402 Sentences With "mastaba" | Random Sentence Generator

Christo & Jeanne-Claude: Barrels and The Mastaba 1958–2018 and Christo & Jeanne-Claude: The London Mastaba are on view at the Serpentine Gallery and Serpentine Lake, Hyde Park until September 23.

The Mastaba is part of the summer program of the Serpentine Galleries, and it's paired with an exhibition of sculptures, drawings and collages focusing on Christo's work with barrels and with the mastaba shape.

"Mastaba," from the Arabic name for a bench, often of stone, relates to ancient Egyptian tombs.

"The London Mastaba" faced no such obstacles, and Christo's team said the installation went through smoothly.

Named after a flat-roofed structure with sloping sides that originated some 6,183 years ago in Mesopotamia (the word "mastaba" means "bench" in Arabic), it's a test for a mastaba roughly eight times as high that Christo hopes to put up in the desert in Abu Dhabi.

I have even seen the forthcoming "Mastaba" in Abu Dhabi, because it exists as proposal drawings and maquettes.

As detailed in Christo & Jeanne-Claude: Barrels and The Mastaba 1958–2018, the accompanying exhibition showing Christo's preparatory drawings for the pair's creations (which offers a fascinating insight into their working methods), "The London Mastaba" returns to some of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's earlier work intervening in public spaces using oil barrels.

Two nearby compounds previously used by Houthi fighters were bombed last summer and were abandoned when the team traveled to Mastaba.

Christo's giant floating sculpture, "The London Mastaba," sits on the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park as tourists on paddle boats circle around.

For "The London Mastaba," Christo is renting the Serpentine water from The Royal Parks and contributing to the upkeep of the grounds.

Standing about 65 feet tall and weighing 500 tons, the mastaba will be anchored to one spot but will still bob up and down.

Saturday's attack comes after a Saudi-led coalition March 15 airstrike on a market in Yemen's northwestern city of Mastaba that killed at least 119 people.

Investigators from HRW visited the site of the attack in the northwestern village of Mastaba on March 210, where they spoke with witnesses and injured victims collected weapon fragments.

Investigators from HRW visited the site of the attack in the northwestern village of Mastaba on March 28, where they spoke with witnesses and injured victims collected weapon fragments.

Advertise on Hyperallergic with Nectar Ads LONDON — In one sense, "The London Mastaba," a temporary floating sculpture by Christo newly installed in Hyde Park's Serpentine Lake, is about nothing.

Human Rights Watch has reported that two Saudi strikes on a market in the Yemeni village of Mastaba in mid-March killed at least 97 civilians, including 25 children.

In March, an airstrike led by Saudi-coalition forces on a market in Mastaba killed an estimated 119 people, and involved weaponry supplied by the U.S., according to Human Rights Watch.

He designed a Texas mastaba in 1975, for example, and is devising plans to build a permanent one in Abu Dhabi, which he says will be the largest art structure in the world.

Or you may want to argue that victims in cities commonly visited by American elites (Paris, Brussels, London, Madrid) are somehow more newsworthy than those in places rarely visited (Mastaba, in Yemen's northern province of Hajjah).

Responsible for monumental installations like London's "Mastaba" (2018) floating in Hyde Park and Central Park's critically acclaimed "The Gates" (2005), the artist-couple would spend decades fund-raising for a single project by selling smaller drawings and paintings.

In a report released last week, Human Rights Watch said fragments of two American-made bombs were found in the wreckage of a coalition airstrike on crowded market in the northern district of Mastaba last month in which 97 civilians, including 25 children, were killed.

The group said it had found fragments of two American-made bombs at the market, in the northern district of Mastaba, linking the United States for the first time to the March 15 airstrikes, which were believed to be the deadliest coalition bombings during Yemen's yearlong civil war.

In the announcement on the "Over the River" website, Christo explained that he had grown tired of waiting for the project to be approved and wanted to focus on another project, "The Mastaba," which he and Jeanne-Claude first conceived in 1977 and, if completed near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates as planned, would be the largest sculpture in the world.

Reconstruction of Mastaba S3503 Mastaba S3503 (Saqqara Tomb No. 3503) is a large mastaba tomb at the Saqqara necropolis in Lower Egypt. The burial was constructed around 3000 BC during the 1st Dynasty of Ancient Egypt.

However, some believe he was instead buried near the tomb of Cleopatra. Ptahhotep's tomb is located in a mastaba in North Saqqara (Mastaba D62), where he was laid to rest by himself. His grandson Ptahhetep Tshefi, who lived during the reign of Unas, was buried in the mastaba of his father (Mastaba 64).Grimal, p.

These are all important functions, often held by a vizier. Ptahhotep Desher is mainly known from is mastaba (C6) at Saqqara. The mastaba was built in one unit with the mastaba of another vizier, who was also called Ptahhotep. They were perhaps brothers.

Structure of a mastaba The term mastaba comes from the Arabic word for "a bench of mud". When seen from a distance, a flat-topped mastaba does resemble a bench. Historians speculate that the Egyptians may have borrowed architectural ideas from Mesopotamia, since at the time they were both building similar structures. The above-ground structure of a mastaba is rectangular in shape with inward-sloping sides and a flat roof.

Khufukhaf had a double mastaba in Giza (tomb G 7130-7140) in the east field which is part of the Giza Necropolis. Mastaba G 7130 is attributed to Khufukhaf's wife Nefertkau. G 7140 belonged to Khufukhaf himself. Khufukhaf is depicted with Queen Henutsen in the Hall of the Mastaba.

He is mainly known from is mastaba (C6) at Saqqara. The mastaba was built in one unit with the mastaba of another vizier, who was also called Ptahhotep with the second name Desher. They were perhaps brothers. In both mastabas were not found any inscriptions providing a clue for a dating.

Inscriptions on vases found in the tomb mention King Djer, King Den and King Qa'a. The tomb is a mudbrick mastaba. However, a pyramid-like mound was found within the structure, covered with brick. This combination of mastaba and grave mound represents a combination of Northern (mastaba) and Southern (grave mound) tomb architecture.

Kagemni was buried in the largest mastaba in the Teti cemetery in Saqqara. The tomb is a large 32 m. x 32 m. square. The mastaba was constructed of large blocks of limestone.

It is a joined mastaba belonging to Ptahhotep Tjefi and Akhethetep.

Fragment of a diorite vase mentioning Nynetjer and the goddess of the Delta, Bastet. The unusually large mastaba tomb of the high official Ruaben (or Ni-Ruab), mastaba S2302, was once thought to be Nynetjer's tomb, until the true burial site of the king was found. The earlier misinterpretations were caused by the large amount of clay seals with Nynetjer's serekh name that were found in Ruaben's mastaba. Therefore, Mastaba S2302 belongs to Ruaben and Ruaben held his office during the reign of Nynetjer.

Neferseshemre was buried in a mastaba in the Teti cemetery in Saqqara. The tomb is one of the earliest in the cemetery and lies immediately to the north of Teti's pyramid and to the west of those of the queens. The mastaba lies next to that of another vizier named Ankhmahor. The mastaba was constructed of large blocks of limestone.

The first three chambers are decorated with scenes of furniture making, hunting and goldsmith working. A lifelike statue of Mereruka was found intact within the principal chamber at the far end of his mastaba tomb.Mereruka on Touregypt This chamber is approached through the mastaba tomb's false door. Mereruka's mastaba tomb boasts vibrant and well preserved tomb decorations and numerous relief scenes.

Therefore, the princess's sarcophagus must have been placed in Ptahshepses's burial chamber when the mastaba was being built. Additionally, the princess's name is found recorded by the builders on the blocks used to construct the core of the mastaba. This enables Egyptologists to date the beginning of the construction of Ptahshepses' mastaba from before the tenth regnal year until the thirtieth regnal year of king Niuserre.

It is formed of a gangway in the shape of an U, leaving a rectangular block of rock between the U-shaped gangway. This rock cut block formed some kind of mastaba. The mastaba is about 10 meters long and about 4 meters wide. The gangway is mainly decorated on both sides of the long gallery that is formed at the backside of the mastaba.

Akhethetep was an ancient Egyptian official mainly known from his mastaba found at Saqqara (no. E 17 ). Not much is known about Akhethetep. On the reliefs of his mastaba he bears several titles, including overseer of the great house.

Kawab was buried in a large double mastaba G 7110-7120 in the east field which is part of the Giza Necropolis. Mastaba G 7110 belonged to Kawab's wife. Her name was found in the chapel. G 7120 belonged to Kawab.

Alone the huge size of the tomb underlines the importance of Hetepi. Hetepi's tomb is a monumental mastaba, almost 50 meters long.Miroslav Bárta: Journey to the West, The world of the Old Kingdom tombs in Ancient Egypt, Prague 2011, , 117 At the south east corner there are the remains of a chapel built into the mastaba. The mastaba was made of mud bricks, while the chapel was built of limestone blocks.

Netjeraperef was buried in mastaba I/1 at Dahshur, which was excavated by the German Archaeological Institut, Cairo.Nicole Alexanian: Dahschur. Bd. II: Das Grab des Prinzen Netjer-aperef: die Mastaba II/1 in Dahschur (= Archäologische Veröffentlichungen, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Abteilung Kairo. Bd. 56).

Alternatively, Khaba could have been interred in the aforementioned mastaba, which is located about north of the pyramid. Indeed, excavations of the mastaba yielded several stone bowls inscribed with Khaba's Horus name as well as two seal fragments of him. Although this is generally taken as a proof that Khaba was the pyramid owner, it could equally imply that the mastaba was Khaba's tomb and the pyramid that of another, yet unknown king.

Plan of G 5110 Duaenre was buried in mastaba G 5110 in Giza. The mastaba contains a passageway and a hall. Duaenre is depicted with attendant and offering texts in the passageway. The hall contains scenes showing Duaenre and attendants bringing offerings and animals.

Horbaef was buried in the mastaba G 7410-7420 at Giza. Meresankh was also buried there.

Groundplan of the tomb complex The mastaba is surrounded by two mudbrick walls. The innermost one is about ten metres away from the mastaba on all sides. It is 2.05 metres thick. The second wall encircles the whole funerary area at a distance of almost 48 metres.

123 and was buried in a large mastaba built for himself at Saqqara. In the mastaba was also found the statue of a woman called Hekenu. His name and titles are preserved on two statues discovered in the mastaba.Auguste Edouard Mariette: Les Mastabas de l'Ancien Empire.

Minkhaf was buried in the double mastaba numbered G 7430-7440 in the East Field, which is part of the Giza Necropolis. The construction of the mastaba started during the reign of his father Khufu.George A. Reisner, A History of the Giza Necropolis I, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1942, pp. 70–74, Retrieved from Giza Digital Library: History of the Giza Necropolis Series The mastaba contained an interior chapel and an exterior chapel consisting of four rooms.

Miroslav Verner, Abusir: realm of Osiris, American Univ in Cairo Press, 2002 The mastaba of Ptahshepses contained two sarcophagi: one for himself, and a slightly smaller one probably meant for Khamerernebty. The sarcophagus of Khamerernebty was part of the original design of the tomb, and must have been included before the conclusion of the mastaba. Khamerernebty's name has been found on limestone blocks, being inscribed by the builders. Khamerernebty was buried in the mastaba belonging to her husband.

G7102 lies in cemetery G7000 east of the related tomb of Qar. The mastaba exterior superstructure has disappeared.

On an offering table he bears the title of the treasurer. The mastaba is in a chain of three mastabas, north of the king's pyramid. It is closest to the pyramid. The next mastaba belongs to the vizier (Nebit) and the third to another high official, perhaps again a vizier.

Rowohlt, Wiesbaden 1999, , p.177. Alternatively, Stadelmann proposes a huge mastaba at Meidum as Huni's burial. Mastaba M17 was originally around large by wide and was approximately high. The above-ground part was made of unburnt mud bricks and filled with rubble from the second building phase of the Meidum pyramid.

Only two large mastaba tombs can be securely dated into Khaba's reign. The first one is known as Mastaba Z500, which is located at Zawyet el'Aryan. It lies around 200m north of the Layer Pyramid and has a south–north-orientation.Mark Lehner: Z500 and The Layer Pyramid of Zawiyet el-Aryan.

Ihy was the owner of a mastaba near the pyramid of king Unas. However, the mastaba was usurped by the king's daughter Seshseshet with the beautiful name of Idut, daughter of king Teti. The names and titles of the vizier are preserved on only the sarcophagus in the burial chamber.

Niankhba was an ancient Egyptian official from the end of the Fifth Dynasty, in office under king Unas. Niankhba was vizier and was therefore the most important official at the royal court. Niankhba is known from his mastaba next to the pyramid of king Unas. The mastaba was found heavily destroyed.

The first shaft and chamber tomb known to have been used by the ancient Egyptians is the mastaba tomb.

He also received the title king's son of his body, albeit evidently not being the son of a king. The precise dating of Seshemnefer can be concluded only by architectural observations, as no king's name is preserved in his tomb. The mastaba of Seshemnefer uses the rear wall of the mastaba of an official named Rawer, which, in turn, uses the rear wall of the mastaba of official named Djaty who is securely datable under king Neferirkare. Rawer and Seshemnefer must therefore date later.

The superstructure of the Step Pyramid is six steps and was built in six stages, as might be expected with an experimental structure. The pyramid began as a square mastaba-like structure The Pyramids, Mislov Verner p109-124 (M1) which was gradually enlarged, first evenly on all four sides (M2) and later just on the east side (M3). The mastaba was built up in two stages, first to form a four-stepped structure (P1) and then to form a six- stepped structure (P2), which now had a rectangular base on an east–west axis. The fact that the initial mastaba was square has led many to believe that the monument was never meant to be a mastaba, as no other known mastabas had ever been square.

The necropolis of the Layer Pyramid is still incompletely investigated. A nearby mastaba (Mastaba Z500), which was integrated into the pyramid complex, contained several stone bowls with the Horus name of king Khaba. Thus, the Layer Pyramid is commonly equally known as the pyramid of Khaba. Rainer Stadelmann proposes an identification of Khaba with Huni.

Archaeological excavation at the Mastaba of Hesy-Ra in November 2010 Hesy-Ra's tomb, mastaba S-2405, is situated in Saqqara; it was discovered in 1861 by French archaeologists Auguste Mariette and Jacques de Morgan. Excavations started in 1910 and ended in 1912, organized and performed by British archaeologist James Edward Quibell. Hesy-Ra's tomb is squeezed in between dozens of others, approximately 260 m north-east of king Djoser's pyramid complex. In its original state, the mastaba was 43 m long, 22 m wide and 5 m high.

The vertical ends were painted in a mosaic of red, blue and mauve, whilst the sloping sides were in red with bands of white. Simultaneously with the display of The London Mastaba, the nearby Serpentine Gallery presented an exhibition of the artists' work, entitled Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Barrels and The Mastaba 1958–2018. The exhibition comprised sculptures, drawings, collages, scale-models and photographs from the last 60 years of the artists' work. Another Mastaba of over 400,000 oil barrels is intended to be built at Al Gharbia, from the city Abu Dhabi.

Kanefer was interred in mastaba DAM 15 at Dahshur. In his tomb, heavily broken fragments of a doorslab stela were found.

Inykhnum's burial is unknown, W. Helck and J. Spencer list mastaba tombs S2429 and S3009 at Saqqara as possible burial sites.

The Old Kingdom governor, Izi, whose mastaba is found in Edfu's necropolis, was worshiped as a minor deity in later times.

Meryteti was buried in the mastaba of his father Mereruka. This tomb was divided into three sections. The largest part of the mastaba was made for Mereruka, another section belonged to Mereruka's mother, while the third part belonged to Meryteti.Naguib Kanawati, Conspiracies in the Egyptian Palace: Unis to Pepy I, (Routledge, 2002), pg 101, 141 - 142. .

It is unclear whether part of the pyramid has been eroded over time or its construction was never finished. While there are no inscriptions directly relating the pyramid to Khaba, his serekh appears on stone bowls that were discovered in a nearby mastaba, known as Mastaba Z500.Miroslav Verner: Die Pyramiden. Rowohlt, Wiesbaden 1999, , p. 174–177.

This might indicate a cult place for the deceased. Around the mastaba there was a wall. The name of the owner is unknown.

Relief depicting Meritites' husband Akhethotep, from their mastaba G 7650, and now in the Museo Barracco, Rome Meritites II (Merytiotes, Meritetes) or Meritites A ("beloved of her father") was a 4th Dynasty Princess of Ancient Egypt, and probably a daughter of King Khufu. She may have been a daughter of Meritites I based on the fact that this queen is mentioned in mastaba G 7650.Gizapyramids website Page for G 7650 She married the Director of the Palace Akhethotep (a non-royal court official) and she had several children with her husband. Meritites and her husband shared a mastaba G 7650 in Giza.

When the builders began to transform the mastaba into the four step pyramid, they made a major shift in construction. Like in the construction of the mastaba, they built a crude core of rough stones and then cased them in fine limestone with packing in between. The major difference is that in mastaba construction they laid horizontal courses, but for the pyramid layers, they built in vertical accretion layers that leaned inwards, while using blocks that were both bigger and higher quality. Much of the rock for the pyramid was likely quarried from the construction of the great trench.

Sobekemhat was an ancient Egyptian treasurer under the king Senusret III in the Twelfth Dynasty. Sobekemhat is only known from his mastaba excavated in 1894 next to the pyramid of Senusret III at Dahshur. The mastaba was decorated on the outside with reliefs. These were only found in small fragments, but the fragments record the name and the titles of Sobekemhat.

Mastaba S3504 (Saqqara Tomb No. 3504) is a large mastaba tomb located in the Saqqara necropolis in Lower Egypt. It was built during the reign of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Djet, in the First Dynasty (Early Dynastic Period), shortly after 3000 BC. It is one of the largest mastabas from this dynasty. The building was excavated in 1953 by Walter Bryan Emery.

2690–2180 BC) is scarce, but can be deduced from inscriptions on a wall near a mastaba in Meidum which gives guidelines for the slope of the mastaba. The lines in the diagram are spaced at a distance of one cubit and show the use of that unit of measurement. The earliest true mathematical documents date to the 12th Dynasty (c. 1990–1800 BC).

The father was overseer of the scribes of the king's document and overseer of all royal works. Seshemnefer III is mainly known from his mastaba (tomb) at Giza (G5170), which was excavated under the direction of Wilhelm Sieglin. The chapel of the mastaba is now in the museum of the University of Tübingen. Seshemnefer's wife, Hetepheres, was priestess of Neith, but also king's daughter of his body.

He had four sons, three of whom were also called Seshemnefer; the fourth was called Neferseshemptah. One of these sons, Seshemnefer (IV), was buried at Dahshur and had mastaba there. In the chapel of his mastaba, Seshemnefer appears most often as overseer of the scribes of the king's document. At the end of his career he became vizier and overseer of all royal works.

In: Studies in honor of William Kelly Simpson vol. II. (PDF), Boston 1997, p. 507-522. The mastaba ist made of mudbricks, its outer wall is niched and it contains only two large chambers without any typical tomb architecture elements. Because of this, Egyptologists such as Nabil Swelim believe that Mastaba Z500 was in fact a mortuary temple, belonging to the funerary complex of the Layer Pyramid.

