Tomb of Sennutem Plan - Tombs of the Nobles - Luxor, Egypt. Part XVII

Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.

This is the tomb of the Servant in the Place of Truth in the early Ramesside period. The mural decoration, which had not yet developed that stiffness that characterized the later Ramesside period, is in extremely good condition and the low curved roof is used to continue the themes of the side walls.
A narrow flight of stairs, followed by a curved flight, leads to this entrance of the tomb. On the wall opposite the doorway (from left to right) are: (a) Anubis embalming the mummy of the deceased, (b) Osiris before an offering table flanked by two Horus eyes, (c) offerings and perfumes and (d) the deceased being led by Anubis.
On the right-hand wall (c) is an agricultural scene with ripe wheat fields, fruits and flowers. In the lower row are ploughing scenes. On the opposite wall (f) is a delightful representation of Sennutem the deceased nobleman and his wife, whose transparent dress reveals slender limbs.
On the roof are scenes of the opening of the door of the tomb, the journey to the underworld and chapters from the Book of the Dead, as well as the tree of life and the sacred spotted Apis bull.
On the left-hand side of the doorway (g) is a scene showing the mummy of the deceased in the tomb with Nephthys and Isis in the form of birds and (lower row) the wife and daughter of the deceased.
On the right-hand wall (h) are evil spirits and (lower row) the deceased and his family.
In this tomb one feels an intense intimacy with the deceased as he was during his life and as he carried his treasures and pleasures to his grave. Perhaps it is the fine condition of the murals that helps to create this feeling. Perhaps, and more likely, it is the very smallness of the tomb itself.

Tomb of Kheruef Plan - Tombs of the Nobles - Luxor, Egypt. Part XVI

Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.
Kheruef was steward to the Great Royal Wife Queen Tiy at the crucial period of the 18th Dynasty just before Amon was dethroned by Akhenaten, The tomb was never completed but the murals are carved in exquisite high relief.
The outer courtyard contains various other tombs and a wall has been constructed to preserve the reliefs of Kheruef. On the left-hand wall are delightful scenes from the Sed festival, the 30-year Jubilee of the Pharaoh. Amenhotep III and Queen Tiy are seated with Hathor behind them (a) watching a processional dance in their honour. Further along the wall (b) they leave the palace with eight slim princesses walking in pairs and bearing jars of sacred water.

At (c) delightful carvings of the ceremonial dance suggest a ritual of rebirth of life on the earth and include a jumping bird, a flying bird and a monkey. In the lower row are musicians with flutes and drums. Towards the end of the wall (d) is a sketch of the high priest and the text describes the celebration. The right-hand section of the wall is somewhat damaged. At (c) Amenhotep III is portrayed with his sixteen princes. With Queen Tiy he watches the erection of a column symbolizing the god Osiris (f). At (g) the Pharaoh and Queen Tiy are shown with the deceased nobleman behind them. Beneath the trio are the conquered cities.
The other nobleman of this era, when the royal capital was being shifted to Tel el Amarna, was Ramose. But while Ramose followed his master to the new capital, Kheruef remained in Thebes with the royal mother.

Tomb of Menkheperrasonb Plan - Tombs of the Nobles - Luxor, Egypt. Part XV

This tomb was never completed (this plan came out in the 1960's update if you have any information). Only the regular traverse chamber was constructed and this has two small chambers projecting from the rear walls on either side. It belonged to the first prophet of Amon in the reign of Thutrnose III , who was another of those masters-of-all in ancient Egypt who could as readily turn their hands to agriculture as to raising an obelisk.

Towards the end of the right-hand entrance wall (a) craftsmen are at work on weapons, vases, etc. while gold for the inlay is being weighed out (upper reaches). The inscription records for posterity the fact that the illustrious Pharaoh Thutmose III actually designed some of the vessels himself, thus creating a precedent followed by several monarchs and statesmen!

