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Dishasha |
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Dishasha, (Deshasheh) to the west of the Nile in the Beni Suef region,
is the nearest village to a cemetery of rock-cut tombs belonging to
Old Kingdom officials, cut high into a cliff above the desert plain.
The site is on the very edge of the cultivated land and accessed by a
long flight of stone steps which lead up to the terrace containing the
main tombs, above which the open desert stretches out towards the
west. |
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The site was investigated by Petrie in 1897 and it was excavated under
the auspices of the Egypt Exploration Fund. Petrie found tombs dating
to Dynasty V and several artefacts. The site is probably best known
for the tomb of Inty, which contains a rare relief depicting a siege
of a fortified town and industrial scenes including woodworking. Two
well preserved linen garments were found as well as pottery, now in
the Petrie Museum in London. The tomb of Inty has attracted the most
attention at Dishasha and is now closed by a large metal door. It was
published by WMF Petrie, with a chapter by F Llewellyn Griffith in
1898. |
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In the serdab of the nearby tomb chapel of Nenkheftkha a typical Old
Kingdom statue of the tomb owner was found. The limestone statue
stands 134cm high and represents Nenkheftkha wearing a short kilt,
short black wig, standing with his left leg striding forward and with
arms by his sides (now in the British Museum). Another limestone
statue of the owner and his wife Neferseshems, is now in the Museum of
the Oriental Institute of Chicago. This statue pair measures 69cm high
and shows Nenkheftkha is a similar pose to his serdab statue while his
wife wears a close-fitting robe, necklace and long wig.
The entrances to other Dishasha Old Kingdom tombs are at present
covered by sand, but the entrance chapels and courtyards, some with
worn reliefs on their outer walls, can still be seen. There is a gafir
at the site who usually holds the key to the tomb of Inty. |
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| How to get there |
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The modern village of Dishasha, about 130km south of Cairo, is on the
western edge of the cultivation, close to the Bahr Yussef canal, and
20km north-west of Biba. Ehnasya el-Medina (Herakleopolis Magna) is
around 20km to the north of Dishasha and may easily be combined in one
trip. |
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