In: The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology (JEA), vol. 81, 1995, pp. 57–76. Nyankh- Khnum and Khnum-hotep each had families of their own with children and wives, but when they died their families apparently decided to bury them together in one and the same mastaba tomb. In this mastaba, several paintings depict both men embracing each other and touching their faces nose-on-nose.

Nimaethap II (also Nymaathap) was an ancient Egyptian queen, most likely living in the Fifth Dynasty. She is only known from her mastaba tomb excavated by George Andrew Reisner at Giza. Apart from a false door, the cult chambers of the mastaba were undecorated. On the false door the queen bears the titles she, who sees Horus and Seth and great one of the hetes screptre.

No traces of the superstructures once capping tomb S9 have survived and determining its type—mastaba or pyramid—remains difficult. Ayrton, Weigall and Petrie believed S9 was a mastaba, because of the enclosing wall which they thought would have held the sand packed on top of the substructures. However, the royal nature of S9 and S10 as well as their architectural similarities to pyramids of the late Middle Kingdom in the area of Memphis have led Wegner to suggest S9 might have been a pyramid too. In spite of these arguments, the Egyptologist Aidan Dodson asserts that it is still unclear whether S9 was a mastaba or a pyramid.

Example of a mastaba A mastaba (, or ) or pr-djt (meaning "house of stability", "house of eternity" or "eternal house" in Ancient Egyptian) is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, constructed out of mudbricks. These edifices marked the burial sites of many eminent Egyptians during Egypt's Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom. In the Old Kingdom epoch, local kings began to be buried in pyramids instead of in mastabas, although non-royal use of mastabas continued for over a thousand years. Egyptologists call these tombs mastaba, from the Arabic word (maṣṭaba) "stone bench".

Fragment of a relief block or stela. Standing male figure below hieroglyphs. Limestone. 4th Dynasty. From the mastaba of Kameni (Ka-Mena) at El Kab (Nekheb), Egypt.

Directly north of the mastaba were the tombs for Unas's son Unasankh and daughter Iput. Another daughter, Hemetre, was buried in a tomb west of Djoser's complex.

His grandfather was the vizier Ptahhotep (I). Ptahhotep is mainly known from his mastaba at Saqqara. The burial complex was built for him and his father Akhethetep.

Sabu called Ibebi was a High Priest of Ptah during the reigns of Kings Unas and Teti. Sabu's mastaba in Saqqara (Mariette's E1) contains several inscriptions showing how the pharaoh favored him. Sabu called Ibebi and his son Ptahshepses share a double mastaba (E1 and E2).Mariette, Les Mastabas de l'Ancien Empire, 1885 The inscriptions specifically mention that Sabu served under Unas and was later much honored by Teti.

Mastaba of Senedjemib Inti Senedjemib Inti was buried in mastaba G 2370 in Giza. Decrees from Djedkare Isesi to Senedjemib Inti were found inscribed on the walls of his tomb. In the decrees, Isesi praises the actions of his official, which was a source of pride for Senedjemib Inti's family. Unsurprisingly thus, Senedjemib Inti or his son Senedjemib Mehi commissioned their inscriptions on the walls of the tomb.

A son is depicted in a scene showing the presentation of cattle. An uninscribed red granite sarcophagus was found in the shaft in the mastaba by Ernesto Schiaparelli, and is now in the Turin museum. A limestone fragment found in the debris mentions the names of Iufi and Perneb who were overseers of the gangs of tens. These men would have been the overseers of the workers crew constructing the mastaba.

Mehu was an Ancient Egyptian vizier who lived in the Sixth Dynasty, around 2300 BC. The office of the vizier was the most important one at the royal court. Mehu is mainly known from his monumental mastaba at Saqqara, not far away from the Pyramid of Unas. The exact dating of Mehu is disputed in Egyptology. Hartwig Altenmüller published the relief decoration of the mastaba and dates him under king Teti.

Penguin Books Ltd., New Haven/London (UK) 1998, , p. 22 & 47. Her slab stela was found by Walter Bryan Emery at the entrance of mastaba S-3477 in 1902.

The mastaba was later usurped by an official called Nebkauher. It remains often difficult to decide which titles in the tomb decoration belong to one or the other official.

Only one vessel clearly shows Huni's name while a few other might show small traces. Bárta thus sees two possibilities for the owner of the mastaba: it was either a very high ranked official, such as a prince of Huni's time, or king Huni himself.Miroslav Bárta: An Abusir Mastaba from the Reign of Huni. In: Vivienne Gae Callender: Times, Signs and Pyramids: Studies in Honour of Miroslav Verner on the Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday.

Wooden statue of the Princess Khekeretnebti, found in the mastaba of Abousir - Náprstek Museum in Prague Kekheretnebti or Khekeretnebty was a Princess of Egypt, who lived during the Fifth Dynasty. Her father was Pharaoh Djedkare Isesi. Kekheretnebti was buried in a mastaba ('B') in the royal necropolis at Abusir, south-east of the mortuary temple of Niuserre. Her skeletal remains show that she was a slender woman of 30–35 years when she died.

Nyankh-Khnum and Khnum-hotep each had families of their own with children and wives, but when they died their families apparently decided to bury them together in one and the same mastaba tomb. In this mastaba, several paintings depict both men embracing each other and touching their faces nose-on-nose. These depictions leave plenty of room for speculation, because in Ancient Egypt the nose-on-nose touching normally represented a kiss.

The tomb of Khentkaus III, likely a wife of Neferefre, was discovered near his unfinished pyramid in Abusir. She was buried in a mastaba long by wide and with masonry preserved up to a height of . The mastaba superstructure was primarily composed of locally quarried yellow and grey limestone, with a core of mudbrick, limestone debris, and pottery. This was encased in poor quality, unpolished white limestone indicating that construction was abandoned before completion.

Plan of the sun temple of Userkaf The temple was found heavily destroyed so that any reconstruction remains very problematic. The main temple consisted originally of one big solid mastaba–like structure with a mast on top. This can be guessed from references in texts where the temple is depicted as mastaba with a mast. It was surrounded by a wall, two chapels or offering chapels were placed in front of this main structure.

The London Mastaba was a temporary floating installation exhibited from June to September 2018 on The Serpentine in London. The installation consisted of 7,506 oil barrels, in the shape of a mastaba, a form of an early bench in use in ancient Mesopotamia, with a flat roof and inward sloping sides. It sat on a floating platform of high-density polyethene, held in place by 32 anchors. It was in height and weighed .

Nefertkau and Khufukhaf had several children including two sons named Wetka and Iuenka, as well as an unnamed daughter.William Kelly Simpson: The Mastabas of Kawab, Khafkhufu I and II Both sons Wetka and Iuenka appear in the tomb of Khufukhaf and Nefertkau offering papyrus. They are both are given the title King's son.Giza Pyramids, Page for mastaba 7130-7140 An unnamed daughter is depicted behind her seated parents in the inner hall of the mastaba.

13 can be found at the Pelizaeus Museum, Hildesheim, Germany. This statue is scheduled to be loaned for the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in 2021. His statue was found in the walled-up serdab of Hemiunu's mastaba by archaeologist Hermann Junker in March 1912. Ancient looters had ransacked the mastaba in their quest for valuable items and the wall to the serdab had a child-sized hole cut into it.

The mastaba was built of mud bricks and then covered with stones. Already in ancient times the high quality stone was looted and used for other building projects or just for burning lime. However, one wall of the mastaba facade had already collapsed and had been covered by sand before looters dismantled the rest of the building. The preserved facade bears the name and title of Nebit, but also the name of the king.

The whole was built in a shallow pit above which a brick superstructure covering a broad area. The typical 2nd and 3rd Dynasty mastabas was the 'stairway mastaba', the tomb chamber of which sank deeper than before and was connected to the top with an inclined shaft and stairs. Even after pharaohs began to construct pyramids for their tombs in the 3rd Dynasty, members of the nobility continued to be buried in mastaba tombs.

There are no family members shown in the chapel. No king's name appears in the tomb. On stylistic grounds, one might date the mastaba to the reign of Pepi I.

The couple is buried in Greenridge Cemetery in Saratoga Springs with their children. The mausoleum, which resembles an ancient Egyptian mastaba tomb, was designed by the noted architect R. Newton Brezee.

Hemiunu's tomb lies close to Khufu's pyramid and contains reliefs of his image. Some stones of his badly damaged mastaba () are marked with dates referring to Khufu's reign.Strudwick, p. 157 His statueTiradritti, p.

Nebet was buried in a double mastaba with another queen, Khenut, next to the Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara.Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004.

The South Field includes mastabas dating from the 1st Dynasty to 3rd Dynasty as well as later burials. Of the more significant of these early dynastic tombs are one referred to as "Covington's tomb", otherwise known as Mastaba T, and the large Mastaba V which contained artifacts naming the 1st Dynasty pharaoh Djet. Other tombs date from the late Old Kingdom (5th and 6th Dynasty). The south section of the field contains several tombs dating from the Saite period and later.

Stela of Rehuerdjersen, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art The mastaba lies on the west side of the king's pyramid, that is behind the pyramid. It was already excavated in 1894–95 by a French expedition under Joseph Étienne Gautier and then again in 1920–21 by an American expedition. It consisted of a mastaba proper and a wall around it. The enclosure wall is 27.70 m long to the north- south and 19 m to the east-west.

His mastaba tomb remained hidden from view until it was discovered and excavated by Jacques de Morgan, of the Egyptian Antiquities Service in 1892. However, the first major publication on his tomb did not occur until over 40 years later in 1936 by Prentice Duell. Mereruka was also known by his 'beautiful' or chosen name of Meri. Twenty-one of the mastaba chambers are devoted to Mereruka himself, five are designated to his wife (chambers B) and five were added for his son Meriteti (or Meryteti) (chambers C). The overall external dimensions of Mereruka's mastaba are 23 metres east-west, 30 metres north-south (extending to 41 metres when one includes Meriteti's addition) and 4.5 metres high, while the internal height of the ceiling is just over 4 metres.

Abydos Solar boats were found near mastaba of Khasekhemwy marked by letter "V". Khasekhemwy's Tomb where the Abydos boats were discovered. The Abydos ships have the honor of being the world's oldest planked boats.

The mastabas of the First Egyptian Dynasty would be created through the use of stepped bricks.Badawy, Alexander. “The Ideology of the Superstructure of the Mastaba- Tomb in Egypt.” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, vol.

Khenut was buried in a double mastaba with another queen named Nebet next to the Pyramid of Unas in Saqqara.Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004.

Muntazir Rahmat Allah sits in an armchair to the left of this rock while five of his neighbors sit willfully and vexedly on the right side of it on a mastaba, a wooden bench.

Selim Hassan: Excavations at Giza, 1929-30, Vol. I, Oxford 1932, p. 83, fig. 144 She is believed to have had a son Akhethetep, in whose mastaba at Giza her personal false door was found.

Inscription from mastaba L6 mentioning a royal domain of Huni.Wolfgang Helck: Der Name des letzten Königs der 3. Dynastie und die Stadt Ehnas. In: Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur. (SAK); 4th Edition 1976, p. 125-128.

George Andrew Reisner and William Stevenson Smith, A History of the Giza Necropolis II, Appendix B: Cemetery 7000, Harvard University Press, 1955, pp. 107 Both Iynefer and his wife are buried in the mastaba G 7820 at Giza.Porter, Bertha and Moss, Rosalind, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings, Volume III. 2nd edition; revised and augmented by Jaromir Malek, 1974.Mastabas in GizaJournal of the American Research Center in Egypt A large, open eye is characteristic of the decoration of Iynefer II’s mastaba.

Niankhkhnum (standing, left) and Khnumhotep (right, with his right arm on Niankhkhnum's shoulder), accompanied by their offspring (hieroglyphic notations msw.f). On west wall of outer hall, between double doors. This outer hall, an antechamber to the final, inner hall, marks the tomb's first, rock- cut phase of construction, and is fully decorated. Before the mastaba was added, it would have been the first room a visitor entered after passing through the forecourt, which was relocated northeast to the far side of the mastaba where it is now.

He is mainly known from his mastaba (G 7411), that is located north of the step pyramid of king Djoser at Saqqara; Kaemtjenent himself is depicted on a wall of the mastaba's portico, along with his wife. The decoration of his mastaba records a letter in which a vizier with the name of Rashepses is mentioned. This vizier is known from other sources and lived during the reign of Djedkare Isesi. On this basis, Kaemtjenent is believed to have lived under this king as well.

The Mastaba of Shepseskaf A previously unknown pyramid was discovered at north Saqqara in late 2008. Believed to be the tomb of Teti's mother, it currently stands approximately high, although the original height was closer to .

Relief from Rehuerdjersen's mastaba, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Rehuerdjersen was an ancient Egyptian treasurer who held this office under the 12th Dynasty pharaoh Amenemhat I. Rehuerdjersen is mainly known from his tomb at el-Lisht (tomb no. 384), close to the pyramid of Amenemhat I. His mastaba was heavily damaged, but reliefs with his name and several titles were found. From the position of the mastaba it has been argued that Rehuerdjersen and Amenemhat I were contemporaries. In his tomb a number of important titles are preserved: royal sealer, sole friend, spokesman of every Pe-ite, controller of every kilt and overseer of the double gold houseArnold: Middle Kingdom Tomb Architecture at Lisht, 64 On a stela he also has the title member of the elite, foremost of action (Haty-a) and Overseer of the treasuries.

Section of wall from the tomb The tomb consists of an underground burial chamber and a limestone mastaba above ground. The mastaba is divided into four rooms, including a decorated main offering chapel and a secondary offering chamber with a separate entrance. The secondary offering chamber is connected to the serdab (Arabic for "cellar"), a closed room containing a statue of Perneb, by a slot through which the smell of incense and chants could pass into the serdab. Perneb's burial shaft was located to the right side of the main offering chamber.

The burial mastaba of Kekheretnebti is nineteen meters long and fifteen meters wide and built of limestone and brick. It has a single entry on its eastern side which gives access to a suite of rooms arranged in a row. Despite having been looted by tomb robbers in ancient times, upon excavation the mastaba was found to be relatively well preserved and in places still had roofing blocks in position. The tomb consisted of an antechamber, two offering rooms and a serdab which contained the funerary statue of the princess.

In 2010, an unknown mudbrick mastaba was discovered in Quesna, an archaeological site located in the Monufia Governorate (in the Nile Delta). The mastaba was once 14m in length and 6m in width. Its substructure contains a 3m wide corridor chapel, divided into three architectural sections: the first (northern) section is filled with rubble, the second (central) section contains a double room as the burial chamber and the third (southern) section has a burial shaft in its center. In 2014, a tiny mud seal fragment with the king's name was discovered inside.

The visitors would come to offer food and drink to his spirit, and recite texts to him, which would provide him with a flourishing afterlife. Among the noteworthy statues found in the vicinity of the chapel of the mastaba, is that of a man standing, probably Akhethotep, wearing a priestly garb wearing a panther skin and the insignia of the goddess Bat. It was also determined that the mastaba was plundered in antiquity and many subsequent burials took place until the Late Period. A subterranean vault at the end of a shaft contained Akhethotep's body.

Nyankh-Khnum and Khnum-hotep each had families of their own with children and wives, but when they died their families apparently decided to bury them together in one and the same mastaba tomb. In this mastaba, several paintings depict both men embracing each other and touching their faces nose-on-nose. These depictions leave plenty of room for speculation, because in ancient Egypt the nose-on-nose touching normally represented a kiss. Egyptologists and historians disagree about how to interpret the paintings of Nyankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep.

The mastaba proper is solid building was an inner cult chamber. Some parts of the decoration are still preserved in the cult chamber. One block shows a row of offering bearers.Arnold: Middle Kingdom Tomb Architecture at Lisht, pl.

13 vols. Berlin: Nicolaische Buchhandlung 1849, Part II, p. 120, a-c The statue and the mastaba were bought to the museum in Berlin. The statue is an early example of an Egyptian statue belonging to a private individual.

The mastaba of Merefnebef is located to the west of the Step Pyramid of Djoser. It is relatively small, but fully decorated. The burial chamber contained a sarcophagus with a lid. The scenes in the tomb show deliberate destruction.

The mastaba belongs to an elite member of the administration who may have been a relative of Hor-Aha, as was customary at the time. This is a strong indication of the growing importance of Memphis during Aha's reign.

The decoration of the mastaba was only preserved in the smallest fragments, but revealed the name Senusret and some titles, including those of a vizier. Within the tomb complex was found the undisturbed burial shaft of the lady Senebtisi.

On the West wall of the mastaba cult chamber is shown the "Eldest son, official (z3b), overseer of scribes" and "Scribe of the king's documents in front of him" Seshemnefer. On the East wall appears the "Beloved daughter" Merites.

Like Djoser's pyramid, Sekhemkhet's was built of limestone blocks. The monument was not finished, possibly because of the pharaoh's sudden death. Only the first step of the pyramid was completed, leaving a monument in the shape of a large square mastaba.

The double mastaba G 7310 – 7320 in the east field of the Giza Necropolis has been attributed to Baufra several times.William Stevenson Smith: The Origin of Some Unidentified Old Kingdom Reliefs. In: American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 46 (1942), pp.

Around the tomb there were up to 65 subsidiary tombs. The actual mastaba superstructure contained 43 chambers. Below this was the burial chamber, which was surrounded by additional store rooms. The burial chamber itself was originally clad in gilt wood.

Sehener's slab stela was found by James Edward Quibell in the heavily damaged burial chamber of mastaba 2146-E in Saqqara.James Edward Quibell: Excavations at Saqqara 1912-1914: Archaic Mastabas. l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale, Cairo 1923, p. 10 & plate XXVI-XXVII.

34-37 Several sons are mentioned in the tomb. One son was perhaps called Mery, but his name was several times deleted. Another son was Hetepka. Within the mastaba of Mehu there are parts reserved for a vizier called Hetepka.

124–151 Above ground there was a small mud brick mastaba decorated with a false door. Here, Gemniemhat bears several titles, including royal sealer, steward, overseer of the granaries. He was also funerary priest at the pyramid of king Merikare.

This would have been an elongated step pyramid if the remaining side had not been left uncovered. In another parallel to Djoser's complex, to complete this mastaba complex a niched enclosure wall was erected. Imhotep used royal cubits in its design.

The columns represent the oldest known examples of their type from ancient Egypt. The entrance leads to a room with six-stemmed lotus columns, built in the second enlargement phase of the mastaba and was originally to serve as an entrance to the mastaba but was closed off in the third phase of enlargement. The walls of this room are decorated with scenes of boats and preparations for Ptahshepses' mortuary cult, as well as his biographical inscription. A narrow passageway containing pictures of Ptahshepses and animals being sacrificed leads to a chapel containing fragments of statues that once stood in three niches.

A smaller fragment of the door is kept in the Oriental Institute Museum (Inv. no. 11084) in ChicagoPeter F. Dormanː The Biographical Inscription of Ptahshepses from Saqqaraː A Newly indentified fragment, inː Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 88 (2002), 95-110 He is also known from statues and had a mastaba at Saqqara (mastaba C 1).Auguste Mariette, Gaston Maspero: Les mastabas de l'Ancien Empire: Fragment du dernier ouvrage de A. Mariette, publié d'après le manuscrit de l'auteur. F. Vieweg, Paris 1889, 110-114 His false door bears a long biographical inscription and reports main events in his life.