On the right-hand rear wall (b) foreign envoys bring gifts ranging from gold and silver in laid vases to diverse weapons, battle dress and horses. The blacks wear loin cloths, the Syrians their traditional braided robes. Having extended his empire Thutmose III was thus recorded as having homage paid him by the chieftains of

Kheftiu, the Hittites, Tunip and Kadesh The left-hand entrance wall (c) has harvest scenes.

Tomb of Haremhab (Royal Scribe) Plan Nobles' Tomb - Luxor, Egypt. Part XIII

Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt

Not to be confused with Tomb of Haremhab at the Valley of the Kings.

This nobleman was royal scribe, scribe of recruits and the official in charge of revenue in the reigns of Thutmose III, Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III.

His tomb comprises a traverse hall and a single long corridor. On the left-hand entrance wall (a) the much damaged figures of Harmhab and his wife are being offered bowls by servants as female musicians play to them. On the left-hand rear wall (b) the deceased (obliterated) presents to the Pharaoh the contributions of

the peasants. Above this scene are scribes registering the peasants who are arranged in groups headed by standard bearers. On the right-hand rear wall (c) foreign tributes are brought in by plumed Asiatics. Note that a group of black people from the Sudan are women (upper row) who carry their babies in the well-known African way, tied to their backs. On the lower wall is a cheerful scene of blacks dancing to a drum beat. On the right-hand entrance wall (d) is the familiar funerary feast with dancing and music.

The left-hand wall of the inner corridor (e) has the traditional funerary scenes. On the right-hand wall (f) is a much damaged fishing and fowling scene.

The photo up there

Tomb of Intefoqer - Antefoker Plan - Nobles' Tombs Luxor Egypt- Part XII

Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt
This is a regular 12th Dynasty tomb comprising a long entrance corridor before the main chamber. It belongs to the governor and vizier under Sesostris I and is one of the oldest tombs in this group. It is situated high on the mountain and commands a good view of the Nile Valley.
In contrast with the 18th Dynasty murals, these paintings are somewhat crude and carried out on rough plaster. They are nevertheless quaint and informative. On the right-hand wall of the main chamber (a) is a hunting scene with the deceased shooting game in an enclosure. The gazelles, hares, etc. are being chased by
dogs. Birds are being netted and fish are being hauled in from a square pond of water. Just beyond the center of the wall (b) is a series of cooking scenes and still further along (c) is are presentation of Antefoker and his wife.

Towards the center of the left-hand wall (d) is a fascinating representation of a funerary dance. It takes place before the deceased is brought to the tomb. The male performers have unusual reed crowns. They chant "O Hathor - a newcomer" and "She has inclined her head" the second chant indicating approval by the goddess of
the deceased's entry to the underworld.
The inner chamber has a deep niche at the end, designed to hold Antefoker's statue (which has now been reconstructed). The burial shaft extends off this chamber. On the right-hand entrance wall (e) are musicians, both male and female. The offerings to the gods of the underworld are near the center of the right-hand wall (f).

Tomb of Menna Plan - Nobles Tombs- Egypt, Luxor - Part XI

Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.

This famous tomb of the scribe of the fields under Thutmose IV has some of the most beautiful representations to be found of harvests, feasts and hobbies. It is a fine tomb and the colors are brilliant, particularly on the ceiling of the inner chamber.

On the left-hand entrance wall (a) Menna can be seen before a table of offerings and further along the wall (b) are agricultural scenes with step-by-step portrayals of the grain being measured, recorded, winnowed and trodden. The ploughing and sowing is followed by reaping and, as in so many tombs, the artist has managed to add a human touch; in th is case a young girl removing a thorn from a friend's foot (bottom row) and two girls quarreling (immediately above). At (c) Menna stands before a ship coming in to dock with a cargo of stores.

