The Tombs Of The Nobles In Aswan
During ancient times, the city of Aswan was much different. People in that period used to live around Elephantine Island, which is also where the rulers and kings of Nubia resided. This was why the tombs of the kings and the royal family of Nubia were located near the island of Elephantine in today's Tombs of the Nobles of Aswan.
Elephantine Island was the center of the worship of the divine trinity of gods: Khnum, Sant, and Elephantine, who were called the guards of the headwaters of the Nile. Afterward, it was also the cult center of many other gods and goddesses, like Isis and Hathor.
About the Tombs of the Nobles
The Tombs of the Nobles are situated near the West Bank of Aswan at the northern edge of Elephantine Island. They are of significant importance as they give us the chance to know about the history of this section of Egypt during the Old and Middle Kingdoms.
The British archeologist Lord Greenville discovered the Tombs of the Nobles between 1885 and 1886 and was the first scientist to explore this important historical site.
The Tombs of the Nobles located in Aswan are also called the Tombs of Qubat El Hawa, and this is a historical site. However, it is among the less visited monuments in Upper Egypt, has some beautiful ancient art, and is of noteworthy importance to the Middle and the Old Kingdoms. The wall paintings inside the Tombs of the Nobles are wonderfully alive, and they display the daily life activities of the ancient Egyptians in a magnificent masterpiece of art.
The most important and beautiful tombs in the Tombs of the Nobles in Aswan are the tombs of Harkhuf, Sarenput II, and the tomb of Sabni and Mekho. Many tours can be organized in Aswan, including exploring the Tombs of the Nobles in the West Bank of the Nile. A small old passageway leads to a staircase that takes the guests to the upper open courtyard, where the tombs are dug. There are a large number of graves dating to the Middle and Old Kingdoms periods. However, only some of them are worth a visit. Here's a guide to the tombs that are worth checking out:
The Tombs of Mekho
Climbing the stairs to the tombs of Mekho and Sabni, you will notice that the steps were carved in a diagonal style to facilitate the lifting of the dead body over the top using wooden and stone tracks. Mekho was a prince who belonged to the 6th dynasty of the Old Kingdom. He was the son of King Pepi II, and he lost his way in one of the royal exploratory journeys ; maybe this was why we find that the tomb was not fully completed.
Inside the tomb, a portrait on the right-hand wall displays Prince Mekho wearing a skirt and accompanying his wife while the servant presents offerings to the gods. It was common in the tombs of ancient Egypt to find many portraits of the deceased's daily activities in the tomb's first chamber. However, in the tomb of Mekho, there is also a portrait of some people giving the prince a report about the activities he used to supervise.
There is a false door at the right-hand side afterward where some offerings scenes are painted together with other scenes of Mekho doing daily activities. The burial chamber of the tomb of Mekho was constructed upon 18 columns, which were divided into three rows that included many scenes and inscriptions. There is also a false door in the burial chamber, and the walls contain scenes of the god Anubis and Osiris praying for Mekho with some agricultural scenes in the background.
The Tomb of Sabni
The Tomb of Sabni, son of Mekho, is an extension of the tomb of his father, Mekho. It is a relatively large tomb in comparison to the other tombs of the Nobles. The Tomb of Sabni has a beautiful entrance, which is now surrounded by a wall, and the entrance of the tomb goes through the tomb of his father, Mekho. The Tomb of Sabni's entrance is divided into two sections leading to the hall containing 14 square-shaped columns with the common fishing and haunting scenes everywhere.
The most important feature of the Tomb of Sabni is the scenes telling the story of his adventurous journey that the prince ordered to be displayed on the walls of his tomb; unfortunately, the first part of the story was ruined by time.
The story of Sabni's journey is displayed on several columns on the tomb's left and right sides. These scenes on the columns tell how Sabni rescued his father's dead body in one of their campaigns, as mummifying the dead body was an essential ritual in ancient Egypt.