Map of the Giza Plateau, showing the mastabas constructed within the complex The mastaba was the standard type of tomb in pre-dynastic and early dynastic Egypt for both the pharaoh and the social elite. The ancient city of Abydos was the location chosen for many of the cenotaphs. The royal cemetery was at Saqqara, overlooking the capital of early times, Memphis. Mastabas evolved over the early dynastic period. During the 1st Dynasty, a mastaba was constructed simulating house plans of several rooms, a central one containing the sarcophagus and others surrounding it to receive the abundant funerary offerings.

An inscription near the entrance of the mastaba details the biography of Ptahshepses, similar to Weni the Elder's and Harkhuf's; however, the upper portions of the biography are missing so the beginning of each line is unknown. From the reliefs throughout the complex, he is given several titles: > The count, the sole companion... the keeper of the headdress... the favorite > of his Lord... the chief justice, the vizier, the overseer of all the works > of the King, the servant of the throne, the lector-priest... the revered one > by his lord, the overseer of the Two Chambers of the King's ornament, the > count, the sole companion, the lector-priest Ptahshepses.Verner, Miroslav, > The Mastaba of Ptahshepses (Prague: Charles University, 1977), 131 Additionally, he is called “barber of the Great House” and “manicure of the Great House.”Verner, Miroslav, The Mastaba of Ptahshepses (Prague: Charles University, 1977), 136 These roles were a great honor because they required touching the pharaoh, a religious incarnation himself.

Hassan: Excavations at Giza, 1929-30, p. 73 Akhethetep was buried in a mastaba, that was partly carved into the rocks, partly built of stones. Only some parts of the inner rooms were decorated and inscribed.Hassan: Excavations at Giza, 1929-30, pp.

Meresankh II was buried in a double mastaba G 7410–7420 with her first husband Horbaef. The tomb was excavated by George Andrew Reisner. Meresankh was buried in a shaft (G 7410B) with two rooms. Horbaef was buried in shaft G 7420A.

His mastaba is located at Saqqara. The entrance is on the South-east and decorated with two pillars. It follows a room with two further rooms on each side. The middle of the complex is occupied by a court with ten pillars.

Additional findings bearing Inykhnum's name come from two private mastaba tombs at Saqqara and from the pyramid of king Sekhemkhet. The ink inscriptions are short and written in hieratic writings.Wolfgang Helck: Untersuchungen zur Thinitenzeit (= Ägyptologische Abhandlungen. vol. 45). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1987, . p. 398.

Two wrestlers, tomb of Baqet III at Beni Hasan, 11th Dynasty (ca. 2000 BC), Egypt. The hieroglyphic text above the figures is a standard votive formula to the god Osiris, ultimately on behalf of the tomb owner. The mastaba of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum.

Before becoming vizier, Seshathetep was overseer of all royal works. Seshathetep is mainly known to us from his tomb at Giza. His tomb is a mastaba with a chapel on the south-east side. The chapel is fully decorated and relatively well preserved.

The mastaba was excavated by Peter Munro.Peter Munro, Der Unas-Friedhof Nord-West, Bd.1, Topographisch-historische Einleitung; Das Doppelgrabe der Königinnen Nebet und Khenut. Mainz 1993 The pyramid of the Queen mother Sesheshet lies near the pyramid which belong to Khenut.

Nofret's parents are not known. Nofret married Prince Rahotep, a son of Pharaoh Sneferu. She had three daughters and three sons with Rahotep.Dodson and Hilton, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2004 Nofret was buried with her husband in mastaba 16 at Meidum.

The serekh-name "Sneferka" appears on several schist- and alabaster vessels. One was found in the mastaba of the high official Merka who served under king Qa'a; a second one in the underground galleries of the step pyramid of king Djoser (3rd dynasty) and the third was found in an anonymous mastaba, also at Sakkara. A fourth artifact with Sneferka's name is found in the private Georges-Michailidis-Collection but its authenticity is questioned by archaeologists and Egyptologists, since its origin is unknown. Additionally, the inscription on the Michailidis-object is a serekh with no Horus-falcon, which is highly unusual for any Egyptian artifact of that time period.

Nefertkau was buried in G 7130 in Giza located in the east field which is part of the Giza Necropolis. The tomb was part of the double mastaba constructed for Nefertkau and her husband Khufukhaf I. According to Reisner the construction of the tomb would have started by year 17-24 of the reign of Khufu.George A. Reisner, A History of the Giza Necropolis I, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1942, pp 70-74, Retrieved from Giza Digital Library: History of the Giza Necropolis Series Nefertkau is depicted in the hall and the inner hall of the mastaba. Fragments of inscriptions remain showing Khufukhaf I was depicted several times in her chapel.

The Mastabat al-Fir’aun at Saqqara The design of the Egyptian pyramid seems to have been a progression from the Sumerian ziggurat, a stepped pyramidal structure with a temple on top, which dated to as early as 4000–3500 BC. From the time of the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150–2686 BC), Egyptians with sufficient means were buried in bench-like structures known as mastabas. Burial customs: mastabas. University College London (2001) Retrieved 14 April 2005 At Saqqara, Mastaba 3808, dating from the latter part of the 1st Dynasty, was discovered to contain a large, independently-built step-pyramid- like structure enclosed within the outer palace facade mastaba.

The ancient necropolis, approximately 24 km from Abydos, was excavated by archaeologist John Garstang in 1901–1902. The excavation discovered burials which Garstang believed dated from the predynastic period through to the end of the Fifth Dynasty. The site contained many types of burials, including mastaba tombs, similar to those found at the nearby site of Beit Khallaf, pit tombs in enclosures, burials under large pots, and burials under arched vaults. In the 1900-1901 excavation season, John Garstang excavated sites between Abydos and Bêt Khallâf on behalf of the Egyptian Research Account. One of his major discoveries was the 3rd Dynasty mastaba tombs near Bêt Khallâf.

Kaemsekhem was an ancient Egyptian nobleman and probably the son of Crown Prince Kawab and Hetepheres II. He later served as the director of the royal palace. He was buried in mastaba G 7660 in the Giza East Field, which is part of the Giza Necropolis.

Akhethotep and Meritites were buried at Giza in tomb G 7650. The mastaba is stone built and the interior offering room is decorated. Akhethotep is depicted with his wife Meritites and attendants in some of the scenes. In one scene Akhethotep is accompanied by two daughters.

Pyramid G1-c was originally not a part of Khufu's pyramid complex, as its southern side is aligned not with the side of the Great Pyramid, but with Khufukhaf I's mastaba tomb nearby.Verner, Miroslav. The Pyramids: The Mystery, Culture, and Science of Egypt's Great Monuments. Grove Press.

Several sons are mentioned as well. A son named Wetka (also called Tuka) is depicted in the chapel of the mastaba. Another son named Iuenka (or Iun-ka) is depicted in the chapel as well. Iunka is given the title of King's Son in the tomb.

The building is made of dried mudbricks and is 56.45 metres long and 25.45 metres wide.Emery: The Great Tombs of the First Dynasty II, p. 8 The original height is unknown. The mastaba was decorated on the outside with a palace facade (also called a niche facade).

The false doors are cut into the mastaba on its east side.el-Khouli and Naguib Kanawati: The Old Kingdom tombs of El-Hammamiya, pl. 31 The decoration of Kaikhenet's tomb is carved as relief into the rockcut gangway. The depictions show Kaikhenet and his family and servant.

Peter Jánosi: Die Gräberwelt der Pyramidenzeit. von Zabern, Mainz 2009, , p. 37-38. Miroslav Bárta instead proposes mastaba AS-54 in South-Abusir as the most possible burial site. This is promoted by the finding of a polished magnesite bowl, which shows the niswt-bity title of Huni.

A vivid relief of fishermen collecting their catch at Mereruka's tomb An adult hippopotamus is depicted attacking and killing a crocodile in Mereruka's tomb. A floor plan of the mastaba shows the complexity of the building Lantern Slide Collection: Views, Objects: Egypt. Tomb of Mera, Sakkara. Dy. 6.

Next to nothing is known about Shepset-ipet's career, except for her titles. She is attested by several earthen jars labelled with black ink and by her slab stela. All things were found in her mastaba tomb at Saqqara.W. Stevenson Smith: The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt.

Verner, Baugraffiti der Ptahscepses-Mastaba, Praha 1992. p.184 "In this context, the attribution of just a single inscription—and what is more, the only one with a date—on all the blocks from the boat pit to somebody other than Djedefra does not seem very plausible."Verner, p.

2004Grajetzki, Ancient Egyptian Queens: A Hieroglyphic Dictionary, Golden House Publications, London, 2005. He was a secretary and "sole companion of his father".Giza archives - page for Khuenre He was the eldest son of his parents, but he was not Menkaure’s successor.Copy of painting from Khuenre's mastaba This was Shepseskaf.

His mastaba is only 6.83 m long and 4.30 m wide. It contained one room, the offering chapel, with the entrance on the east side. On the west side of the offering chapel are two false doors. All walls are decorated with scenes showing offering bearers and Rawer.

In 1963, J. P. Lauer found, offset from the center to west axis of the pyramid and under a mastaba-like structure with dimensions 32 m (104,9 ft) × 16 m (52,4 ft), the foundations of the so-called South Tomb. It stands closer to the pyramid itself than in the complex of his predecessor. In the substructure of the mastaba, following a passage accessed by a vertical shaft, the excavators unearthed a chamber where they found a wooden coffin with the remains of an unidentified two-year-old child. It is certain the child is not Sekhemkhet himself, since he is represented as an adult in reliefs from Wadi Maghara in Sinai.

Kawab is the name of an ancient Egyptian prince of the 4th Dynasty. He was the eldest son of King Khufu and Queen Meritites I. Kawab served as vizier and was buried in the double mastaba G 7110–7120 in the east field which is part of the Giza Necropolis.

Aside from the city of Jerash that gives the governorate its name, the governorate has many cities and towns: Souf, Sakib, Borma, Al-Mastaba, El-Kitté, Al-Haddadé, Bellila, Deir Il-Liyat, Nahlé, Il- Kfeir, Rashaida, Raimoun, An-Nabi Houd, Al-Jazzazah, Jubbah, Mirse', Muqbila, Al-Msheirfeh, Qafqafa, and others.

Metjen's tomb, mastaba L6, was found in 1842 by German Egyptologist Carl Richard Lepsius at Saqqara. He excavated the tomb and ordered the dismantling of the tomb for preservation. Metjen's tomb chapels are now completely on display at the Egyptian Museum of Berlin. Here was also found the Statue of Metjen.

Senet () is a board game from ancient Egypt. The earliest representation of senet is dated to from the Mastaba of Hesy-Re, while similar boards and hieroglyphic signs are found even earlier. The game fell out of use following the Roman period and its original rules are the subject of conjecture.

Khenut owned the western half, and Nebet owned the eastern half. Their chambers were extensively decorated. The chapel for Nebet's mastaba contains four recesses. One bears a cartouche of Unas's name, indicating that it may have contained a statue of the king, whereas the others contained statues of the queen.

Nebit was an ancient Egyptian official during the reign of king Senusret III. He held the position of vizier. Thus, he was the most important official at the royal court. Nebit is only known from his large mastaba, which was excavated next to the pyramid of the king at Dahshur.

Djoser's Pyramid draws ideas from several precedents. The most relevant precedent is found at Saqqara mastaba 3038 ( 2700 BC). The substructure lay in a deep rectangular pit, and had mudbrick walls rising to . Three sides were extended and built out to create eight shallow steps rising at an angle of 49°.

On the east side of the mastaba was a small funerary temple, of which only the foundations and a few remnants of the walls remain today. A causeway of which only the upper portion remains, terminated at this temple. The rest of the causeway and the valley temple are no longer in evidence.

Adil Hussein discovered his tomb north of the pyramid of Sekhemkhet in 2001. Qar died at the age of fifty years and his mummified remains were discovered by archaeologists in December 2006 in his mastaba at Saqqara, Egypt. As with many other tombs in Saqqara, his tomb was re-used several times.

The mastaba of the couple had two burial chambers and two cult chapels. The Southern cult chapel belonged to Rahotep, the northern one to Nofret. Here she is depicted with Rahotep in front of an offering table. The inscription over the scene provides a second title for her: ' (translation not known up today).

Part of the mastaba consists of a chapel with a pillared hall which leads to a staircase which gives access to the roof. The burial chamber, which was located at the bottom of a shaft, was not decorated, which was unusual. The tomb appears to be unfinished at the time Neferseshemre died.

Khufukhaf was a son of Pharaoh Khufu, half-brother of pharaoh Djedefre and full brother of pharaoh Khafra and prince Minkhaf., p.60 His mother might have been Queen Henutsen; the latter's pyramid is next to his mastaba tomb. His wife was named Nefertkau II and she was buried with him in Giza.

The mastaba itself was once pretty large and contained large niches and chapels. It also contained a quite large amount of polished dishes, vases and urnes. Contradictorily, nearly all the vessels are undecorated, no ink inscription or carving were found on the objects. Thus, the name of the true owner is yet unknown.

The writing board was found in 1904 by American Egyptologist George Andrew Reisner in chamber "C" of Mesdjerw's tomb (mastaba G-1011) at Giza. The tomb was badly damaged by grave robbers. Mesdjerw's name and titles were found on a loosened door jamb, the writing board was scattered across the sandy floor.

The exact geographical location of Akhetaa's mastaba tomb is unknown. It is believed, however, that it was once located at Abusir, as some relief blocks were found re-used in the town. The current status of the tomb is labelled as "missing".C. Ziegler: Relief Block with the Figure of Aa- akhti.

Medunefer was an ancient Egyptian eye-physician who lived in the Old Kingdom, about 2500 BC.John F. Nunn: Ancient Egyptian Medicine. British Museum Press, London 1996, , p. 116 Medunefer is only known from his mastaba excavated by Selim Hassan in GizaSelim Hassan: Excavations at Giza, 1931–1932. Vol. 3, Cairo 1941, pp.

Tomb of Nefermaat in Meidum Nefermaat was buried in mastaba 16 at Meidum. He was one of several relatives of Pharaoh Sneferu, who was buried in Meidum. The tomb is known for the special technique used for drawing the scenes. Sculptors carved deeply incised images that then were filled with colored paste.

The tomb of Qar (G 7101) lies north of the edge of the Eastern Giza Cemetery, north of the nearby double mastaba of KawabBertha Porter & Rosalind Moss, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings Volume III: Memphis, Part I Abu Rawash to Abusir. 2nd edition (revised and augmented by Dr Jaromir Malek Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1974, - PDF from Digital Giza, 20 MB. The limestone superstructure of the mastaba has entirely disappeared. The rest of the complex, save part of the stairway, was excavated from the rock. Some of the decoration of the stairways were executed in limestone blocks over the natural rock and as many of those blocks have been displaced or broken up many scenes are incomplete.

On January 10, 1913 he discovered Mastaba of Kaninisut. Shortly after the decision was made to purchase the cult chamber of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna in order explore the typical grave architecture of the Old Kingdom. The fourth campaign for 1914–1915 was already in the pipeline when World War I prevented further work.

Until the middle of the Eighteenth Dynasty Bata was represented as a ram and later as a bull. Bata is probably identical with the death god Bt of the Egyptian Old Kingdom, known from the Saqqara necropolis, for instance from the Mastaba of Ti. Bata is not mentioned in the Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts.

The ziggurat was a mastaba-like structure with a flat top. The sun- baked bricks made up the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the outside. Each step was slightly smaller than the step below it. The facings were often glazed in different colors and may have had astrological significance.

He was still alive during the reign of Menkaure, Khufu's grandson. Hence he must have been buried towards the end of the Fourth Dynasty. Djedefhor was buried in mastaba G 7210–7220 in the east field which is part of the Giza pyramid complex. His sarcophagus is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Toby A.H. Wilkinson: Early Dynastic Egypt. S. 291 Furthermore, the first known representation of the sacred Henu-bark of the god Seker was found engraved on a year tablet dating from his reign.Toby A.H. Wilkinson: Early Dynastic Egypt. S. 301 Mastaba attributed to Neithhotep which is believed to have been built by Hor-Aha.

Routledge, London/New York 2001, , page 72, 134 & 172. Francesco TiradrittiFrancesco Tiradritti & Anna Maria Donadoni Roveri: Kemet: Alle Sorgenti Del Tempo. Electa, Milano 1998, , page 80–85. and Wolfgang Helck point to the once palatial and well preserved mastaba tombs at Saqqara and Abydos belonging to high officials such as Ruaben and Nefer-Setekh.

Mastabat al-Fir’aun, where king Shepseskaf was buried, made of red sandstone, pink granite and Tura limestone Mastabas are burial tombs that hold royal significance. As chosen by Egyptian rulers, many of the tombs found throughout time were located along the Nile river.L. E. R. “Two Mastaba Chambers.” Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin, vol.

Izi was an important ancient Egyptian official of the Fourth Dynasty. His most important title was overseer of the treasury. Other important titles he hold are scribe of the king's document, overseer of the great house and overseer of the king's ornament. Izi is mainly known from different relief decorated blocks of his mastaba.

This is especially evident on the Giza Plateau, where at least 150 mastaba tombs have been constructed alongside the pyramids. In the 4th Dynasty (c. 2613 to 2494 BC), rock-cut tombs began to appear. These were tombs built into the rock cliffs in Upper Egypt in an attempt to further thwart grave robbers.

Zawyet El Aryan () is a town in the Giza Governorate, located between Giza and Abusir. To the west of the town, just in the desert area, is a necropolis, referred to by the same name. Almost directly east across the Nile is Memphis. In Zawyet El Aryan, there are two pyramid complexes and five mastaba cemeteries.

Ziegler, Adam, Andreu-Lanoë 2007, pp. 24-25 From the inscriptions in his tomb it is also possible to reconstruct his family. His wife is unknown, but he had at least three sonsː Seankhuptah (I), Rekhuef (I) and Akhethetep (II). The Rekhuef (I) is known from his own mastaba not far away from that of his father.

Fruits of Balanites aegyptiaca from Saqqara. Mastaba of Perneb, 5th dynasty of Egypt. MET. Balanites aegyptiaca has been cultivated in Egypt for more than 4000 years, and stones placed in tombs as votive offerings have been found as far back as the Twelfth Dynasty. The tree was described in 1592 by Prospero Alpini under the name 'agihalid'.

The main part of the Giza complex is a set of buildings that included two mortuary temples in honour of Khufu (one close to the pyramid and one near the Nile), three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller "satellite" pyramid, a raised causeway connecting the two temples, and small mastaba tombs for nobles surrounding the pyramid.

Nefertkau may have buried in mastaba G 7050 at Giza. The tomb is not inscribed however so that the ownership is somewhat conjectural.Bertha Porter and Rosalind Moss, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings Volume III: Memphis, Part I Abu Rawash to Abusir. 2nd edition (revised and augmented by Dr Jaromir Malek, 1974).

Later in the Old kingdom several smaller mastabas were built near G 7660. To the north a small mastaba (G 7652) was built up against Kaemsekhem's tomb. To the north-east G 7652 was added, while to the east G 7662 and G 7663 were constructed. These additional mastabas were constructed during the 5th Dynasty or 6th Dynasty.