On the left-hand wall of the rear corridor (d) are funerary scenes of the voyage to Abydos in fine detail and brilliant colour. Menna's heart is weighed before Osiris (the tongue of the balance has been destroyed). On the right-hand wall (e) is the famous fishing and fowling scene among the papyrus thickets. The deceased nobleman is enjoying his favorite pastime. Colored fowl rise from the rushes. Crocodile, duck and assorted fish can be seen in the water. Menna's little daughter kneels to pluck a lotus flower from the rushes. The mural is a magnificent example of the importance laid on depicting good things for the hereafter. It is spoiled only by the fact that Menna's face has been carefully hacked out of the wall.

The murals of the nobles' tombs have passed through three major eras of destruction. In very early times, when ancient tomb-robbers extracted the valuable funerary equipment, the enemies of the deceased also entered the chambers to destroy some of the happy representations that the deceased wanted to repeat in the hereafter. What other reason could there be for the severing of a boomerang, the destruction of a water-jar or the blinding of the eyes?

In the Christian era when many of the tombs were used as hideouts, some of the monks carefully plastered over the wall drawings and thus preserved them for us in excellent condition, so it wouldn't distract them when they pray, while others scraped the distracting representations completely off the walls. At the turn of the 20th century, before proper security measures were enforced on the necropolis, antiquity dealers removed whole sections of the invaluable murals and some of the most beautiful scenes may, consequently, be seen today in many of the museums of the world.

To the right of the fishing scene (f) is a ship (top row) from which one of the sailors leans over the side to fill a bowl of water from the river.

On the right-hand entrance wall (g) it can be seen that Menna usurped this tomb. Where his stucco has fallen off, the paintings of the original owner can be seen beneath. Perhaps it was the descendants of that owner who destroyed Menna's face as an act of vengeance.

Tomb of Sennefer Plan - Nobles Tombs - Luxor, Egypt- Part X

Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.
Sennofer or Sennefer, Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.
In this delightful tomb the boxed-in effect has been broken. The 'oriental tent' atmosphere of most tombs is missing because the entire ceiling has been painted with a creeping vine. Interesting use has been made of the rough surfaces of the rock to make the grapes and vine-tendrils more realistic, and the experiment has succeeded.

Both the first small chamber and the main hall, which is supported by four pillars, have been decorated in this manner.

Sennofer (Sennefer) was the overseer of the gardens of Amon under Amenhotep II. His tomb,which was excavated only in the 20th century, was found to have mostly religious inscriptions but the condition of the frescoes is almost perfect and their freshness and

A steep flight of stairs takes us down to the first chamber, and the first representations we meet on the left-hand wall (a) show Sennefer being brought offerings from his daughter and ten priests. Circling the chamber clockwise we see on the two rear walls (b) and (c) drawings of the deceased with his wife worshiping Osiris who is represented above the doorway of the main chamber. On the right-hand wall (d) the deceased is seen entering and leaving his tomb while servants bring sacred offerings and his daughter stands behind him.

Above the doorway of the main chamber lie two representations of Anubis. Touring the chamber clockwise we come first to a scene of the deceased and his wife emerging from the tomb (c), and further along seated on a bench. On the left-hand wall at (f) are servants bringing furniture to the tomb and setting up two obelisks before the shrine. At (g) are funerary ceremonies and the nobleman himself (to the left) looks on. On the rear wall (h) the deceased and his wife are at a table of offerings while priests offer sacrifices to the dead. Further to the right (i) are scenes of the voyage to Abydos, statues of the deceased and his wife in a shrine in a boat being towed by another boat. Thus the deceased nobleman satisfied himself of favor with Osiris by showing that he had the intention of performing the sacred pilgrimage.

One of the most beautiful representations is that of the deceased and his wife in an arbour (j) praying to Osiris and Anubis. At (k) a priest clad in a leopard skin purifies them with holy water and at (l) is the scene before a table of offerings where Sennefer puts a lotus blossom to his nostrils and his wife tenderly holds his leg.

The pillars have representations of Sennefer and his wife. Perhaps the most attractive is to be found on the left-hand pillar at (m).