The story of Sabni, how he was able to hold his father's dead body and travel a long distance until he reached his father's tomb in Aswan, is among the most important historical records. It tells us about the Egyptians' mentality and how they perceived life, death, and immortality.
The Temple of Sarenput II
The Tomb of Sarenput II is probably the finest of the Nobles' tombs in Aswan. Sarenput II was the son of a Nubian king during the reign of the kings Senosurt II and Amenmehat II in the Middle Kingdom.
Moreover, Sarenput was a royal prince, a high priest of the temples of the gods Khnum and Sant, and the army leader of Egypt during the reign of Amenmehat II, who belonged to the 12th dynasty.
When the guests enter the Tomb of Sarenput II, they find themselves in a courtyard based upon six columns. To the right-hand side is an attractive offerings table ornamented with granite with the name of the owner of the Tomb carved on it. The false door has some hieroglyphic inscriptions that tell about the owner of the Tomb.
Going further inside the Tomb, after leaving the courtyard, there is a passageway, and its walls display fantastic scenes of Sarenput II and his son. After passing the gallery, the guests reach another hall with four columns with a longitudinal line of hieroglyphic inscriptions that include the titles of the owner of the Tomb, Sarenput II.
Some irregular features contradict what was followed in the tombs of the Middle Kingdom in the Tomb of Sarenput II. These include displaying a scene of the event of burying the owner of the Tomb and showing the owner of the Tomb putting his right hand to receive the offerings from the table.
The Tomb of Harkhuf
Harkhuf lived in the period of the sixth dynasty, between 2345 and 2181 BC, and he is among the first people to be buried in the Tombs of the Nobles in Aswan. Harkhuf was the ruler of the region of Elephantine Island in this period.
During the Old Kingdom, the period of the pyramid builders, there were strong relations between ancient Egypt and Nubia, which is why Harkhuf went on four campaigns to Nubia.
When Harkhuf went on his first journey to Nubia, he was young, and he went with his father; this campaign lasted for seven months, and it was to import goods to ancient Egypt.
In the second journey, Harkhuf was older, and he led the campaign to Nubia to bring some products and secure commercial routes to Nubia. It was common in the period of the Old Kingdom that the sarcophaguses of the kings had to be ornamented with precious stones, ivory, and ebony, and these products were brought from Elephantine Island.
Harkhuf went to Nubia for the third time to try to resolve a conflict between two Nubian tribes, but the inscriptions carved in his Tomb do not mention any further details.
In his fourth and last campaign, Harkhuf traveled to the lands of Nubia, and the battles were bursting between the two most powerful tribes in Nubia. This was during the ruling period of King Teti, and he was only six years old at the time. Moreover, there were some references in the Tomb to some reports that Harkhuf had sent to King Teti telling him about his campaign in Nubia.
The Tomb of Harkhuf has a courtyard at the entrance, like the Tomb of Sarenput II. Afterward, the façade of the Tomb displays some scenes of the life of Harkhuf.
After admiring the façade, the guests find themselves inside a rectangle-shaped hall that leads to a passageway and then the burial room that hosts some columns with inscriptions containing the titles of Harkhuf.
Inside the tomb, a portrait on the right-hand wall shows Prince Mekho wearing a skirt and accompanying his wife while the servant presents offerings to the gods. It was common in the tombs of ancient Egypt to find many portraits of the deceased's daily activities in the tomb's first chamber. However, in the tomb of Mekho, there is also a portrait of some people giving the prince a report about the activities he used to supervise.
There is a false door at the right-hand side afterward where some offerings scenes are painted together with other scenes of Mekho doing daily activities. The burial chamber of the tomb of Mekho was constructed upon 18 columns, which were divided into three rows that included many scenes and inscriptions. There is also a false door in the burial chamber, and the walls contain scenes of the god Anubis and Osiris praying for Mekho with some agricultural scenes in the background.
