Unas have a great number of tombs and mastabas been found; among them the intriguing one of Niankhkmun and Khmunhotep. Before we take a look at this, let´s visit some other tombs:

The Tomb of Amen-Tefnakht
This tomb is situated inside the Unas complex, at the northern corner. It is from the 26th Dynasty, the owner was Oversser of the Lifeguards and Chief of the recruits of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt. The tomb is bult in the style of the period; a vaulted chamber with parts from the Pyramid Texts and an offering list inscribesd on the walls. There was a sarcophagus and an anthropoid inner chest fuond in the tomb.

The Tomb of Mehu
The tomb of Mehu is right north of the Mastaba of Shesheset Idut. Its owner was titled 'Chief Justice and Tjatey' and worked in the late 6th Dynasty, under Teti and Pepi I. Meh had three wifes: Ikhu, 'King´s Daughter of His Body', Nefertkawhes and Nebt. Unfortunately the tomb is no longer open for visitors, but here are some of the best reliefs to be found in the whole necropolis.

The entrance lies to the east and depicts Mehu on either side. A short corridor leads to a small room with scenes of hunting and fishing. Here are also scenes with birds in their nests, men preparing food for the birds and mending nets. The corrdor continues on towards west, here are scenes from daily life, with the preparing of food, brewing, baking, harvesting, sailing, metalworking. A doorway to the north leads into a courtyard with two columns in the western part, both show Mehu. other walls depict offering scenes and gardening. There is also a false door, dedicated to Kahotep, Mehu´s son. At the end of the corridor are scenes with fruit-picking and offerings like bulls and oryx. A short passaage leads off the corridor to a small offering room where more reliefs show even more offerings and also musicians like harpers, clappers and dancers.

This offering room opens up to two more rooms to the west and to the north. The room to the north, is a chapel for Mehu and his offerings. Here is his false door, a piece of great workmanship. It is made of limestone, painted dark red to imitate granite and the hieroglyphs are yellow. It has an unusual style of decoration in which the limestone of the stela shows through dark red paint, which was used to simulate granite, highlighting the hieroglyphic text in yellow. This results in a wonderfully detailed piece of craftsmanship. Other walls of this room are painted in greyish blue and depict many more offering scenes. The room leading to the west is a small chapel to Merireankh who was 'Supervisor of Prophets for the Pyramid of Pepi I". It is believed that this was the original owner of this tomb and that Mehy usurped it.

The tomb of Neferherenptah
Neferherenptah was "Head of the Hairdressers of the Great House" in the 5th Dynasty, and had a son named Ptahshepses who was a scribe and a judge. His tomb, from the 5th Dynasty, is not very big, only one rectangular chamber with a false door, unfinished. It is often called the 'The Bird Tomb' as there are depictions of such. It lies some distance to the west of the Mastaba of Mehu, and is accessible by a modern staircase directly below the causeway of Unas. Inside the entrance are registers with depictions of men tending cattle, milking a cow, making food and bringing wine jars as offerings to the ka of Nefernerenptah. Further in there are depictions scetched on the walls, which were meant to be cut as reliefs and painted but this never happened. Here the relifes depict birds being netted and caged, and a bird hunt, with a flock of birds rising out of a papyrus thicket, theerof the name of the tomb. Here are also men picking sycamore figs and fruit and there are scenes of gardening with onions being watered and harvested. There is also a scene of men picking and treading grapes to make wine. There are big round baskets filled with fruits and vegetables being gathered by servants, and a man carries papyrus stalks in his arms.

The tomb of Irukaptah (Khenu)
Irukaptah lived in the early 5th Dynasty and held the titles of 'Master Butcher of the Great House, King´s waeb priest'. He also had the name of Khenu. His tomb is found just on the southern side of the Unas Causeway and the entrance lies to the north. It leads to an offering hall with niches where 14 large statues are standing. There is also a false door. The last one of the statues was never finished but the other ones still carry the original color: reddish-brown skin, black short wigs commonly worn in the Old Kingdom, and yellow kilts with sahses in bright colors. Above the satues are registers with the butchering scenes for which the tomb is famous. Irukaptah is aslo seen setad in fron to offering tables with various offerings.

Further into the tomb there are scenes with Irukaptah and his family hunting fowl with throwing-sticks from a boat. Other men in boats accompany them hunting and fishing.Next, there are four registers of scenes with brightly decorated ships, probably hauling cargo, with sails that bellow in a strong wind. Behind the sails are cabins.