Luxor, Egypt

Tomb of Amenemheb Plan - Nobles Tombs - Luxor, Egypt. Part IX

Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.

This tomb has a line of pillars in the first chamber and side chambers leading off the main corridor directly behind it. It is important historically because Amenemheb was the military commander of Thutmose III, and not only does his tomb record his part in the Pharaoh's important Asiatic campaigns, but it gives exact information of the length of his reign and those of his predecessors.

Amenemheb is recorded as having accomplished two feats of unusual daring. One was during the battle of Kadesh on the Orontes when, just before the clash of arms as the opposing armies were poised and ready, the prince of Kadesh released  a mare who galloped straight for the battle lines of the Egyptian army. The plan was to break up the rank sand confuse the soldiers but Commander Amenemheb, ever on the alert, reportedly leapt from his chariot, pursued the mare, caught it and promptly slew it.

The second experience took place on the return march from Asia Minor when near the Euphrates the Pharaoh was suddenly in danger of being run down by a herd of wild elephants. Amenemheb not only managed to divert the danger and save his master from a nasty fate but apparently struck off the trunk of the leader of the herd while balancing precariously between two rocks!

Naturally such a brave and dutiful warrior should be justly rewarded by his Pharaoh for his bravery and such noble s as Amenemheb received part of the booty, decorations, and in special cases even land in recognition of their services.

Three walls in this tomb are especially note worthy. The first is in the main chamber (1) on the rear right-hand wall (a) . This is the record of Thutmose III's Asiatic campaigns, his length of reign, etc., as well as a record of Amenemheb's military honors. Near the bottom of the wall Syrians bring tribute. They wear white garments with colored braiding and there are talkative children among them.

In the chamber leading off the corridor to the right (2) is a scene on the left-hand wall (b) of a feast in progress with abundant food and drink. Servants bring bunches of flowers. The guests, relaxing in comfortable chairs or squatting on stools, are offered refreshments and the ladies in the second row all hold lotus flowers in their hands, while around their necks and in their hair they have blossoms. Attendants hold staffs wreathed and crowned with flowers. Lower on the wall are harp, flute and lute-players. It is a cheerful and lively representation.

In the rear corridor on the left-hand wall (c) is the private garden of Commander Amenemheb. Fish swim in a pool surrounded by plants. The deceased and his wife are presented with flowers.

The funerary scenes are found in the left-hand chamber (3) which leads off the rear corridor.

Tomb of Emunzeh Plan - Nobles Tombs - Luxor, Egypt Part VIII

Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.

This is the tomb of the super intendant of granaries under Thutmose III and Amenhotep II. The condition is poor due largely to damage from the family who lived in it for many years and also due to pillage by grave- robbers.

In the traverse first chamber (1) on the left-hand rear wall (a), African tribes bring tributes including gold, panther-skins, ivory and, among the animals, a small donkey clinging to the neck of a giraffe! On the right-hand wall (b) Asiatics bring weapons, jars, a carnage and white and brown horses.

On the right-hand side of the rear corridor (c) the deceased makes a tour of inspection of the produce of the estate. There is a scene of the hunt for wild animals in the desert, the chase of water-fowl .and the usual offering scenes, but unfortunately most of the wall is in bad condition. The funerary scenes are on the left-hand

wall (d).

The vaulted ceiling of the shrine is finely decorated.

Tomb of Userhet Plan, The Royal Scribe. Tombs of the Nobles, Egypt Luxor, Part VI

Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.

Not to be confused with Userhet the First Prophet's Tomb, this is the tomb of the royal scribe in the reign of Amenhotep II. His name was also Userhet and the condition of his tomb is extremely good.