The smaller, west tomb's base measures 21.7 x 15.7 m and also has an incline of 78°. Thus, this portion appears also to have been a mastaba or truncated pyramid-like structure. Unlike the eastern tomb, the western one is made of roughly hewn grey limestone. It has experienced heavy spoliation, so that only a few layers remain today.

Loret initially thought Khuit's tomb was a mastaba. Excavations in the 1960s by Maragioglio and Rinaldi first suggested that Khuit had been buried in a pyramid. Remains of masonry belonging to the ruins of a small mortuary temple were found as well. Further excavations in 1995 by Hawass have confirmed that Khuit's tomb was a pyramid.

Tatenen represented the Earth and was born in the moment it rose from the watery chaos, analogous to the primeval mound of the benben and mastaba and the later pyramids. He was seen as the source of "food and viands, divine offers, all good things",C. J. Bleeker. Historia Religionum I: Religions of the Past, p.

Lorna Oakes, Pyramids, Temples and Tombs of Ancient Egypt: An Illustrated Atlas of the Land of the Pharaohs, Hermes House:Anness Publishing Ltd, 2003. pp. 88–89 Mereruka was married to Teti's daughter, princess Seshseshet Waatetkhethor. He was, therefore, the king's son-in-law. Princess Seshseshet Waatetkhethor is buried in Mereruka's mastaba tomb along with their son, Meriteti.

Khabawsokar's tomb, the double mastaba S-3037 was found in 1889 at North Saqqara by French archaeologist Auguste Mariette. The tomb once measured circa 33 x 19 metres and was built of mud bricks. A short corridor leads to a broad hall, forming a t-shaped crossway; the hall has walls which are niched and covered with polished limestone.

Cross section of the tomb of queen Persenet. (Lepsius) Persenet's tomb is LG 88 in Giza using the numbering introduced by Lepsius. It is also given the designation G 8156.Giza pyramids by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The tomb is a rock-cut mastaba located in the Central Field which is part of the Giza Necropolis.

It probably inspired the monumental enclosure wall around the Step Pyramid complex. Djoser's funerary complex, built by the royal architect Imhotep, further comprises a large number of dummy buildings and a secondary mastaba (the so-called 'Southern Tomb'). French architect and Egyptologist Jean-Philippe Lauer spent the greater part of his life excavating and restoring Djoser's funerary complex.

On the long sides there were eleven niches, but on the short sides, only four. The facade was painted white, the innermost niches red.Emery: The Great Tombs of the First Dynasty II, p. 9 The mastaba was enclosed by a wall and stood on a low platform, on which models of cattle heads with real cattle horns were found.

This album was published in 2003. It was the gathering of the band's most requested songs from their weekly concerts at Port Said's Meqma Café. It was produced by the El Mastaba Center for Egyptian Folk Music in Cairo studio. The album material can be found in the soundtrack to Philippe Dib's film El Tanbura: Capturing a vanishing spirit.

They were entered by two new piercings through the pylon. A new walled forecourt was constructed in front of the pylon. To make this extension a 5th–6th Dynasty mastaba was demolished and the burial shaft with a burial chamber some 17m below incorporated into the new forecourt. Burials from the 19th Dynasty were found at 9m depth.

Wetka was a son of Prince Khufukhaf I and Princess consort Nefertkau II. Thus he was a grandson of Pharaoh Khufu and Queen Henutsen. Wetka's brother was Iuenka and he also had one sister.Giza mastabas G7000 Prince Wetka appears in his parents' double mastaba at Giza where he is depicted offering papyrus to his father. He also appears kneeling.

Iuenka was a son of Prince Khufukhaf I and Princess consort Nefertkau II. Thus he was a grandson of Pharaoh Khufu and Queen Henutsen. Iuenka's brother was Wetka and he also had one sister.Giza mastabas G7000 Prince Iuenka appears in his parents' double mastaba at Giza where he is depicted offering papyrus to his father. He also appears kneeling.

Maha Farid Mostafa: The Mastaba of SmAj at Naga' Kom el-Koffar, Qift. Band I: Autobiographies and related scenes and texts. Ministry of Antiquities and Heritage, Cairo 2014, , 200-201 The inscription seems to report the opening of a road. Close to this inscription was found another one naming a king Intef and the assault of soldiers.

The earliest source for Nebka's name is the mastaba tomb of the late Third Dynasty high official Akhetaa who, among other positions, held that of "priest of Nebka". The exact location of Akhetaa's mastaba is now lost, hindering further research. It may be near Abusir, where some relief-bearing blocks from the tomb were found re-used as construction material. The next oldest source is found in a story recorded on the Westcar Papyrus which dates to the Seventeenth Dynasty, but which was likely first written during the late Middle Kingdom period, possibly at the end of the Twelfth Dynasty. There, a king Nebka is cited in the story known as “Nebka and the crocodile”, which pertains to adultery and the typical sort of punishment for that during the Old Kingdom.

Cattle count after a relief in Mastaba tomb G75 at Giza. To perform the cattle count, all chattel (including productive livestock such as cows and oxen, sheep, pigs, goats and donkeys) were rounded up and counted. Following the count, the percentage of chattel to be taxed by the state would be calculated. The cattle count was performed in every nome of Egypt.

In 1952, Fahkry explored a necropolis containing seventeen mudbrick tombs located south of the causeway and adjoining the east side of the mortuary temple. He provided a brief account summarizing that the tombs had been robbed of their contents. In 2016, one of those tombs, mastaba MS1, was partially excavated and explored. The structure is dated to the Sixth Dynasty.

The larger of the two tombs has a base measurement of 27.7 m x 21.53 m and is made of large blocks of white limestone. The outer walls, only roughly worked, had an incline of 78°, which indicates that the structure either took the form of a mastaba or a pyramid base, rather than a true pyramid. The height cannot be determined.

Henutsen is known to have given birth to at least two princes, Khufukhaf and Minkhaf. In case that Khufukhaf was not identical to king Khafra, Henutsen was Khafra's mother, too. All her sons are buried at Giza. The mastaba tomb of Khufukhaf was partially destroyed during the Middle Kingdom Period in attempt to make place for a temple of the goddess Isis.

Going further north, several other rooms follow with one containing the false door of Ptahhotep and an offering table in front of it. Most walls of the mastaba are decorated with reliefs, but mostly only the lower parts of the scenes are preserved. They are mainly showing offerings bearers. The only family member preserved in the tomb decoration is the son Akhhotep.

Nefertkau and Iynefer were buried in G 7820 which is part of a double mastaba. The tomb is located in the east field which is part of the Giza Necropolis.Porter, Bertha and Moss, Rosalind, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings Volume III: Memphis, Part I Abu Rawash to Abusir. 2nd edition; revised and augmented by Jaromir Malek, 1974.

87 & 482\. . This conclusion is based on stone bowls and vases bearing the serekh of Khaba discovered in Mastaba Z500, located just north of the pyramid. Rainer Stadelmann goes further and identifies Khaba with king Huni, the last ruler of the 3rd Dynasty. His hypothesis is based on his reading of the Turin canon, a kinglist compiled in the early Ramesside period c.

Winfried Barta: Zum altägyptischen Namen des Königs Aches. In: Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Abteilung Kairo. (MDAIK), vol. 29. von Zabern, Mainz 1973, pages 1–4. The second finding, discovered in 2007, is a polished stone bowl made of magnesite, found at South-Abusir in the mastaba tomb AS-54, belonging to a high official, whose name is yet unknown to archaeologists.

The structure was excavated by Walter Bryan Emery and his team at Saqqara. The superstructure of the mastaba is 42 metres long and 16 metres wide and was made from sun-dried mudbricks. The exterior was decorated with a palace facade, with nine niches on the long sides and three on each of the short sides. Within the structure were 23 chambers.

Sepa was an ancient Egyptian, who lived during Third Dynasty. Sepa was a priest and noble. His titles were "Responsible for Royal Matters", "Greatest of the ten of Upper Egypt", "Priest of the god Kherty" and "Herdsman of the White Bull".Statues of Sepa and Nesa Sepa's wife was Nesa, and she was buried with him at Saqqara in a mastaba.

The statue's round, peaceful face is almost lifelike thanks to the eyes, which were made using rock crystal and small copper plates; it is often cited as an example of the remarkable level of craftmanship and realism achieved during the late 4th Dynasty. From the same mastaba also came a wooden statue of a woman, commonly considered as Kaaper's wife (CG 33).

We do not know who his mother was. Neserkauhor was buried in Abusir, in a cemetery built in the second half of Djedkare's reign. His tomb seems to date to a slightly later date than that of his sister Kekheretnebti and the nobleman Idu. When Neserkauhor's mastaba was excavated in the 1980s a large number of wooden statues were found.

Ptahshepses' sarcophagus. The mastaba of Ptahshepses was built in three phases. The entrance of the tomb, documented by de Morgan and confirmed by Zaba, is located in the northeast corner of the complex. It consists of two six-meter-high eight-stemmed fine white limestone columns shaped as lotuses, which supported a fine limestone architrave under slabs of limestone for a roof terrace.

The MacGregor Plaque (or MacGregor Tablet, also King Den's sandal label) is an artefact that probably derives from the mastaba tomb of the ancient Egyptian king Den (First Dynasty), and dated circa 2985 BCE. According to its inscriptions, the plaque was originally attached to the king's sandal. The artifact appears in McGregor's A History of the World in 100 Objects.

Sehener's tomb was the small mastaba 2146-E at Saqqara. The tomb is heavily damaged and most of the interior has been destroyed by grave robbers. The interior consisted of a simple corridor ending in a single burial chamber. The burial chamber is thought to be the original place of display for the slab stela, as it was usual for the Second Dynasty.

Shepset-ipet's tomb was -with some certainty- mastaba tomb S-3477 at Saqqara. The tomb is heavily damaged and most of the interior has collapsed. The burial chamber is thought to be the original place of display for the slab stela, as it was usual for the second dynasty. The remains of a sixty years old woman were also found inside the tomb.

Khafra's highest year date is the "Year of the 13th occurrence" which is a painted date on the back of a casing stone belonging to mastaba G 7650.Anthony Spalinger, Dated Texts of the Old Kingdom, SAK 21 (1994), p.287 This would imply a reign of 24–25 years for this king if the cattle count was biannual during the Fourth Dynasty.

Within the remains of the mastaba were found by Jacques de Morgan the bust of a statue made of granodiorite. The fragment is not inscribed but most likely depicts Nebit.Adela Oppenheim: Upper part of a Male Statue, possible the Vizier Nebit, in: A. Oppenheim, d. Arnold, D. Arnold, Kei Yamamoto (editors): Ancient Egypt Transformed, The Middle Kingdom, New York 2015 , 127-128, no.

The area of Zawyet El Aryan is surrounded by a total of five cemeteries dating to the 1st Dynasty, 2nd Dynasty, late 3rd Dynasty, 18th Dynasty and Roman Period. Of these cemeteries, only the one dating to the late 3rd Dynasty contains large tombs, of which are four mudbrick mastabas. Reisner and Fisher observed that this is to be expected of the necropolis surrounding the pyramid of a pharaoh, the large tombs being those of the royal family and court officials. In particular, around north of the Layer Pyramid is a huge mastaba, today known as "Mastaba Z500", which yielded eight marble bowls inscribed with the serekh of king Khaba. Reisner and Fisher therefore conclude that "if the mastabas belong to people connected with the king who built the pyramid, it is probable that the king’s name was Khaba".

Khuit I was an Egyptian queen who lived in the mid-5th Dynasty of Egypt. She was buried in mastaba D 14 at Saqqara. The Austrian Egyptologist Wilfried Seipel has suggested that was the queen of pharaoh Menkauhor Kaiu.W. Grajetzki, Ancient Egyptian Queens: a hieroglyphic dictionary, 2005 Based on the datation of the tombs surrounding Khuit's burial, Seipel argues that she lived during the mid-Fifth Dynasty.

It was one of the first known attempts at building a ceiling dome over a square chamber, with the dome resting on jutting bricks at the corners of the room.Alessandro Bongioanni, Maria Sole Croce (eds.) The Treasures of Ancient Egypt, p. 81. White Star, 2003. The rectangular interior of Seneb's mastaba contained two cult niches with a false door and cavities containing stone chests.

Unas assumed the throne at the death of his predecessor Djedkare Isesi. Djedkare is thought to have been Unas' father, in spite of the complete lack of evidence bearing on the question. The succession from Djedkare Isesi to Unas seems to have been smooth. Unas had at least two queens, Nebet and Khenut, who were buried in a large double mastaba adjacent to their husband's pyramid.

The mastaba was decorated with a palace facade and with scenes showing Siese and his family. Four panels with the image of Siese in front of an offering table were excavated by de Morgan and are now on display in the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. The burial chamber of the tomb is decorated with the Pyramid Texts. On the chamber, he is given the title "Treasurer".

Each group engages different themes and group projects. Lower school students simulate an airplane flight to Paris and host a Japanese luncheon. The fourth group holds a Native American Fair, the fifth group creates an original Egyptian style mastaba, the sixth group presents a World's Fair, and the eighth group organizes an Immigration and Ethnic Fair. Science studies are enhanced by nature and outdoor experiences.

The Egyptologist Wilfried Seipel has proposed that this pyramid was initially intended for queen Meresankh IV, whom he and Verner see as a wife of Djedkare. Seipel contends that Meresankh was finally buried in a smaller mastaba in Saqqara North after she fell into disgrace. Alternatively, Aidan Dodson and Dyan Hilton have proposed that she was a wife of the preceding king, Menkauhor Kaiu.

Its shape resembles a typical Benben stele, as known from mastaba tombs of early dynastic kings. At the front, the cone presents a rectangular niche with an incarved inscription inside. The inscription mentions a royal palace named Palace of the headband of Huni and writes Huni's name above inside a royal cartouche. The decorated niche is interpreted by scholars as a so-called "apparition window".

Thus, it was a very typical practice of the 3rd dynasty. Additionally, Stadelmann points to the Layer Pyramid at Zawyet el'Aryan. This monument was possibly built by Khaba, since a nearby mastaba contained several stone vessels with his Horus name. Since the Turin Canon credits a reign of 24 years to Huni, Stadelmann argues that this time span would perfectly fit to finish the Layer Pyramid.

Hetepheres' husband Ankhhaf had a large mastaba numbered G 7510 in the Giza East Field. The decoration includes the depiction of a grandson, implying that the tomb was constructed and decorated later in the life of Ankhhaf. There is no burial shaft for Hetepheres in this tomb, and she may have died before the completion of the tomb and may have been buried elsewhere.

Skull uncovered in Beit Khallaf tomb K2, attributed to Sanakht by Garstang. The bones found in K2 exhibit gigantism, as the individual was over tall. The tomb of Nebka has not been located with any certainty, nor has that of Sanakht. Garstang, who excavated mastaba K2 at Beit Khallaf, believed that it belonged to Sanakht as seals bearing this pharaoh's name were uncovered there, beside a burial.

The tombs of both officials are not far apart. The mastaba of Kaemtjenent gives several important titles that he held, including overseer of all royal works of the king and king's son. The former title indicates that he was most likely involved in important royal building works, possibly the royal pyramid complex itself. Further titles provide evidence that he was involved in nautical expeditions.

250px The Tomb of Akhethetep (), also Tomb or Mastaba of Akhethotep, is a tomb complex that was built and completed at different times in Saqqarah, Egypt. It is the tomb of Akhethotep, a royal official, located near the western part of the Step Pyramid in Saqqara. Akhethetep was an official with several, mainly religious titles. including priest of Heka, priest of Khnum and priest of Horus.

Slab stele from mastaba tomb of Itjer at Giza. 4th Dynasty, 2543-2435 BC. Itjer is seated at a table with slices of bread, shown vertical by convention. Egyptian Museum, Turin Bread was central to the formation of early human societies. From the Fertile Crescent, where wheat was domesticated, cultivation spread north and west, to Europe and North Africa, and east towards East Asia.

Each of them contained a subterranean burial chamber and a separate, above ground chapel for mortuary rituals. In the Old Kingdom the mastaba developed into the pyramid, which symbolized the primeval mound of Egyptian myth. Pyramids were reserved for royalty, and were accompanied by large mortuary temples sitting at their base. Middle Kingdom pharaohs continued to build pyramids, but the popularity of mastabas waned.

115-118 (online) This mastaba is a simple rectangular block with just a small inner chapel. The only decorated part that survived is a door lintel showing Medunefer sitting. There is also a short inscription listing Medunefer's titles. According to the text, he was king's acquaintance, master of the secrets of the palace, leader of the eye physicians of the palace and physician of the palace.

These blocks are now in the Egyptian Museum (Cairo), in the Pushkin Museum and in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. On the latter blocks he bears different titles making it possible that they belong to a different person with the name Izi. His mastaba was discovered around 1890 at Saqqara. In the same year Vladimir Golenishchev bought eight blocks in Cairo for the Pushkin Museum.

Mastabas, then, were developed with the addition of offering chapels and vertical shafts. 5th Dynasty mastabas had elaborate chapels consisting of several rooms, columned halls and 'serdab'. The actual tomb chamber was built below the south-end of mastaba, connected by a slanting passage to a stairway emerging in the center of a columned hall or court. Mastabas are still well attested in the Middle Kingdom.

68 online The statue was once placed in the serdab of the mastaba and was therefore only visible via a small hole in the wall. The statue belongs to the small group of private statues datable to the Egyptian Third Dynasty and earliest Fourth Dynasty. They are all made of hard stone and appear somehow clumsy and heavy. The statue of Metjen is the latest one of them.

An undecorated space which serves to connect the vestibule and chambers on the north end of the mastaba with the abutting rock-cut sections of the tomb to their south. Modern security grates now obstruct much of the full sun that would have flooded this small, walled yard, yet little or no sun fell on the vestibule to the outer rock-cut hall described below, as its entrance faces north.

The tomb owners were stewards of the royal estate. In the Fifth Dynasty, they were Hathor priests and there is a temple to Hathor nearby. Four of the fifteen (numbered) tombs contain statues and carved hieroglyphics dating from the Old Kingdom. The most important of the sepulchres is the second tomb which is probably the tomb of Ni-ankh-kay (Neka-Ankh), which has the shape of a mastaba.

Ptahshepses was the vizier and son-in-law of the Fifth Dynasty pharaoh Nyuserre Ini.Baines, John and Jaromir Malek, Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt (New York: Facts on File, 2000), 153 As such he was one of the most distinguished members of the royal court. Ptahshepses' mastaba complex in Abusir is considered by many to be the most extensive and architecturally unique non-royal tomb of the Old Kingdom.

Southeast of the courtyard are the treasury and granary magazine complexes. The burial chamber is located in the northwest corner of the tomb. Although heavily robbed, two granite sarcophagi, a large one for Ptahshepses and a smaller one for his wife Khamerernebty are well preserved. One of the most notable features of the mastaba is a room in the southwest corner of the tomb which resembles a boat.

Tomb 1060 is the oldest and largest mastaba at Tarkhan. It was divided into several rooms, most likely used for storing burial goods, although little survived. In the middle was the underground burial chamber with four small side chambers not connected by doorways, but there were doors incised on the walls acting as symbolic chambers. The niches were painted red; only one niche, with a wooden floor, was unpainted.

