The Tomb of Niakh-khnum and Khnum-hotep

The Tomb

Fishing

Niakh offering

Jewellery making

Fishing

The two men, arm-in-arm

On the first day of a tour to Egypt in February this year (2008 - as arranged by Cecelia Amory and Lindi Dlamini of Egypt & Beyond) we travelled a short distance from Cairo to the ancient necropolis of Saqqara, where we were privileged to view the very fascinating tomb of two priests - named Khnum-hotep and Niakh-khnum; in addition to their duties as priests, they also held the positions of 'Overseers of the Royal Manicurists.'

The walls of this compact but complicated tomb are extensively and exquisitely carved with beautifully rendered inscriptions and scenes in 'low raised relief'; here and there, one can still see flakes of the original shades of red, green, blue and reddish brown paint which were used to decorate the tomb - how beautiful it must have been in their time.

There are two types of scenes in the tomb; many scenes depict aspects of the daily life of the ordinary people which include the tomb owners but there are many large funerary and family scenes; these naturally include only the men and their families. Because of time constraints when visiting this tomb, it's not possible to view all the scenes so I've selected some which stand out for me and which you may like to look out for when you visit the tomb.

One enters via a pillared portico and here you have your first glimpse of the two men - they are shown seated facing each other on the eastern and western walls respectively, while framing the doorway beyond are scenes depicting them enjoying some 'quality time' with their wives and children. We see them on skiffs in the papyrus marshes - one in the act of spearing a fish the other about to hurl his throw-stick at some water fowl. As was the norm in ancient Egyptian art, their wives, while being present, are depicted as being 'knee high' to the men. Each couple has a son and daughter with them and all are depicted in this charming scene of two families enjoying a day in the marshes.

The wide doorway ahead displays some interesting reliefs depicting funerary rituals being performed on the statues of the deceased men.

I liked the 'beer making' scenes - brewers push barley bread through a sieve, and then tread this into a mash, the first stages in the making of the beer so enjoyed by all Egyptians; not a brew many of us would enjoy today I don't think!

Moving further into the tomb we see scenes that allow us to identify, in a way, with these ancient people - men enjoying having manicures and pedicures - while close by other men receive the attentions of the barber.

Other scenes I enjoyed a lot are from the busy market place and include a scene of the baboon 'watch dog' with the leg of a thief held tightly in his powerful jaws - as effective a watch dog as any modern trained security dog! Such lively scenes of market transactions! No coinage was used yet so all purchases were by barter, so if you look closely you’ll see a fishmonger who appears to be accepting a loaf of bread in exchange for his basket of fish. After the thirsty work of bartering, see a man stop at the local bar for a drink of barley beer.

The next group of scenes shows 'hunting and fishing' activities; here only the males of the family are depicted. Basket traps in the water reveal easily identified (by Ichthyologists) local fish - tilapia, catfish and eels amongst them.

Inside the next room are agricultural scenes and scenes of craftsmen at work. Looking closely, you can even see the jeweler working on a wide collar for one of the men, while nearby carpenters make bed head rests, chairs and chests. Elsewhere men are depicted herding the tomb owners' cattle - one of the herdsmen is assisting a cow during the birth of her calf.

This tomb has some unusual features which have prompted speculation about the relationship between the two men buried here. On a door jamb in the centre of the tomb, one is confronted by a 'visual statement' of their close friendship - accompanied by their children, they stand close to one another, one gripping the other's wrist, that man with his arm about the shoulder of his companion.

But in the last and innermost chamber they stand together in splendid isolation, wives and families excluded, embracing one another in the most intimate pose allowed by the canons of Egyptian art. Dr Zahi Hawass believes they were probably twin brothers, although there is no evidence for this; however, the suggestion that they were 'gay' friends seems equally odd as they had wives and families. Over the vast distance in time that separates us from them it's not possible for us to know what their relationship was - but whatever it was, this is how they wanted to be depicted in their joint tomb - so we should leave them now – alone in eternity as they wanted.

To find out how you can visit these fascinating sites, please contact us on +27 11 678 4777 or +27 11 478 2884 or email us on: info@egyptandbeyond.co.za.

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