The tomb of Nefer
Nefer lived in the 5th Dynasty in the reign of Niuserre. His titles were 'Supervisor of Artisans' and 'Director of Choir Singers'. All his family members were also buried here. His father Kaha held the same title as he did, 'Director of Singers' and his mother Merietes was a Priestess of HetHert. It is known for its typically Old Kingdom reliefs, which still have the original colors. It´s a simple, rectangular tomb, oriented nort-south with false doors at each end and a serdab opposite the entrance. The walls haver reliefs showing people tending to the fields, handling cattle and gathering papyrus stalks.

The Mastaba of NiankhKhnum and Khnumhotep

The entrance to the mastaba of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep
Photo: www.egyptsites.co.uk

The tomb was found under the Causeway of Unas in the 1960´s, which had to be broken in order to get to the tomb. Wht was found, is one of the mmost beautiful and special tombs in the whole area. It´s construction was changed several times during its building, the eldest part being a chapel which was hewn out of the rock. After that, three rooms and a courtyard were added. Behind the entrance is a vestibule with two pillars, where the two owners and the funeral procession is depicted. Here are also the names and titles of the owners. On the east pillar is the funerary barque with a statue of Khnumhotep and on the west, same motif depicts Niankhkhnum. Here are also other scenes with the deceaseds in fron of funerary offerings, fishing, birdhunting and papyrusgathering.

A short corridor leads from the first vestibule to two rooms, the first one of them has a door opening to a courtyard and it is only this room which is decorated. The corridor shows scenes of transporting the funerary statues, the west wall shows Niankhkhnum and the eat wall is for Khnumhotep. In the first room on the west wall are scenes with the two deceased and their respective sons. ere are also secens from daily life: cooking, baking, brewing of beer based on barley. The north wall shows the two brothers with their sons watching how a boat is being built by carpenters and on the east side of the north wall we see manicurists, barbers and pedicurists busy at work.

Next is the second chamber, whose doorway is decorated with a 'rolled up mat' door-covering carved from stone. On each side of the door are Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep with their sons facing each other. This elads to a courtyard where there are scenes of hunting in the desert. The south end of this courtyard has a door leading into a second, small vestibule and then into the rock-cut part of the tomb. In the vestibule there are scenes showing Khnumhotep with his wife, Khenut, who was a 'Prophetess of HetHert, Mistress of the Sycamore'. And on the right hand side is Niankhkhnum depicted with his wife Khentkaues, who also has the title of Prophetess of HetHert. Here is also a depiction of the two deceased together with their sons. The chapel is rectangular and leads to a room for offerings. The walls have many interesting reliefs: here we can see agricultural and handicraft scenes, including rendering accounts, filling granaries, winnowing and measuring corn and flax being harvested. Here are sculptors working on an upright statue with their tools; chisel and mallet. Metal-workers work at melt metal and are fanning a furnace, using reed blow pipes. Jewelers are seen making funerary jewellery and carpenters are making funerary furniture. Here are also more depictions of the two brothers with their families fishing and tending to cattle and an unfinished false door.

Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, on a relief in the oferingroom.
Photo: www.egyptarchive.co.uk

In the offering room there are yet two false doors. On the right is Khnumhoteps and on the left is the damaged one of Niankhkhnum. The damage was dune by robbers who dug a tunnel into the tomb. It was through this tunnel that archaeologists could enter. Between the false doors are scenes on the north and south walls, which depict offerings being brought to both the owners. There are also offering lists including the offering formula: "A thousand loaves, a thousand jugs of beer, a thousand joints of meat, a thousand birds, a thousand alabaster vases, a thousand rools of cloth, a thousand vases of "merhet" oil, a thousand of every good thing every day".

All throughout the rooms of the tomb, are depictions of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep either close together or with their sons and family. All depictions are double, describing events for each of the tomb owners. This is one of the most beautiful and special of the tombs in the area.

The Mastaba of Akhethotep

The mastaba of Akhethotep is located north of the ramp of Unas, near the mastaba of Niankh-Khum and Khum-Hotep. It should not be confused with the double mastaba of Ptah-hotep and Akhet-Hotep which is located west of the step pyramid and north of the Unas´ Complex. Not much is known about this tomb but here are some scenes with dancers with arms raised over the head. It has been searched by a team from the Louvre, France. The chapel of the tomb has been moved to the Louvre, which caused the tomb to be reburied and subsequently lost. Now there´s a search for more information about the site.

Apart from these tombs, there is also a boat pit located just south of the upper part of the Unas Causeway.

Tombs on the north and west side of the Djoser Complex

The Tomb of Akhethotep and Ptahotep

The Pyramid of Teti

The Tomb of Mererukha

The Tomb of Kagemni

The Tomb of Ankhmahor

The Pyramid of Khuit

The Pyramid of Iput

The Tomb of KhentKa

Archaic Tombs, Mastaba of Tiy, Apis, Ibis galleries, Serapeum