Rural scenes decorate the left-hand entrance wall (a). They include the branding of cattle and the collection of grain. On the rear left-hand wall (b) is a feasting scene where unfortunately all the figures of the women were destroyed by a Christian monk who made his home in the tomb. On the right-hand rear wall (c) men bring bags of gold-dust to be counted by supervisors (upper row), and in the lower row is a charming scene of men queuing beneath the trees to have their heads cut and shaved. The barber himself is busily at work on two clients. On the same wall (d) bakers are making bread (middle row) and Userhet's guests are seated (lower

row). Towards the end of the wall (e) Userhet makes offerings to his Pharaoh, who wears a colourful red tunic with yellow spots.

The most notable scene in this tomb is on the left-hand wall of the inner corridor (f). It is a hunting scene in which the charioted nobleman shoots at fleeing gazelles, jackals, hares and other animals. Userhet has the reins tied around his waist and the string of his bow taut and ready to shoot. The movement among the

fleeing animals is beautiful and rhythmic. Further along the wall (g) are scenes of fishing, fowling, and viticulture.

The right-hand wall has funerary scenes with the weeping women (h) beautifully depicted in their sorrow.

The Entrance of the Tomb of Userhet

Userhet hunting. Tomb of Userhet.

Userhet counts the bread. Tomb of Userhet

Soldiers waiting to have a haircut. Tomb of Userhet

Tomb of Rekhmire Plan - Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt. Part VII

Tomb of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.
Rekhmire was vizier under Thutmose III and his son Amenhotep II. The tomb follows the regular style of the 18th Dynasty nobles' tombs, comprising a narrow, oblong first chamber and a long corridor opposite the entrance. But this corridor rapidly gains in height to the rear of the tomb and runs Into the rock. It was inhabited by a farming family for many years and the wall decorations have suffered at their hands. The tomb is a memorial to personal greatness and a revelation on law, taxation and numerous industries. Professor Breasted described It as "the most Important private monument of the Empire".
Rekhmire was an outstanding vizier who was entrusted with a great many duties. There was nothing, he wrote of himself in an inscription, of which he was ignorant in heaven, on earth or in any part of the underworld. One of the most important scenes in the tomb is that on the left-hand wall of the first chamber near the corner (a). It shows the interior of a court of law in which tax evaders are brought to justice by the grand vizier himself. The prisoners are led up the central aisle, witnesses wait outside and at the foot of the judgement seat are four mats with rolled papyri.
These are proof that written law existed in 1500 B.C. Messengers wait outside and others bow deeply as they enter the presence of the vizier.
Near the center of the opposite wall (b) Rekhmire performs his dual role of receiving taxes from officials who annually came with their dues, and receiving tributes from the vassal princes of Asia, the chiefs of Nubia,etc. The foreign gift-bearers are arranged in five rows: from the Land of Punt (dark skinned), from Crete (hearing vases of the distinctive Minoan type discovered on the island by Sir Arthur Evans) , from Nubia, from Syria, and men, women and children from the South. The diverse and exotic tributes range from panthers, apes and animal skins, to chariots, pearls and costly vases, to say nothing of an elephant and a bear.
The inner corridor gives an insight into the activities of the times. On the left-hand wall (c) Rekhmire supervises the delivery of corn, wine and cloth from the royal storehouses. He inspects carpenters, leather-workers, metal-workers and potters, who all came under his control. In the lower row is a somewhat damaged record for posterity of one of the most important tasks with which he was entrusted: supervising the construction of an entrance portal to the temple of Amon at Karnak. He held vigil over the manufacture of the raw material, the moulding of the bricks and their final use. Pylons and sphinxes, furniture and even household
utensils all came under his control. There are interesting scenes, to the left of the bottom row, of seated and standing statues being given final touches by the artist before polishing. The fascinating detail provides a pictorial treatise on the different industries of the times.
On the right-hand wall (d) Rekhmire may be seen at a table and there are traditional scenes of offerings before statues of the deceased, the deceased in a boat on a pond being towed by men on the bank, and a banquet with musicians and singers.