Rawer was an ancient Egyptian official of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt. His main title was that of a vizier, making him to one of the highest officials at the royal court. Rawer is so far only known from his rather modest mastaba found at Saqqara, close to the pyramid of king Teti. Rawer had several titles, including overseer of Upper Egypt, but also royal sealer and beloved of god.

Here they had a revival. They were often solid structures with the decoration only on the outside.Arnold, D. (2008): Middle Kingdom Tomb Architecture at Lisht, Egyptian Expedition XXVIII, Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York , S. 26-30 By the time of the New Kingdom (which began with the 18th Dynasty around 1550 BC), "the mastaba becomes rare, being largely superseded by the independent pyramid chapel above a burial chamber".

Drawing of the so-called Treasury of Atreus in Mycenae, Greece. Ancient stone corbelled domes have been found from the Middle East to Western Europe. Corbelled beehive domes were used as granaries in Ancient Egypt from the first dynasty, in mastaba tombs of the Old Kingdom, as pressure-relieving devices in private brick pyramids of the New Kingdom, and as kilns and cellars. They have been found in brick and in stone.

Depiction of beer production in the Mastaba of Ti, with typical beer jugs. Depiction of wine production in the tomb of Nakht (TT52) with typical wine jugs Abydos, early dynastic. In Egyptology, the term 'pottery' is used to refer to all non-figural objects made from fired clay. The majority of pottery vessels surely served as household wares and were used for the storage, preparation, transport and consumption of food and other raw materials.

The numerous ivory tags dating to his reign also mention only typical arrangements, such as depicting and counting burial offerings and personal possessions of the king. Several mastaba tombs of high officials date into Qa'a's reign: Merka (S3505), Henuka (burial unknown), Neferef (burial also unknown) and Sabef (buried in the royal necropolis of Qa'a).P. Lacau, J. P. Lauer: La Pyramide a Degeres IV, Inscriptions Gravees sur les Vases. Cairo 1959, page 12.

The mausoleum, designed by Don Arthur, houses the bodies of Kwame Nkrumah and his wife Fathia Nkrumah. The building is meant to represent an upside down sword, which in Akan culture is a symbol of peace. The mausoleum is clad from top to bottom with Italian marble, with a black star at its apex to symbolize unity. The interior boasts marble flooring and a mini mastaba looking marble grave marker, surrounded by river-washed rocks.

In the process he discovered that it was not a mastaba at all, but a small pyramid complex. Through his excavations, Verner was able to clearly assign the structure to a queen named Khentkaus. It was not initially clear whether this was the same individual as Khentkaus I of the Fourth dynasty whose is at Giza. Both Khentkaus I and Khentkaus II had an unusual title which indicated that they had ruled Egypt personally.

This large shell, whose corners are rounded with a radius of curvature of , surrounds an empty inner space which was probably filled by sand and gravel. Considering these values, if the building really was a step pyramid, it would have had a base larger than that of the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser, while in the case of a mastaba, it would have exceeded in size the already considerable Mastabet el- Fara'un of Shepseskaf.

Its walls are made of roughly worked limestone blocks, presumably taken from a nearby, older necropolis of the 6th Dynasty. The hypogeum was found completely empty during the excavations and was certainly robbed and nearly destroyed in antiquity. Consequently, it is impossible to say if anybody had indeed been buried here. The structure of the burial chamber bears many similarities with that of Mastaba K1 of Beit Khallaf, dating back to the 3rd Dynasty.

In contrast with AC 29, AC 30 does not appear to have a lower level of mud floor. The mastaba was found to be long by , with masonry preserved up to a height of . It had an offering chapel, and a vertical shaft through which the substructure was accessed. The superstructure's outer faces were built from yellow and grey limestone which had been locally quarried, and joined using a mud and lime mortar.

Zoo-keeping seems in fact, in the surviving evidence, the most common work performed by dwarfs. Royal zookeepers mostly took care of the king's pets such as hunting dogs, domestic cats and guenons. This may be because these animals were very easy to tame and would not become a danger to the dwarfs. A unique relief from the mastaba of the high official Nyankhnesw (6th Dynasty) shows a dwarf taking a leopard for a walk.

Kalabendana agrees, then stabbed Gatotkaca's navel using Konta weapon. The weapon merges back into its sheath, which is the mastaba wood still stored in Gatotkaca's gut. Gatotkaca dies, and the spirit of Kalabendana threw his body towards Karna which managed to jump to escape death. Karna's chariot was shattered to pieces as a result of being crushed by Gatotkaca's body, and the fragments of the chariot shot in all directions and killed the Kaurava soldiers who were around it.

Akhethetep was an ancient Egyptian official of the Old Kingdom, perhaps dating to the end of the Fifth or the beginning of the Sixth Dynasty. He is mainly known from his mastaba that was found at Saqqara. Many decorated parts were brought to the Louvre.. Akhethetep bears in the inscriptions on his mastabas many religious titles including priest of Heka, priest of Khnum and priest of Horus. He was also sole friend and leader of the two thrones.

The Palestinian village house is the best known house type to Western scholars. It is described and documented in travelogues, essays and photographs from the 17th century onward. The house was divided into two areas: a lower level known as qa' al-bayt near or at the entrance of the home and an elevated area known as the mastaba used for living and eating. The size and uses of the lower level varies from house to house.

Examples include bread molds, spinning weights, and beer jugs. The shapes of beer jugs make it possible to link them with scenes of beer manufacture, such as the Mastaba of Ti: they are ovoid, round-bodied bottles, often with weakly defined lips, which are generally roughly shaped and are made of clay with a lot of organic matter mixed in.C. Köhler: Buto III. Die Keramik von der späten Vorgeschichte bis zum frühen Alten Reich (Schicht III bis VI).

The only sure name sources for a king "Ba" are a fragment of green schist, found in the underground galleries beneath the Pyramid of Djoser at Sakkara, and the (6th Dynasty) mastaba tomb of the high official Ny-Ankh-Ba.Nabil Swelim: Some Problems on the History of the Third Dynasty - Archaeological and Historical Studies; Volume 7. The Archaeological Society of Alexandria, Alexandria 1983, page 27–32, 180 und 219.Carl Richard Lepsius: Koenigsbuch der Alten Aegypter.

James P. Allen, "The Historical Inscription of Khnumhotep at Dahshur: Preliminary Report" In: Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research 352 (November 2008), pp. 29-39Wolfram Grajetzki, Court Officials of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, London 2009, p. 149. The mastaba was solid, without inner rooms, and was built of mudbricks covered with fine limestone while the outside was decorated with a palace façade and with the biographical inscription. The tomb has an area of c.

Henutsen was most possibly interred in Pyramid G1-c. Egyptologists believe that this pyramid was originally not part of Khufu's pyramid complex, but later added, as its southern side is not aligned with that of the Great Pyramid. In fact, the pyramid's southern side is aligned with Khufukhaf's mastaba tomb nearby. Rainer Stadelmann additionally believes that prince Khufukhaf was identical to king Khafra and that Khafra erected G1-c as the tomb for his (now royal) mother.

The construction postdates that of mastaba G 7070 of Sneferukhaf. Junker dated the cemetery to the reign of Menkaure based on the presence of granite powder thought to derive from the dressing of the second pyramid at Giza. Reisner allows for a possible construction date dating to the reign of Khafre.Reisner, George Andrew, A History of the Giza Necropolis Volume I. Harvard University Press, Cambridge 1942, pp 74, 82–84 and General Map of the Giza Necropolis.

Longevity and circumstances of the tomb owners' deaths are unknown. The limestone sarcophagi beneath the mastaba were ransacked and wooden coffins of later date interred in the burial chambers. Booth, citing others, adheres to the theory that Khnumhotep died first, leaving Niankhkhnum to complete the tomb's art. This conclusion was drawn from Khnumhotep's jmAx epithets (see Titulary section), a style of beard he wears, and exclusion of his wife at the banquet scene when Niankhknum's was originally there.

The subterranean structure contained a deep shaft leading into a corridor and several large chapels and niches. The burial chamber was plundered in antiquity, every decoration was destroyed and/or stolen. The large, roughly hewn sarcophagus contained the remains of a violently tattered mummy. Stadelmann and Peter Janosi think that the mastaba was either the tomb of a crown-prince, who died an heir to the throne of king Snefru, or it was the burial of Huni himself.

The first reserve head was discovered in 1894, in Dashur, by the Director General of the French Service of Antiquities in Egypt, Jacques de Morgan.Roehrig. (1999) p. 73 The majority of the heads were discovered by the American Egyptologist George Andrew Reisner, who excavated a number of mastaba tombs to the west of the Great Pyramid of Giza. He identified these mastabas as belonging to royal family members of the pharaoh Khafra, one of which (No.

Isesi-ankh (transliteration Izzi-ˁnḫ) was an ancient Egyptian high official during the second half of the Fifth Dynasty, in the late 25th to mid 24th century BC. His name means "Isesi lives". He may have been a son of pharaoh Djedkare Isesi and queen Meresankh IV, although this is debated. Isesi-ankh probably lived during the reign of Djedkare Isesi and that of his successor Unas. He was buried in a mastaba tomb in north Saqqara, now ruined.

Rashepses was buried in Saqqara. It received the number LG16 from the expedition under Karl Richard Lepsius, that recorded the tomb in the middle of the 19th century. His mastaba is located north of funerary complex of Djoser among a group of tombs of the Fifth Dynasty, along with his contemporaries Perneb and Raemka. The tomb is decorated with classic images of the presentation of offerings and a set of scenes related to the funerary cult of the vizier.

A fragmentary scene below shows men bringing cranes, which Egyptians penned and raised for food. Artisans carved images of live food animals in tombs to supply the deceased with an eternal source of provisions. Brooklyn Museum In the Old Kingdom, kings first built pyramids for their tombs surrounded by stone mastaba tombs for their high officials. The fact that most high officials were also royal relatives suggests another motivation for such placement: these complexes were also family cemeteries.

The dating of Sekhem-ankh-Ptah is uncertain and ranges in scholarly literature from the Fifth Dynasty to the Sixth Dynasty.The Giza Archives: search G 7152 Sekhem-ankh-Ptah was married to a woman named Bunefer, who might have been the daughter of a king as indicated by her title "King's daughter of his body". She has her own false door on the East, outside of the mastaba. Two children of Sekhem-ankh-Ptah are also known.

Statue of Minnefer in Cleveland Minnefer (also Min-Nefer, meaning "Min is perfect") was Supervisor of Palace Attendants and Overseer of Messengers during the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt. He was buried in a mastaba in Giza. When it was excavated, his tomb still housed four statues of Minnefer. One of these is now in the Cleveland Museum of ArtCleveland: J.H. Wade Fund 1948.420; Lawrence M. Berman: Catalogue of Egyptian Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, New York 1999, , pp.

Prior to being excavated, tomb AC 30 appeared to be an elongated, north-south oriented mound – later confirmed to be a mastaba – long by wide and with a maximal elevation of . Indications of severe damage due to the practice of stone thieving were immediately identifiable from the debris. This is in keeping with the state of other tombs in the Abusir necropolis. The floor of the tomb's courtyard was covered in a layer of mud and admixture of gravel.

It is believed to be the only Egyptian Revival tomb to feature both a mastaba and a pyramid. It was overgrown and fell into disrepair until a 1999 restoration. An interesting memorial marker here is the one for Archibald Wiseman and two of his young children by his wife, Susan Clyde, located at gravesite 1-140. Somewhat of a mystery is the inscription on the marker that reports that he died at sea on May 9, 1853.

Several priests serving the mortuary cult or in Sahure's sun temple during the later Fifth and Sixth Dynasties are known thanks to inscriptions and artifacts from their tombs in Saqqara and Abusir. These include Tjy, overseer of the sun temples of Sahure, Neferirkare, Neferefre and Nyuserre; Neferkai priest of Sahure's funerary cult; Khabauptah priest of Sahure, Neferirkare, Neferefre, and Niuserre, Atjema, priest of the sun temple of Sahure during the Sixth Dynasty; Khuyemsnewy, who served as priest of the mortuary cult of Sahure during the reigns of Neferirkare and Nyuserre; Nikare, priest of the cult of Sahure and overseer of the scribes of the granary during the Fifth Dynasty. Further priests are known, such as Senewankh, serving in the cults of Userkaf and Sahure and buried in a mastaba in Saqqara; Sedaug, a priest of the cult of Sahure, priest of Ra in the sun-temple of Userkaf and holder of the title of royal acquaintance; Tepemankh, priest of the cults of kings of the Fourth to early Fifth Dynasty including Userkaf and Sahure, buried in a mastaba at Abusir.

Creation of a vase using a rotating pedestal, from a depiction in the Mastaba of Ti During the Chalcolithic, the rotating pilaster came into use for the manufacture of ceramics. This may have arisen from the desire to make the body and especially the opening of the vessel being made symmetrical. The technique can be clearly recognised from a horizontal rotation mark in the opening of the vessel. Unlike the potter's wheel, there was no fixed axis around which rotations were centred.

Personified representations of Menkauhor's agricultural domains are depicted bringing offerings on the walls of the mastabas of these priests. Most of the depictions are located in Saqqara North, near the pyramid complex of Djoser. This area comprises the tombs of Neferiretptah, Raemankh, Duare, Iti, Sekhemnefer, Snofrunefer, Akhethotep, Ptahhotep and Qednes, all priests of the funerary cult of Menkauhor. Further tombs of priests of this cult are found to the north, in Abusir South, with the mastaba of Isesiseneb and Rahotep and in Giza.

Despite this, the complex remains one of the best preserved of the Old Kingdom. In its substructure, excavators found fragments of a red granite sarcophagus and of Neferefre's mummy, who was found to have died at around twenty to twenty-three years of age. The mastaba tomb of Khentkaus III, likely Neferefre's wife, was discovered near his unfinished pyramid in Abusir. Inside the substructure fragments of a mummy were recovered, which were determined to belong to a twenty-year-old female.

On the north side eight rectangular blocks of stone were left to serve as mastabas, probably for the burial of personages associated with the royal court. In front of each mastaba is a narrow shaft leading down to the burial chamber underneath. Also on the north side is the Queen's Pyramid or subsidiary pyramid. The most remarkable discovery was that of the village of the workers who both constructed the pyramid and then served the funerary cult of the king.

North of the chapel are four magazines containing cult vessels likely used in the chapel. The chapel opens into a twenty-limestone-pillared courtyard built in the third phase of enlargement. These columns bear life- sized pictures of Ptahshepses and are arranged in such a way to lead a visitor to the large altar in the center, to the original mastaba entrance, and ultimately to Ptahshepses' burial chamber. Additionally, the courtyard is decorated with reliefs, few of which have remained in situ.

Consequently, they are less well preserved than the world-famous pyramids built by the Fourth Dynasty kings at Giza. Unas, the last ruler of the Fifth Dynasty, was the first king to adorn the chambers in his pyramid with Pyramid Texts. During the Old Kingdom, it was customary for courtiers to be buried in mastaba tombs close to the pyramid of their king. Thus, clusters of private tombs were formed in Saqqara around the pyramid complexes of Unas and Teti.

Christo's Mastaba in Hyde Park, London А religious visual arts heritage includes frescoes, murals and icons, many produced by the medieval Tarnovo Artistic School. Like literature, it was not until the National Revival when Bulgarian visual arts began to reemerge. Zahari Zograf was a pioneer of the visual arts in the pre-Liberation era. After the Liberation, Ivan Mrkvička, Anton Mitov, Vladimir Dimitrov, Tsanko Lavrenov and Zlatyu Boyadzhiev introduced newer styles and substance, depicting scenery from Bulgarian villages, old towns and historical subjects.

Also depicted in the tomb are his wife Merites, one son who was also called Seshathetep and another son called Heti. The title of vizier is not recorded on the tomb walls but appears on a statue unearthed in the mastaba. This suggests that he was promoted to this high office after the decoration of the tomb was finished. However, the statue in question, which shows a couple, is damaged and the names of the people represented have been lost.

Athribis was once the capital of the tenth Lower Egyptian nome. The Palermo stone indicates Egyptian occupation of the site dating back to the Old Kingdom, with the earliest mention of Athribis dating to the reign of Sahure. This could perhaps have been confirmed in 2010, with the discovery of a mastaba dating to the late Third Dynasty to early Fourth Dynasty in nearby Quesna. After this, archeological evidence exists for an occupation during the 12th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom period.

Djoser is linked to Khasekhemwy, the last king of the Second Dynasty of Egypt, through his wife Queen Nimaethap (Nimaat-hap) via seals found in Khasekhemwy's tomb and at Beit Khallaf. The seal at Abydos names Nimaat-hap as the "mother of the king's children, Nimaat-hap". On mastaba K1 at Beit Khallaf, the same person is mentioned as the "mother of the dual king". Dating of other seals at the Beit Khallaf site place them to the reign of Djoser.

Step Pyramid of Djoser, old photograph. Step pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, Egypt King Djoser running for the Heb-Sed celebration (relief from the underground galleries) Djoser was buried in his famous step pyramid at Saqqara. This pyramid was originally built as a nearly square mastaba, but then five further mastabas were literally piled one upon another, each smaller than the previous one, until the monument became Egypt's first step pyramid. Supervisor of the building constructions was the high lector priest Imhotep.

In the Ptolemaic period, the Egyptian priest and historian Manetho credited him with inventing the method of a stone-dressed building during Djoser's reign, though he was not the first to actually build with stone. Stone walling, flooring, lintels, and jambs had appeared sporadically during the Archaic Period, though it is true that a building of the size of the step pyramid made entirely out of stone had never before been constructed. Before Djoser, Pharaohs were buried in mastaba tombs.

The Statue of Metjen is on display in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin and has the inventory number ÄM 1106. The statue was discovered at Abusir in Metjen's mastaba by the Egyptian expedition (1842–1845) under the direction of the Prussian scholar Karl Richard Lepsius.Richard Lepsiusː Denkmäler aus Ägypten und Äthiopien nach den Zeichnungen der von Seiner Majestät dem Könige von Preußen Friedrich Wilhelm IV nach diesen Ländern gesendeten und in den Jahren 1842–1845. ausgeführten wissenschaftlichen Expedition auf Befehl Seiner Majestät herausgegeben und erläutert.

Relief block from Khnumhotep's mastaba Khnumhotep III (sometimes simply vizier Khnumhotep) was an ancient Egyptian high steward and vizier of the 12th Dynasty. Khnumhotep was the son of the local governor Khnumhotep II, known from his tomb at Beni Hasan (tomb BH3). Khnumhotep was promoted as a young man, under Senusret II to the royal court and was sent on several missions, one of them to the Red Sea, another one to Byblos. He became high steward and finally vizier during the reign of Senusret III.

Shery is known from his mastaba at Saqqara that was found and partly recorded in the nineteenth century AD.Auguste Mariette: Les mastabas des l' ancient empire. p. 92-94 (online). His wife was called Khentetek; a second woman appearing in his tomb decoration was called Inet and may have been a second wife (or mother?). Shery held the title “Overseer of all wab-priests of king Peribsen in the necropolis of king Senedj”, “Great One of the Ten of Upper Egypt” and “God´s Servant of Senedj”.

124 Rehuerdjersen is also known from an Abydos stela. However, based on stylistically reasons the stela was dated to the rule of Amenemhat II.R. Freed: Stela Workshops of Early Dynasty 12, in: Studies in Honor of William Kelly Simpson, Boston 1996, p. 327-334 The two different datings created some confusion over the dating of Rehuerdjersen. It seems possible that the tomb was built much later than when Amenemhat I was king, but the style of the reliefs in the mastaba seem to confirm an early date.

The Egyptologist Jocelyn Berlandini proposed that another statuette, usually attributed to Teti, belongs instead to Menkauhor Kaiu. Berlandini bases her hypothesis on stylistic grounds, noting the resemblance with Menkauhor's seated statue, as well as the location of the second statue, which was uncovered east of Teti's pyramid, in close proximity to Menkauhor's pyramid. Monumental attestations of Menkauhor are limited to a rock inscription at the Wadi Maghareh in Sinai, showing his titulary and a rough stele inscribed with his cartouche from Mastaba 904 at Saqqara.

Closer examinations of the pyramid surroundings however revealed several tomb inscriptions and pilgrim graffiti praising the "beauty of the white pyramid of king Snefru". They further call for prayers to Snefru and "his great wife Meresankh I". Additionally, the surrounding mastaba tombs date to the reign of King Snefru. Huni's name has yet to be found anywhere near the pyramid. These indices led Egyptologists to the conclusion that the pyramid of Meidum was never Huni's, but rather an achievement of Snefru, planned and constructed as a cenotaph.

Sabu called Kem was High Priest of Ptah, probably during the reign of Pepi I. His precise titles include greatest of the directors of craftsmen belonging to the day of the festival of the Sun (this is the main title of a high priest of Ptah), priest of Sokar in the two houses and priest of Ptah. Sabu's mastaba (C 23) in Saqqara is described by Mariette. It is built of limestone. The cult chamber consists of only one room, that is decorated with agricultural scenes.

Archaeologists, notably Christiane Ziegler, Jean-Pierre Adam and Guillemette Andreu-Lanoë, have identified over eight years (1991-1999) that the tomb was long, in width, respectively about 60 and 30 Egyptian cubits, high present; the initial height can be estimated at approximately .Ziegler, Adam, Andreu-Lanoë 2007, p. 30 The mastaba is accessed through a narrow gate topped by a scroll on which is inscribed the name of the owner. The doorway is decorated in relief with a noteworthy scene of Akhethotep transporting statues to the tomb.

Due both to the ruined state of the structure and to the building's atypical architecture, Kamal believed it to be a huge mastaba while Weill thought it was a pyramid. Even today, in spite of the fact that the building is commonly considered to be a pyramid—and possibly a step pyramid—it is not possible to determine with certainty which type of tomb it was, and one cannot exclude that it was indeed a mastaba.Miroslav Verner: Die Pyramiden. Rowohlt Verlag, Reinbek 1997, pp.

Early in 2011 the band participated in the Egyptian revolution, campaigning for social, political and cultural reform in Egypt and performing for the protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Following the Revolution El Tanbura performed at WOMAD Abu Dhabi and returned to London in a show curated for the Barbican featuring the band alongside fellow musical revolutionaries Azza Balba, Mustafa Said and Ramy Essam. The band won the Roskilde Festival World Music Award for Zakaria's El Mastaba Centre for Egyptian Popular Music at WOMEX 2011 in Copenhagen.

The Chief Inspector at Saqqara, Mounir Basta, discovered another rock-cut tomb just south of the causeway in 1964, later excavated by Ahmed Moussa. The tombs belonged to two palace officials manicurists living during the reigns of Nyuserre Ini and Menkauhor, in the Fifth Dynasty, named Ni-ankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep. A highly decorated chapel for the tomb was discovered the following year. The chapel was located inside a unique stone mastaba that was connected to the tombs through an undecorated open court.

Sekhem-ankh-Ptah (also Sekhemankhptah and Sekhemankh-Ptah) was an ancient Egyptian high official who lived during the Old Kingdom period. His main title was that of a vizier, making him to the most important official at the royal court, second only to the king. Other important titles of Sekhem-ankh-Ptah were "Overseer of all royal works" and "Overseer of the scribes of the king's document". Sekhem-ankh-Ptah is mainly known from his mastaba (G7152) discovered by George Andrew Reisner at Giza.

Anamorphic mosaic art Since the mid-20th century, many artists have made use of anamorphosis in public artworks. American Land art pioneer Michael Heizer's Complex One (1972-1974), a massive earth and concrete structure in the Nevada desert, creates a rectangular frame for a mastaba when viewed from a specific location. Inspired by Luxor and other ancient monumental sites, it is part of the larger work City, an enormous sculpture running a mile and a half long. The entire work will not be completed until 2020.

The tomb was found near Neferefre's funerary complex by a Czech archaeological team led by Miroslav Bárta of Charles University in Prague, with Egyptian collaboration. The name and rank of Khentkaus was inscribed on the inner walls of the tomb, probably by the builders. Her burial place is a mastaba with an underground burial chamber that is reached via a shaft. The reliefs in the tomb identified her both as "the wife of the king" and "the mother of the king", implying her son ascended the throne.

The proportion of dwarfs in the royal cemetery in Abydos is much larger than in a normal population. Thus, it is possible that some of these dwarfs were bought from elsewhere - or even came to Egypt voluntarily as a land where they could expect to rise to a high social status. In support for this hypothesis, Hermann Junker,Hermann Junker: Gîza V: Die Mastaba des Snb (Seneb) und die umliegenden Gräber. Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien: Philosophisch-historische Klasse, Denkschriften 71.2, Wien/Leipzig 1941, pp. 7-11.

The mastaba housed a statue of the deceased that was hidden within the masonry for its protection. High up the walls of the serdab were small openings that would allow the ba to leave and return to the body (represented by the statue); Ancient Egyptians believed the ba had to return to its body or it would die. These openings "were not meant for viewing the statue but rather for allowing the fragrance of burning incense, and possibly the spells spoken in rituals, to reach the statue".

It is possible, that king Nynetjer (or Peribsen) decided to split the whole bureaucracy of Egypt into two separate departments in an attempt to reduce the power of the officials. Such an act was not surprising and occurred several times in Egyptian history, especially in later dynasties. The scholars also point to the once palatial and well preserved mastaba tombs at Saqqara and Abydos belonging to high officials such as Ruaben and Nefer-Setekh. These are all dated from the reign of Nynetjer to that of Khasekhemwy, the last ruler of the Second Dynasty.

The mastaba-like structure on the terrace is surrounded by a pillared ambulatory along the west wall, where the statue shrines and tombs of several royal wives and daughters were found. These royal princesses were the priestesses of Hathor, one of the main ancient Egyptian funerary deities. Although little remained of the king's own burial, six sarcophagi were retrieved from the tombs of the royal ladies (Ashayet, Henhenet, Kawit, Kemsit, Muyet and Sadhe). Each was formed of six slabs, held together at the corners by metal braces and carved in sunken relief.

Map of the Giza Necropolis. Seneb's tomb was found in the western cemetery (the West Field) Seneb was buried in a mastaba – a flat-roofed brick tomb – located in the West Field of the Giza Necropolis near modern Cairo, where a large complex of ancient Egyptian royal tombs and mortuary structures was built, including the Great Pyramid. It was rediscovered by the German archaeologist Hermann Junker in 1926. The tomb is situated close to that of another dwarf, Perniankhu, a high- ranking royal courtier who may have been Seneb's father.

Old Kingdom Monuments Organized by Ruler, Wikiversity They all died before Sneferu and their younger half-brother Khufu became pharaoh after Sneferu.Snofru, Ranefer's father Ranefer worked as an overseer for his fatherJustine Victoria Way, From Privilege to Poverty: The Life-cycle of Pyramid Settlements During the Old Kingdom (title: “Overseer of Djed-Sneferu”) and was buried inside a mastaba tomb at Meidum. In the tomb were found remains of viscera wrapped in linen. Ranefer’s body is the best representation of what mummification techniques entailed during the Old Kingdom.

The Met, New York The Tomb of Perneb is a mastaba-style tomb from ancient Egypt, built during the reigns of Djedkare Isesi and Unas (ca. 2381 BC to 2323 BC), in the necropolis of Saqqara, north of Pharaoh Djoser's Step Pyramid and about 30 kilometers south of Giza, Egypt. It was the tomb of Perneb, and from the size and placement of the tomb he might have been a court official or royal family member.There was also a Prince named Perneb, but this tomb seems to be built for a different person.

Perhaps, in her own right, she may have been the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, which aspects of her burial suggests.Robinson, Andrew, Archaeology: The wonder of the pyramids, Nature, 550, 330-331(2017), October 17, 2017 Her mastaba at Giza – tomb LG100 – is located very close to Menkaure's pyramid complex. This close connection may point to a family relationship. Although the relationship is not clear, the proximity of the pyramid complex of Khentkaus to that of king Menkaure has led to the conjecture that she may have been his daughter.

Both sections of the structure have a slightly rectangular base plan, oriented in a north-south direction with extremely steep sides, which make it impossible that the structure was ever a true pyramid. In the masonry, a relatively large number of building inscriptions and marks were found. These included the name of the structure, which can be translated as "the two [pyramids] are watchful."Miroslav Verner: Dušan Magdolen questioned the classification of the building as a double pyramid and stressed the typological similarity of the remains to a mastaba.

Shunet El Zebib was founded around 2700 BC. by the ancient Egyptian king Khasekhemwy, the last ruler of the 2nd Dynasty. The Shunet was built as a so-called funerary enclosure, a place where the deceased king was worshipped and memorized. Such a place was named "house of the Ka" or "Ka-house" by the Egyptians and it was some kind of forerunner to the later mortuary temples known from the Old Kingdom period. As usual for the Early Kingdom, abydene rulers had their own mastaba tomb with a separated funerary enclosure close by.

Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1942. Djaty was married and had a son Djaty II. It is possible that he had more sons.Reisner, A history of the Giza Necropolis. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1942. After his death, Djaty was buried in the tomb known as G 7810.Porter, Bertha and Moss, Rosalind, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings Volume III: Memphis, Part I Abu Rawash to Abusir, 2nd edition This is a mastaba at Giza. In the tomb his wife and son are depicted.

Senewosret-Ankh (or Sesostris-Ankh, Senusret-Ankh) was High Priest of Ptah in Memphis, Royal Sculptor, and Builder likely during the time of Senusret I of the 12th Dynasty. His mastaba was discovered in 1933 near the pyramid of Senusret I at Lisht. The tomb's superstructure was thoroughly destroyed because the stones had been removed. The tomb was looted in antiquity, but some nice pieces of sculpture were found by the excavators, like a limestone sitting statue of Senewosret-Ankh himself, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no. 33.1.2a–c).

The ancient name of Sekhemkhet's pyramid is unknown; however, it is colloquially known as Buried Pyramid due to its unfinished nature as well as it being previously unknown until its discovery in 1952, when it was found beneath the sands. Its present state is more similar to a mastaba, only reaching 2.43 m (8 ft) of height. The pyramid's foundations stand upon an uneven rock surface, leading the builders to try to level the terrain by building terraces, some reaching ten metres high. The pyramid was to be stepped right from its inception.

Originally the mastaba belonged only to Kekheretnebti but later on the tomb was reconstructed and enlarged on the northern side to include a second burial, that of Kekheretnebti's daughter Tisethor, who had barely reached the age of puberty. Kekheretnebti was a full sister of princess Hedjetnebu who was buried in a tomb nearby. The examination of the skeletal remains show that the sisters showed some similarities and were both clearly related to Djedkare Isesi. Archaeological evidence shows that Kekheretnebti's tomb was constructed first, soon followed by the construction of the tomb of her sister Hedjetnebu.

These problems originate in part from contradictory king lists, which were all compiled long after Khaba's death, especially during the Ramesside era (which is separated from the Third Dynasty by 1,400 years). It is also a matter of debate as to where Khaba might have been buried. Many Egyptologists and archaeologists propose that an unfinished Layer Pyramid at Zawyet el'Aryan belongs to him. Others believe instead that his tomb is a large mastaba close to the Layer Pyramid, where numerous stone vessels bearing Khaba's serekh have been found.

Khaba's name appears on nine polished stone bowls, variously made of magnesite, travertine, and diorite, which were found at the archaeological locales of Zawyet el'Aryan, Abusir, and Naga-ed-Deir. The bowls were found mostly intact; they show only the king's serekh name on their polished surfaces. As was conventional at the time they were made, they contain no additional inscriptions for context. His name also appears on several mud seal impressions found at Quesna (in the Delta),Luxor Times: British archaeologists discovered an Old Kingdom Mastaba in Delta Zawyet el'Aryan, Hierakonpolis, and Elephantine.

The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London Limestone slab showing the cartouche of Senusret II and name and image of goddess Nekhbet. From Mastaba 4, north side of Senusret II Pyramid at Lahun, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London It was announced by the Supreme Council of Antiquities on 26 April 2009 that an anthology of pharaonic-era mummies in vividly painted wooden coffins were uncovered near the Lahun pyramid in Egypt. The sarcophagi were decorated with bright hues of green, red and white bearing images of their occupants.

In 1843, Richard Lepsius of Berlin University designated the Abusir site next to the pyramid complex of Sahure as "pyramid no. XIX" and subsequently published this in his Denkmaeler aus Aegypten und Aethiopien. Jacques de Morgan's excavation of the site in 1893 revealed the site was actually part of a mastaba. It was not until some seventy years later that the Czech Institute of Egyptology revived interest in the site with its discovery of the complete structure in a series of excavations from 1960 to 1974 led primarily by Zbyněk Žába and Abdu al-Qereti.

Saqqara (, ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world- famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of mastaba tombs. Located some south of modern-day Cairo, Saqqara covers an area of around . At Saqqara, the oldest complete stone building complex known in history was built, the Pyramid of Djoser, built during the Third Dynasty.

By the First Dynasty, some Egyptians were wealthy enough to build tombs over their burials rather than placing their bodies in simple pit graves dug into the sand. The rectangular, mud- brick tomb with an underground burial chamber, called a mastaba, developed in this period. These tombs had niched walls, a style of building called the palace-façade motif because the walls imitated those surrounding the palace of the king. Since commoners as well as kings, however, had such tombs, the architecture suggests that in death, some wealthy people did achieve an elevated status.

There is also the first evidence of inscriptions inside the coffins of the elite during the Old Kingdom. Often, reliefs of everyday items were etched onto the walls supplemented grave goods, which made them available through their representation. The new false door was a non-functioning stone sculpture of a door into the tomb, found either inside the chapel or on the outside of the mastaba; it served as a place to make offerings and recite prayers for the deceased. Statues of the deceased were now included in tombs and used for ritual purposes.

The pyramid has since been ruined, as have all others of the Fifth Dynasty, a result of its poor construction and materials. The pyramids of the Fifth Dynasty were further systematically dismantled during the New Kingdom to be reused in the construction of new tombs. Unas abandoned the practice of building pyramids for his consorts; instead, Khenut and Nebet were buried in a double mastaba north-east of the main pyramid. Each queen was accorded separate rooms and an individual entrance, though the layout of the tombs is identical.

In 1907, the British Museum received a collection of 192 mummified cats and 11 small carnivores excavated at Gizeh by Flinders Petrie. The mummies probably date to between 600 and 200 BC. Two of these cat mummies were radiographed in 1980. The analysis revealed that they were deliberately strangulated before they reached the age of two years. They were probably used to supply the demand for mummified cats as votive offerings. Remains of 23 cats were found in the early 1980s in a small mastaba tomb at the archaeological site Balat in Dakhla Oasis.

Clay seal fragment bearing Sanakht's serekh from mastaba K2 at Beit Khallaf. The exact duration of Sanakht's time on the throne is unknown. Unlike Djoser, few relics survive from his reign, which casts serious doubts on the traditional figure of 18 years of reign for this king, as given by both Manetho and the Turin Canon. It must be stressed that the Turin Canon and Manetho were more than one and two thousand years removed from the time of Egypt's Third Dynasty, and would be expected to contain some inaccurate or unreliable data.

Egyptian architecture was influenced by Mesopotamian precedents, as it adopted element of Mesopotamian Temple and civic architecture. Nancy H. Demand is Professor Emerita in the Department of History, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. These exchanges were part of Egypt- Mesopotamia relations since the 4th millenium BCE. Recessed niches were characteristic of Mesopotamian Temple architecture, and were adopted in Egyptian architecture, especially for the design of false doors in Mastaba tombs, during the First Dynasty and the Second Dynasty, from the time of the Naqada III period (circa 3000 BCE).

Inside Ancient Egypt offers a glimpse into what life was like for ancient Egyptians. Twenty-three human mummies are on display as well as many mummified animals. The exhibit features a three-story replica (featuring two authentic rooms with 5,000-year- old hieroglyphs) of the mastaba tomb of Unas-Ankh, the son of Unas (the last pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty). Also displayed are an ancient marketplace showing artifacts of everyday life, a shrine to the cat goddess Bastet, and dioramas showing the afterlife preparation process for the dead.

South of the main pyramid field at Saqqara is a second collection of later, smaller pyramids, including those of Pepi I, Djedkare Isesi, Merenre, Pepi II and Ibi. Most of these are in a poor state of preservation. The Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Shepseskaf either did not share an interest in, or have the capacity to undertake pyramid construction like his predecessors. His tomb, which is also sited at south Saqqara, was instead built as an unusually large mastaba and offering temple complex. It is commonly known as the Mastabat al-Fir’aun.

Tjauti was an ancient Egyptian official who lived at the end of the Eighth Dynasty, around 2150 BC. He is known from a number of sources providing evidence that he was an important figure in the Coptic Nome in Upper Egypt. However, the sources are often broken and the figure of Tjauti remains therefore enigmatic. The most important objects naming Tjauti are the fragments of a false door found near Khozam (compare: Iushenshen)Maha Farid Mostafa: The Mastaba of SmAj at Naga' Kom el-Koffar, Qift. Vol. I: Autobiographies and related scenes and texts.

In the Northern mound they discovered a systematically constructed necropolis, thought by Garstang to date from the early 3rd Dynasty to the 5th Dynasty. Garstang discovered three large mastaba tombs (R50, R70, and R75), as well as burials within mud brick enclosures; burials under mud brick vaults (in enclosures and without enclosures); shaft burials; and burials under upturned pots. Garstang also discovered some plundered tombs and graves which he believed dated from an earlier period. The team also locally bought pottery which was thought to date from the predynastic period.

The Sinai was also strategically important as a buffer between the Nile valley and Asia. His most famous monument was his step pyramid, which entailed the construction of several mastaba tombs one over another. These forms would eventually lead to the standard pyramid tomb in the later Old Kingdom. Manetho, many centuries later, alludes to architectural advances of this reign, mentioning that "Tosorthros" discovered how to build with hewn stone, in addition to being remembered as the physician Aesculapius, and for introducing some reforms in the writing system.