All the representations in this tomb show rhythm and free-posing, gesticulating and active figures. They are very different from the patterned group action with which we are familiar. The high premium traditionally set on balanced design was not lost. But the solid strings of people are gone, and with the break with the frieze the curtain is suddenly lifted on a picture of things as they really were: workers bending to mix mortar or squatting to carve a statue: a man who raises a bucket to his colleague's shoulder; another engrossed in carpentry; the elegant ladies of Rekhmire's household preparing for a social function with young female servants arranging their hair, anointing their limbs, bringing them jewelery. The message in these delightful murals is forceful and clear, with the dignified personage of the vizier himself towering over his subordinate sin administrative excellence.

Tomb of Userhet Plan, First Prophet, Egypt - Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor. Part V

Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.

Although it is not in too good a state of repair, this tomb, belonging to the First Prophet of the Royal Ka of Thutmose I in the reign of Seti I, contains a symbolic scene of such high order of artistic execution that it should on no account be missed.

It is on the right-hand wall of the narrow traverse chamber (a) and shows Userhet and his wife and sister sitting beneath a fig-laden tree drinking the Water of Life presented to them by a tree-goddess who rises out of the lake before them. As the liquid is poured from a golden vessel into the cups, the three seated figures

are offered figs and grapes, bread and honey comb. The T-shaped lake between Userhet and the tree-goddess shows the souls of Userhet and his wife as human-headed birds drinking the Water of Life from their cupped hands . The symbolic purpose of the mural is almost obliterated by the imaginative and realistic treatment. It must have been a truly magnificent representation. Above the seated figures wagtails flit among the branches of the fruit-laden tree and above the two women are the human-headed birds which represent their souls or Bas.

On the left-hand entrance wall (b) Userhet's heart is being weighed, not against the ostrich feather of truth, but this time against the figure of a man.

The inner corridor is in ruin.

Tomb of Khaemhat Plan- Tombs of the Nobles - Luxor, Egypt. Part IV

Also spelled Khaemhet, Toms of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.
This is the tomb of the overseer of the granaries of Upper and Lower Egypt late in the reign of Amenhotep III (father of Akhenaten), a time when art and architecture were flourishing. It was also a time when religious
conceptions were undergoing a gradual change towards the worship of a single deity, the sun . The murals are in low relief and are carried out in precise and sensitive detail. This is particularly apparent in the treatment of Khaemhat's wig, with his own hair showing beneath.
The tomb comprises a large traverse chamber (1) with a niche on the left-hand side containing badly damaged statues of the deceased and the royal scribe Imhotep, a corridor (2) with scenes relating to the underworld and a second traverse chamber (3) containing three niches bearing statues of Khaemhat and his relatives. These too are in poor condition.
On the left-hand entrance wall of the first chamber at (a) is a remarkable representation of Renenutet (Renenet) ,the snake-headed goddess of the granaries. She is seated in a shrine and offerings are made to
her by three finely sculpted male figures. The child she nurses is symbolic of the new harvest . Further along the wall (b) is the bustling port of Thebes. The masts of many corn-laden vessels, the steering oars tipped with the head of the Pharaoh, the mastheads, the rigging - all are depicted in meticulous detail.
On the rear left-hand wall (c) is a scene showing servants of the vizier bringing in cattle. At (d) are damaged figures of the Pharaoh and his vizier. At the foot of the royal canopy are nine captive tribes whilst between the lion-legs of the throne are two captives: African and Asian.

On the right-hand rear wall (e) the enthroned Pharaoh (defaced) receives homage from Khaernhat and his officials. Further along (f) Khaemhet is being decorated by the Pharaoh; according to the inscription he was so honored in the thirteenth year of the reign of Amenhotep III (Akhenaten's father).
On the right-hand entrance wall (g) are a set of agricultural scenes including measuring the land, sowing and reaping. Khaemhat's chariot is drawn up near the fields and while a sleepy driver awaits the return of his master the horses take advantage of the break to graze.
In the corridor, on the left-hand side at (h) , is a fine representation of Osiris enthroned with Hathor standing behind him.

The complete Tombs of the Nobles at Luxor, Egypt.