They buried their dead in pit graves dug out from the sand; the body placed on a mat, usually along with some items believed to help them in the afterlife. The first tomb structure which the Egyptians developed was the mastaba, composed of earthen bricks made from soil along the Nile. It provided better protection from scavenging animals and from grave robbers. As the remains were not in contact with the dry desert sand, natural mummification could not take place; therefore the Egyptians devised a system of artificial mummification.

Ankhaf's mastaba tomb, G 7510, was one the largest in the eastern cemetery at Giza. The tomb was dated to the reign of Khafre by Reisner. More recently a study of the architecture, iconography and titles of the occupants has led to a reassessment and the tomb likely spans the reigns of Khufu, Djedefre and Khafra. A superb and realistic painted limestone portrait bust of Ankhhaf discovered in his tomb is considered the work "of a master" of ancient Egyptian art from the time of the Old Kingdom, and can be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Part of the mastaba consists of a chapel with six rooms, a pillared hall, five magazines, two chambers containing boats, a serdab and a staircase which gives access to the roof. The chapel walls are decorated and so are the walls of the burial chamber, which was located at the bottom of a shaft. The burial chamber contained an inscribed stone sarcophagus with a wooden coffin inside it. The tomb consists of a hall right after the entrance, followed by a pillared hall and then a suite of rooms to the north of the pillared hall.

The West Field at Giza The West Field is located on the Giza Plateau, to the west of the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is divided up into smaller areas like the cemeteries known as the Abu Bakr Excavations (1949–50, 1950–51, 1952 and 1953), as well as several cemeteries whose toponyms are based on the mastaba numbers such as Cemetery G 1000 and Cemetery G 1100. The West Field contains Cemetery G1000 – Cemetery G1600, and Cemetery G 1900. Further cemeteries in this field are: Cemeteries G 2000, G 2200, G 2500, G 3000, G 4000, and G 6000.

Entrance to second vestibule in the mastaba of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum, seen from the enclosed court. Khnumhotep () and Niankhkhnum () were ancient Egyptian royal servants. They shared the title of Overseer of the Manicurists in the Palace of King Nyuserre Ini, sixth pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty, reigning during the second half of the 25th century BC. They were buried together at Saqqara and are listed as "royal confidants" in their joint tomb. They are notable for their unusual depiction in Egyptian records, often interpreted as the first recorded same-sex couple, a claim that has met considerable debate.

Vessel inscriptions, labels and sealings from the graves of Hor- Aha and Queen Neithhotep suggest that this queen died during the reign of Aha. He arranged for her burial in a magnificent mastaba excavated by Jacques de Morgan.De Morgan Recherches sur les origines de l'Egypte II. Ethnographie préhistorique et tombeau royal de Negadah Queen Neithhotep is plausibly Aha's motherSilke Roth: Die Königsmütter des Alten Ägypten von der Frühzeit bis zum Ende der 12. Dynastie. Wiesbaden 2001, S. 31–35 The selection of the cemetery of Naqada as the resting place of Neithhotep is a strong indication that she came from this province.

Many Egyptologists, including Verner, Zemina, David, and Baker, believe that Sahure was Userkaf's son rather than his brother as suggested by the Westcar papyrus. The main evidence is a relief showing Sahure and his mother Neferhetepes, this being also the name of the queen who is believed to have owned the pyramid next to Userkaf's. An additional argument supporting the filiation of Sahure is the location of his pyramid in close proximity to Userkaf's sun temple. No other child of Userkaf has been identified except a daughter named Khamaat, mentioned in inscriptions uncovered in the mastaba of Ptahshepses.

Sabu also called Tjety was the High Priest of Ptah in the Sixth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, around 2300 BC. Sabu is mainly known from the remains of his mastaba in Saqqara (E.3). The inscriptions on the fragment of a false door were copied in the 19th century and present part of a biography. The fragments are today in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.Catalogue Generals 1706, 1756; Ludwig Borchardt: Denkmäler des Alten Reiches (ausser den Statuen) im Museum zu Kairo Nr. 1295–1808, Teil II: Text und Tafeln zu Nr. 1542–1808, Kairo, 1964, pp.

The pyramid core, between the two frames, was then packed with rubble fill composed of limestone chips, sand, pottery shards, and clay. Only the lowest step of Neferefre's pyramid was completed, before a hasty conversion into a square mastaba or primeval mound – as suggested by its name, iat (hill), found in the Abusir Papyri – was made to accommodate his funeral. The single step, about tall, was enclosed by roughly dressed fine white Tura limestone blocks sloped at ~78°. Above the chamber's ceiling, a flat roof terrace was built then covered in a thin layer of clay and gravel, completing the monument.

82 Egyptians also believed that being mummified and put in a sarcophagus (an ancient Egyptian "coffin" carved with complex symbols and designs, as well as pictures and hieroglyphs) was the only way to have an afterlife. Only if the corpse had been properly embalmed and entombed in a mastaba, could the dead live again in the Fields of Yalu and accompany the Sun on its daily ride. Due to the dangers the afterlife posed, the Book of the Dead was placed in the tomb with the body as well as food, jewellery, and 'curses'. They also used the "opening of the mouth".

Mask from a coffin. Cartonnage, 37.1387E, Brooklyn Museum Burial customs in the Middle Kingdom reflect some of the political trends of this period. During the Eleventh Dynasty, tombs were cut into the mountains of Thebes surrounding the king's tomb or in local cemeteries in Upper and Middle Egypt; Thebes was the native city of the Eleventh Dynasty kings, and they preferred to be buried there. But the Twelfth Dynasty, high officials served the kings of a new family now ruling from the north in Lisht; these kings and their high officials preferred burial in a mastaba near the pyramids belonging to their masters.

Moreover, the difference in topography between Thebes and Lisht led to a difference in tomb type: in the north, nobles build mastaba tombs on the flat desert plains, while in the south, local dignitaries continued to excavate tombs in the mountain. For those of ranks lower than royal courtiers during the Eleventh Dynasty, tombs were simpler. Coffins could be simple wooden boxes with the body either mummified and wrapped in linen or simply wrapped without mummification, and the addition of a cartonnage mummy mask. Some tombs included wooded shoes and a simple statue near the body.

Hippopotami hunting scene from the mastaba of Ti, 5th Dynasty The hippopotamus often signifies chaos and evil in ancient Egypt, as the hippopotamus was believed to be the incarnation of the god Seth: the opponent of the good gods Osiris and Horus. Horus then avenged his father Osiris by killing Seth, who is incarnated as a hippopotamus. The king then takes the role of Horus whenever he kills the hippopotamus. From the 1st Dynasty onward, some pictures have been found with scenes in which the king hunts alone, as the hippopotamus became the symbol of chaos and evil.

In the south the state of preservation is clearly worse than in the north. Since the west wall of the structure is 30 metres shorter than the east, the south wall probably consisted of two parallel walls forming an entranceway. This pattern recurs in the larger funerary complex of Djoser's step pyramid. The walls were probably completed and in the enclosed area no remains of a construction have been found, so there cannot have been a pyramid or mastaba at the centre, since these constructions would have had to have been erected before the completion of an enclosure wall.

Akhethetep Hemi was an ancient Egyptian official at the end of the Fifth Dynasty, most likely in office under king Unas. His highest title was that of a vizier, making him to the most important official at the royal court, only second to the king. Next to the vizier's titles he was also overseer of the treasuries, overseer of the scribes of the king's document and overseer of the double granary, all these are important position at the royal court. Akhethetep Hemi is mainly known from his mastaba not far from the Pyramid of Unas, that was excavated and published by Selim Hassan.

Isometric drawing of the pyramid complex of Djedefre taken from a 3d model Djedefre's pyramid was architecturally different from those of his immediate predecessors in that the chambers were beneath the pyramid instead of inside. The pyramid was built over a natural mound and the chambers were created using the "pit and ramp" method, previously used on some mastaba tombs. Djedefre dug a pit 21m x 9m and 20m deep in the natural mound. A ramp was created at an angle of 22º35' and the chambers and access passage were built within the pit and on the ramp.

Sanakht's identity and position in the Third Dynasty is not entirely clear and remains the subject of debate. While Sanakht's existence is attested by seal fragments from mastaba K2 at Beit Khallaf and a graffito, his position as the founder of the Third Dynasty, as recorded by Manetho and the Turin Canon, has been seriously undermined by recent archaeological discoveries at Abydos. These discoveries establish that it was likely Djoser who helped bury—and thus succeed—Khasekhemwy, rather than Sanakht. This is determined from seals bearing Djoser's name found at the entrance to the latter's tomb.

The marriage of her daughter, Meresankh III, to her late second husband's successor Khafra made Hetepheres II the mother-in-law of the new king. She also out-lived her third husband and her own daughter, Meresankh III. A mark of her affection for Meresankh III may be seen in the fact that Hetepheres II had her own mastaba in the eastern cemetery of Giza converted into a tomb for her daughter's use. Hetepheres II herself was probably buried in tomb G7350 even though she possessed a joint tomb with her first husband, Kawab (G7110 and 7120 respectively).

Relief of Akhethetep, from his mastaba. Akhethetep (also Akhethotep or Akhty- hotep) was a high dignitary of ancient Egypt who lived during the Fifth Dynasty around 2400 BC. Akhethotep and his son Ptahhotep Tjefi were senior court officials during the rule of Djedkare (2414-2375 BC) and of Unas (Wenis), towards the end of the 5th Dynasty (2494-2345 BC). Akhethetep's titles included that of a vizier, making him to the highest official at the royal court, only second to the king. He was also overseer of the treasuries, overseer of the scribes of the king's documents and overseer of the granaries.

King Khafre. In Ägyptisches Museum Georg Steindorff, Leipzig There is no agreement on the date of his reign. Some authors say it was between 2558 BC and 2532 BC. While the Turin King List length for his reign is blank, and Manetho exaggerates his reign as 66 years, most scholars believe it was between 24 and 26 years, based upon the date of the Will of Prince Nekure which was carved on the walls of this Prince's mastaba tomb. The will is dated anonymously to the Year of the 12th Count and is assumed to belong to Khufu since Nekure was his son.

Abydos was the site of many ancient temples, including Umm el-Qa'ab, the royal necropolis, where early pharaohs were entombed. These tombs began to be seen as extremely significant burials and in later times it became desirable to be buried in the area, leading to the growth of the town's importance as a cult site. At Saqqara, Merneith's tomb exhibits features that possibly preview the builders of the Third Dynasty. Concealed within the normal rectangular palace façade mastaba of Merneith's tomb at Saqqara is the base of a stepped structure, a juxtaposition of two different methods of building.

However, the oldest ruins of the Isis temple date back to the Middle Kingdom period, when many mastaba tombs at Giza were demolished in attempt to make space for newer tombs and temples. The Isis temple was built at the very corner of the queen's pyramid G1-c, which is today believed to be Queen Henutsen's tomb. A first, direct proof for fakery is the circumstance that Khufu is introduced by his Horus name first, not by his birth name inside a cartouche, as it was actually common at this time. Secondly, it mentions the goddess Isis.

Complicating matters further is the possibility that Nebka and Sanakht are referring to the same person. Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson believes that the weight of archeological evidence favours Djoser (Netjerikhet) as Khasekhemwy's successor and therefore founder of the Third Dynasty. A seal from Khasekhemwy's tomb at Abydos, in combination with a seal from mastaba K1 at Beit Khallaf dated to Djoser's reign, links the two pharaohs together as father and son respectively. The seal at Abydos names a 'Nimaat-hap' as the mother of Khasekhemwy's children, while the other seal at Beit Khallaf names the same person as the 'mother of the dual-king'.

The Mastabat al-Fir’aun (, also referred to in Egyptological literature as the Mastaba el-Faraun, Mastabat el-Faraun or Mastabat Faraun, and meaning "Bench of the Pharaoh") is the grave monument of the ancient Egyptian king Shepseskaf (reign circa 2510–2503 BC), the last king of the Fourth Dynasty documented to date. It is located in South Saqqara halfway between the Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara and the pyramids of Sneferu, the founder of the Fourth Dynasty, at Dahshur. The structure is located close to the pyramid of Pepi II, a ruler of the Sixth Dynasty. The stone quarry for the structure is located west of the Red Pyramid of Sneferu.

The family relationship between Meresankh and Raemka and Kaemtjenent is based on the general dating of their monuments, mastabas in Saqqara. It is possible that Kaemtjenent may have been a son of Djedkare Isesi rather than Menkauhor Kaiu. The titles of Meresankh IV were: Great one of the hetes-sceptre, King’s Wife, Great of Praises, She who sees Horus and Seth, Priestess of Thoth, Priestess of Tjazepef, Directress of the butchers in the acacia house, Attendant of Horus, Companion of Horus, Consort of the beloved of the Two Ladies, Companion of Horus. She was buried in tomb 82 in Saqqara – tomb D5 in Mariette's Mastaba.

Khafre's pyramid and tomb were designed as an eternal home for his mummy, where the serdab (chamber room) in the Valley Temple was meant to keep his ka statue. Unlike previous pyramids, such as the Stepped Pyramid of Djoser designed by the first known architect Imhotep, the Great Pyramids of Gizeh were not based upon the mastaba structure, a rectangular structure. The new, smoothly inclined surface of the tomb derives from a rectangular base, which is aligned by the four cardinal directions of the compass. The four sides finish at a pointed tip, referring to the emblem of the sun Re (Ra), called the ben-ben.

It is noteworthy to mention that the terrain of Dahshur provided a rather soft and loose ground, a circumstance that forbade any deeper underground chamber building and thus forced the tomb builders to create chambers inside the mastaba and over ground level. A similar case happened during the construction of the Bent Pyramid, when the walls and ceilings of chambers under ground level started to form cracks. At the central chamber of Netjeraperef's tomb, an altar was placed in an offering chapel. A special feature of Netjeraperef's offering chapel are the two stelae (once set each left and right of the altar), of which one is nearly completely preserved.

It is believed the tomb was built in stages, first a sequence of two chambers cut into the limestone of a low escarpment in the northern area of Saqqara, then a surface-built mastaba structure added to mate with the earlier construction. This would have occurred as the two intended occupants gained resources. In a banquet scene, Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep are entertained by dancers, clappers, musicians and singers; in another, they oversee their funeral preparations. In the most striking portrayal, the two embrace, noses touching, in the most intimate pose allowed by canonical Egyptian art, surrounded by what would appear to be their heirs.

Dolomite bowl bearing the serekh of Khaba from Mastaba Z500. The architecture of the layer pyramid allows it to be securely dated to the time span between the reigns of king Sekhemkhet and that of king Snofru, the founder of the 4th Dynasty. Rainer Stadelmann, Miroslav Verner and Jean-Philippe Lauer compare the architecture of the layer pyramid with that of the step pyramids of Djoser and Sekhemkhet, expecting the layer pyramid to have originally consisted of five steps, just as its near- contemporary predecessors. The layer pyramid exhibits at one site both complex developments concerning its substructures and simplifications concerning the building methods employed for the superstructure.

This, in turn, supports the view that Narmer married a member of the ancient royal line of Naqada to strengthen the domination of the Thinite kings over the region. However, in January 2016, a rock inscription has demonstrated that Neithhotep was actually a queen regent early during the reign of Djer, Hor-Aha's successor.Owen Jarus, Live Science, Early Egyptian Queen Revealed in 5,000-Year-Old Hieroglyphs, Therefore, the cemetery evidence above only proves that Neithhotep did live during the reign of Hor-Aha but succeeded him into Djer's reign. Most importantly, the oldest mastaba at the North Saqqara necropolis of Memphis dates to his reign.

The Aqsa Mosque is the first monument built during the Ottoman period. Therefore, prior to the famous projects of Sultan Suleiman Al-qanuni (Suleiman I), they included the restoration project of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Sabills (drinking water fountains), the wing (canal) of Sabil and The Jerusalem Wall. The Sebil originally received its water from a water channel or aqueduct, but today water is supplied through the Al-Aqsa Mosque water system. South of Sabil Qasim Pasha is a small Mastaba (elevated platform) called the mosque-mestaba Sabil Qaitbay, founded by Ashraf Abu al-Nassar in 860 CE. Sebil is located north of Qaitbay.

The above-ground structure had space for a small offering chapel equipped with a false door. Priests and family members brought food and other offerings for the soul, or ba, of the deceased, which had to be maintained in order to continue to exist in the afterlife. Inside the mastaba, the burial chambers were cut deep, into the bedrock, and were lined with wood. A second hidden chamber called a serdab (سرداب), from the Persian word for "cellar", was used to store anything that may have been considered essential for the comfort of the deceased in the afterlife, such as beer, grain, clothes and precious items.

Location of Lepsius XXV in the necropolis of Abusir On his (1842–1845), the German archaeologist Karl Richard Lepsius located a small pyramid structure and included it in his list of pyramids as number XXV (25). Ludwig Borchardt classified it as a double mastaba in his research sixty years later, but he did not examine it any more closely. Since for a long time no intensive research was conducted, the structure was believed to be the pyramid of a queen of the 5th Dynasty, similar to Lepsius XXIV directly to the north, although preliminary investigations appeared to indicate that the funerary temple was located, unusually, on the western side of the structure.Miroslav Verner.

Located directly south-west of Neferirkare's monument, and just to the west of Khentkaus II's, Neferefre's unfinished pyramid is another member of the family cemetery born around Neferirkare's tomb. Built on the Abusir diagonal, Neferefre's pyramid was never completed owing to the unexpectedly early death of the pharaoh. Originally built with a base length of , slightly shorter than that of Sahure's pyramid, and with only a single step completed, the plan had to be altered to accommodate the remains of the king. For this reason, the pyramid was hastily converted into a squared mastaba and completed with the application of limestone facing at a slope of 78° and a clay and desert stone capping.

Bone cylinder inscribed with the serekh of Hotepsekhemwy. Hotepsekhemwy is commonly identified with the Ramesside cartouche names Bedjau from the Abydos king list, Bedjatau from Giza, Netjer-Bau from the Sakkara king list and the name Bau-hetepju from the royal canon of Turin. Egyptologist Wolfgang Helck points to the similar name Bedjatau, which appears in a short king list found on a writing board from the mastaba tomb G1001 of the high official Mesdjeru. "Bedjatau" means "the foundryman" and is thought to be a misreading of the name "Hotepsekhemwy", since the hieroglyphic signs used to write "Hotep" in its full form are very similar to the signs of a pottery kiln and a chick in hieratic writings.

This is best witnessed by the large, magnificent mastaba tombs that Djedkare's viziers built. In this context, Djedkare's reforms of the ranking system might have been an attempt at maintaining a sprawling administration under control, yet ultimately failed. For some Egyptologists, such as Naguib Kanawati, this failure contributed in no small part to the fall of the Old Kingdom, but others, including Strudwick, believe the reasons of the collapse must be sought elsewhere as the power of an administration official never approached that of the king. The reforms of Djedkare played an important role in flourishing of the arts during the later Old Kingdom, as artisans and craftsmen could now find many wealthy patrons beyond the king.

Nebka is thought by most Egyptologists to be the throne name of Sanakht, the third or fourth ruler of the Third Dynasty, who is sparsely attested by archaeological evidence and must have had only a short reign. Older hypotheses followed two New Kingdom sources which credit Nebka with founding the Third Dynasty, a view that is now believed to contradict the archaeological evidence. The tomb of Nebka has not been located with any certainty and three locations have been proposed: a mastaba in Beit Khallaf attributed to Sanakht by John Garstang, a mudbrick structure in Abu Rawash seen as the tomb of Nebka by Swelim and Dodson, and the Unfinished Northern Pyramid of Zawyet El Aryan.

Portrayal of martial arts sporting in Egypt has begun by the time of the 5th Dynasty mastaba tombs at Saqqara, circa 2400 BC. After a boat joust scene recorded in the tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, who were manicurists to King Nyuserre, six pairs of boys wrestle in the nearby tomb of Akhethotep and Ptahhotep. Another early piece of evidence for wrestling in Egypt appears at 11th and 12th Dynasty Beni Hasan (2000 BC, images at right and above), where wrestling scenes in several tombs are elaborated to cover much of a wall. During the period of the New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC), additional Egyptian artwork (often on friezes), depicted Egyptian and Nubian wrestlers competing.

Example of a mastaba The tomb was the housing for the deceased and served two crucial functions: the tomb provided infinite protection for the deceased to rest, as well as a place for mourners to perform rituals in which aided the deceased into eternal life. Therefore, the Ancient Egyptians were very serious about the way in which the tombs were built. Two hallmarks of the tomb included (1) a burial chamber, which housed the physical body of the deceased (inside a coffin) as well as funerary objects deemed most important, and (2) A "cult place," which resembled a chapel where mourners, family, and friends could congregate. The tomb of a king included a full temple, instead of a chapel.

Isometric image taken from a 3-D model The Middle Kingdom pyramids were built closer to the Nile and Amenemhet I's burial chamber is now underwater because the River Nile has shifted course. The complex has an inner wall of limestone and an outer wall of mudbrick; members of the Royal family were buried between these two walls. There are a number of mastaba tombs between the walls and 22 burial shafts on the western side of the pyramid. His son Senusret I followed in his footsteps, building his pyramid - a closer reflection of the 6th dynasty pyramids than that of Amenemhat I - at Lisht as well, but his grandson, Amenemhat II, broke with this tradition.

As of November 2008, sources cite either 118 or 138 as the number of identified Egyptian pyramids. Most were built as tombs for the country's pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods. The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found at Saqqara, northwest of Memphis, although at least one step-pyramid-like structure has been found at Saqqara, dating to the First Dynasty: Mastaba 3808, which has been attributed to the reign of Pharaoh Anedjib, with inscriptions, and other archaeological remains of the period, suggesting there may have been others.Archaic Egypt, Walter B Emery p144-145 The otherwise earliest among these is the Pyramid of Djoser built 2630–2610 BC during the Third Dynasty.

Detlef Franke, The Career of Khnumhotep III of Beni Hasan and the so-called Decline of the Nomarchs, In: S. Quirke, Middle Kingdom Studies, New Malden 1991, p. 51-67 The vizier Khnumhotep is known from inscriptions in the tomb of his father, from a stela found at the Red Sea and mainly from his mastaba at Dahshur, within the necropolis attached to the pyramid of Senusret III. The tomb was first excavated around 1894 by Jacques de Morgan who found several inscriptions as well as Khnumhotep's remains from which he estimated that the vizier should have been in his early sixties at the time of his death. New excavations after 2000 found several further biographical inscriptions, including those mentioning an expedition to Byblos and Ullaza.

Djedkare also undertook building activities in relation with his "sed" festival as indicated by a decree that he sent to his vizier Senedjemib Inti on the year of the 16th cattle count, praising him for his work. The decree mentions the construction of a broad rectangular court or artificial lake for the jubilee of the king, some 1000 cubits long and 400 cubits wide, amounting to c. . The court was located within the precincts of a palace built for the ceremonies of the "sed" festival, which was probably located in the vicinity of his pyramid. Another decree addressed to Senedjemib Inti and later inscribed on the walls of his mastaba records the decoration of a chapel of Hathor in the palace of the king.

Owing to the paucity of contemporaneous sources for Menkauhor, his relation to his predecessor, Nyuserre Ini, and to his successor, Djedkare Isesi, cannot be ascertained beyond doubt. Menkauhor may have been a son of Nyuserre Ini; indeed Nyuserre Ini is known to have fathered a prince Khentykauhor as shown by a relief mentioning the prince from the mortuary complex of queen Khentkaus II, the mother of Nyuserre Ini. The similarity of Khentykauhor's name to that of Menkauhor led the Egyptologists Miroslav Verner and Vivienne Callender to propose that the two are the same person, with Khentykauhor taking the name "Menkauhor" upon ascending the throne. This hypothesis is possibly contradicted by an inscription discovered in 2008 in the mastaba of Werkaure, the eldest son of an unnamed king.

In the same vein, the annals record a donation of land to Horus during Userkaf's sixth year on the throne, this time explicitly mentioning "building [Horus'] temple". Other gods honoured by Userkaf include Ra and Hathor, both of whom received land donations recorded in the annals, as well as Nekhbet, Wadjet, the "gods of the divine palace of Upper Egypt" and the "gods of the estate Djebaty" who received bread, beer and land. Finally, a fragmentary piece of text in the annals suggests that Min might also have benefited from Userkaf's donations. Further evidence for religious activities taking place at the time is given by a royal decree found in the mastaba of the administration official Nykaankh buried at Tihna al-Jabal in Middle Egypt.

A special category of Ancient Egyptian funerary texts clarify the purposes of the burial customs. The early mastaba type of tomb had a sealed underground burial chamber but an offering-chamber on the ground level for visits by the living, a pattern repeated in later types of tomb. A Ka statue effigy of the deceased might be walled up in a serdab connected to the offering chamber by vents that allowed the smell of incense to reach the effigy.Maspero, 111–27, with serdabs 124–25 The walls of important tomb-chambers and offering chambers were heavily decorated with reliefs in stone or sometimes wood, or paintings, depicting religious scenes, portraits of the deceased, and at some periods vivid images of everyday life, depicting the afterlife.

Statue of Kaaper's wife CG 33 Little is known of Kaaper's life; his titles were lector priest and army scribe of the King, the latter possibly linked to some military campaigns in the Southern Levant. His mastaba (named "Saqqara C8") was discovered by Auguste Mariette in the Saqqara necropolis, just north of the Step Pyramid of Djoser. During the excavation, the Egyptian diggers unearthed the statue and, apparently impressed by its exceptional realism, they called it Sheikh el-Beled (Arabic for "Headman of the village") likely because of a certain similarity between the statue and their local elder. The statue – located in the Cairo Egyptian Museum, CG 34 – is tall and carved from sycamore wood, and depicts the corpulent Kaaper while walking with a staff.

The Pyramid of Neferefre, also known as the Pyramid of Raneferef, (in ancient Egyptian Netjeri-bau-Nefer-ef-Ra (Divine is Neferefre's power)) is a 25th century BC unfinished pyramid complex built for the Egyptian pharaoh Neferefre of the Fifth Dynasty. Neferefre's unfinished pyramid is the third and final one built on the Abusir diagonal – a figurative line connecting the Abusir pyramids with Heliopolis – of the necropolis, sited south-west of Neferirkare's pyramid. The pyramid was hastily converted into a square mastaba or primeval mound after Neferefre's early death. In the period between his death and mummification, an improvised, north-south oriented limestone mortuary temple was built on a strip of platform originally intended for the casing of the pyramid.

Ptahshepses's high social rank is also supported by three distinct statues in the mastaba's chapel, which suggest his roles as an official, as a priest, and as a private individual. Many of the mastaba's features, including the granary and treasury magazines, the boat room, and two boat pits outside of the complex suggest inspiration from royal architecture. The location of the mastaba, almost equidistant from and in front of Sahure's and Niuserre's pyramid complexes on the desert plateau also suggest a deliberate attempt at associating him with royalty. Ptahshepses married King Niuserre's daughter, Khamerernebty. Their five children are mentioned in the tomb: sons Ptahshepses, Kahotep, Qednes and Hemakhti, and daughter Meritites, who had the title “King's Daughter”, even though being only the granddaughter of a king.

Seneb was a high-ranking court official in the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, circa 2520 BC. A dwarf, Seneb was a person of considerable importance and wealth who owned thousands of cattle, held twenty palaces and religious titles and was married to a high-ranking priestess of average size with whom he had three children. His successful career and the lavishness of his burial arrangements are indicative of the acceptance given to dwarfs in ancient Egyptian society, whose texts advocated the acceptance and integration of those with physical disabilities. Seneb is depicted with his wife and children in a painted sculpture from his tomb, rediscovered in 1926, that is a famous example of Old Kingdom art.Hermann Junker: Gîza V: Die Mastaba des Snb (Seneb) und die umliegenden Gräber.

The Double Pyramid also known as Lepsius XXV designates a pair of adjacent monuments located on the south-eastern edge of the Abusir necropolis, south of the pyramid Lepsius XXIV and of the pyramid of Khentkaus II. The pair of monuments was built during the mid-Fifth Dynasty, likely during Nyuserre Ini's reign, for two female members of the extended royal family. Because of its unique architectural characteristics, such as the absence of mortuary temple, a funerary chapel located inside the monument superstructure and a north-south descending corridor to the burial chamber, the monument is seen as a distinct type of Ancient Egyptian tomb, called a "double pyramid" by the Egyptologist Miroslav Verner. This conclusion is debated, with the Egyptologist Dušan Magdolen arguing that it is simply a double mastaba.

Relief showing Ptahshepses found in his mastaba. Neferirkare's reign was unusual for the significant number of surviving contemporary records which describe him as a kind and gentle ruler. When Rawer, an elderly nobleman and royal courtier, was accidentally touched by the king's mace during a religious ceremony—a dangerous situation which could have caused this official to be put immediately to death or banished from court since the pharaoh was viewed as a living god in Old Kingdom mythology—Neferirkare quickly pardoned Rawer and commanded that no harm should occur to the latter for the incident. As Rawer gratefully states in an inscription from his Giza tomb: : Similarly, Neferirkare gave the Priest of Ptah Ptahshepses the unprecedented honour of kissing his feet rather than the ground in front of him.

Senusret was an Ancient Egyptian official who was a vizier during the last years of king Senusret I's rule and in the first years of Amenemhat II. Senusret is known from a stela found in Abydos,Paris, Louvre C4 which is dated to year 8 of Amenemhat II. He also appears in biographical inscriptions in the tomb of the governor Amenemhat at Beni Hasan, where it is stated that he was on a mission to Koptos. The inscription reports events under Senusret I. Senusret had a huge tomb complex next to the pyramid of Amenemhet I at Lisht. There was a mastaba in the centre, about 12 m × 26 m in size, much of which has been destroyed. The building was found within a mud brick outer brick wall measuring 30.4 m × 35.8 m.

The foundations of the structure, originally described by Currelly in 1903 as a "shrine" or "mastaba," was demonstrated in 2004 through the renewed excavations of the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago under the direction of S. Harvey to have actually formed the lowest courses of a brick pyramid, the last queen's pyramid to have been built in Egypt. Portions of the limestone pyramidion or capstone were discovered as well, demonstrating conclusively that this structure was pyramidal in form. Magnetic survey also revealed a brick enclosure some 70 by 90 meters in scale, a feature not detected by earlier archaeologists. These accordingly may now be identified as the features described in Ahmose's stela found within: a pyramid and an enclosure, built in the midst of Ahmose's own mortuary complex.

The large mastaba of Senedjemib Inti, vizier under Djedkare For Nigel Strudwick, the reforms of Djedkare were undertaken as a reaction to the rapid growth of the central administration in the first part of the Fifth Dynasty which, Baer adds, had amassed too much political or economic power in the eyes of the king. Joyce Tyldesley sees the reign of Djedkare as the very beginning of a decline in the importance of the king, in conjunction with the gradual rise of the power wielded by the high and provincial administration. Concurrent with this trend is a process of decentralization, with local loyalties slowly superseding allegiance to the central state. Since offices and the vizierate in particular could be inherited, the reforms of Djedkare created a "virtual feudal system" as Nicolas Grimal writes, with much power in the hands of a few puissant officials.

Archaeological remains and inscriptions suggest there may have been other similar structures dating to this period.Archaic Egypt, Walter B Emery p144-145 The first historically-documented Egyptian pyramid is attributed by Egyptologists to the 3rd Dynasty pharaoh Djoser. Although Egyptologists often credit his vizier Imhotep as its architect, the dynastic Egyptians themselves, contemporaneously or in numerous later dynastic writings about the character, did not credit him with either designing Djoser's pyramid or the invention of stone architecture.A History of Ancient Egypt: From the First Farmers to the Great Pyramid, John Romer p294-295 The Pyramid of Djoser was first built as a square mastaba-like structure, which as a rule were known to otherwise be rectangular, and was expanded several times by way of a series of accretion layers, to produce the stepped pyramid structure we see today.

However, the modern origins of Egyptian mummy curse tales, their development primarily in European cultures, the shift from magic to science to explain curses, and their changing uses—from condemning disturbance of the dead to entertaining horror film audiences—suggest that Egyptian curses are primarily a cultural, not exclusively scientific, phenomenon.The Mummy's Curse: Mummymania in the English-speaking World, Jasmine Day, Routledge, 2006 There are occasional instances of genuine ancient curses appearing inside or on the façade of a tomb, as in the case of the mastaba of Khentika Ikhekhi of the 6th Dynasty at Saqqara. These appear to be directed towards the ka priests to protect the tomb carefully and preserve its ritual purity rather than as a warning for potential robbers. There had been stories of curses going back to the 19th century, but they multiplied after Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Isesi-ankh may have been a son of Djedkare Isesi, as suggested by his name and his title of King's son. In addition, similarities in the titles and locations of the tombs of Isesi-ankh and Kaemtjenent have led Egyptologists such as William Stevenson Smith to propose that the two were brothers and sons of Meresankh IV. Alternatively, Isesi-ankh may have been a son of Kaemtjenent. Even though Isesi-ankh bore the title of King's son, the Egyptologists Michel Baud and Bettina Schmitz have shown that this filiation was probably fictitious, being used only as an honorary title. In particular, inscriptions found on the construction blocks of his mastaba give one of his titles as Seal bearer of the king Isesi ankh, while Baud argues that had he really been the son of a king, this title would have been Seal bearer of the king, king's son, Isesi ankh.

The transition to a unified state happened more gradually than ancient Egyptian writers represented, and there is no contemporary record of Menes. Some scholars now believe, however, that the mythical Menes may have been the king Narmer, who is depicted wearing royal regalia on the ceremonial Narmer Palette, in a symbolic act of unification. In the Early Dynastic Period, which began about 3000BC, the first of the Dynastic kings solidified control over lower Egypt by establishing a capital at Memphis, from which he could control the labour force and agriculture of the fertile delta region, as well as the lucrative and critical trade routes to the Levant. The increasing power and wealth of the kings during the early dynastic period was reflected in their elaborate mastaba tombs and mortuary cult structures at Abydos, which were used to celebrate the deified king after his death.

Abydos, plan of tomb S10, as published in 1904 The tomb structure is part of a royal necropolis dating back to the late Middle Kingdom – Second Intermediate Period, which is located close to the ancient town of Wah-Sut, next to the much bigger funerary complex of Senusret III of the 12th Dynasty, at the foot of the so-called Mountain of Anubis, a natural hill in the form of a pyramid. It was first excavated in 1901–02 by Ayrton, Weigall and Petrie, who found it heavily looted and disturbed. The complex consists of a rectangular brick walled structure, some in size, described by the first excavators as a mastaba, who however gave no evidence supporting this classification. At the north side there is an entrance to a system of underground and limestone paved corridors leading to the burial chamber that was found heavily destroyed.

However, it is still hotly debated whether there was realistic portraiture in Ancient Egypt.Spanel, 23 The purpose of the life-sized reserve heads found in burial shafts or tombs of nobles of the Fourth dynasty is not well understood; they may have been a discreet method of eliding an edict by Khufu forbidding nobles from creating statues of themselves, or may have protected the deceased's spirit from harm or magically eliminated any evil in it, or perhaps functioned as alternate containers for the spirit if the body should be harmed in any way.Atiya and El Shawahy, 73 Architectural works such as the massive Great Pyramid and two smaller ones built during the Old Kingdom in the Giza Necropolis and (much later, from about 1500 BCE) the tombs in the Valley of the Kings were built for royalty and the elite. The Theban Necropolis was later an important site for mortuary temples and mastaba tombs.

During the period 1994–2004, she was director of the Research Unit Louvre, whose work focuses on the Theban region. While her mission's initial purpose was to locate the mastaba of Akhethetep, it also located two other Old Kingdom mastabas, many burials dating to the Twenty-sixth through Thirtieth dynasties, as well as Coptic settlements. During which time she excavated and wrote a book on the Tomb of Akhethetep, paying particular attention to its reliefs. A team led by Ziegler was responsible for finding hundreds of mummies in an underground maze of caves, most likely an ancient multifamily cemetery, crammed into shafts and corridors at Saqqara. Ziegler has curated major exhibitions, notably "Origins of Writing" (Grand Palais, 1982) "Tanis, the gold of the Pharaohs" (Paris-Grand Palais Edinburgh, 1987–1988), "Memoirs of Egypt" (Paris-Berlin, 1990), "Egyptomania" (Paris, Ottawa and Vienna, 1994–1996), and "Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids" (Paris-New York- Toronto, 1999–2000).

The mastaba tombs of Seneb and of Neferi are examples. A model of a 10th dynasty house has also been found in Rifeh showing the tops of three domes just emerging through the terraced roof. In an area straddling the borders between Oman, UAE, and Bahrain, stone beehive tombs built above ground called "Hafit graves", or "Mezyat graves", date to the Hafit period between 3200 and 2700 BC. Similar above-ground tombs made of corbelled stone domes have been found in the fourth cataract region of Nubia with dates beginning in the second millennium BC. The "Nubian dome" technique of using a movable guide to lay courses of a spherical dome dates back thousands of years in Upper Egypt. The tholos tomb of the Sant-Antine nuraghe tower at Torralba, Sardinia Examples on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia have been dated to 2500 BC. The nuraghe built between the 17th century BC and the 5th century BC include stone corbelled domes, some of which were covered by a flat roof or terrace.

It was also examined by George Andrew Reisner, who mentioned it shortly in his book Mycerinus, the Temples of the Third Pyramid at Giza.George Andrew Reisner: Mycerinus, the Temples of the Third Pyramid at Giza. Harvard University Press, Boston 1931, page 105.Toby Wilkinson: Early Dynastc Egypt. Routledge, London 2002, , p. 74 & 75. The next source referring to king Senedj dates back to the beginning or middle of the 4th Dynasty. The name, written in a cartouche, appears in the inscription on a false door belonging to the mastaba tomb of the high priest Shery at Saqqara. Shery held the title “overseer of all wab-priests of king Peribsen in the necropolis of king Senedj”, “overseer of the ka-priests of king Senedj” and “god's servant of Senedj”. Senedj's name is written in archaic form and set in a cartouche, which is an anachronism, since the cartouche itself was not used until the end of 3rd Dynasty under king Huni.Auguste Mariette: Les mastabas de l’Ancien Empire. Paris 1885, page 92–94Werner Kaiser: Zur Nennung von Sened und Peribsen in Sakkara, In: Göttinger Miszellen, no. 122, (1991), page 49–55.