Qilāʿ eḍ-Ḍabba - Qilāʿ eḍ-Ḍabba

Mastaba 4 of the Chentikau-Pepi in Qilāʿ eḍ-Ḍabba

Qilāʿ eḍ-Ḍabba · ‏قلاع الضبة‎

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Qilāʿ eḍ-Ḍabba

Qila 'ed-Dabba (also Qila el-Dabba, Arabic:قلاع الضبة‎, Qilāʿ aḍ-Ḍabba, „Door latch fortresses“) Is an archaeological site in the northeast of the egyptian Sink ed-Dāchla. Qila 'ed-Dabba is the cemetery of the Old Empire settlement ʿAin Aṣīl. The mastaba graves of the local governors of the 6th ancient Egyptian dynasty (24th century BC) and other graves are located here. The testimonies in the northeast of Balāṭ are among the oldest pharaonic monuments in the Western desert and prove the importance of Balāṭ as an important administrative center in the Old Kingdom.

background

Of course the village is Balāṭ already from the early travelers been visited. But no one had taken any notice of the local archaeological sites.

As one can see from the Arabic name Qilāʿ eḍ-Ḍabba for door bolt fortresses, the place was very well known among the locals. Qilāʿ eḍ-Ḍabba came into focus in 1927 when grave robbers were caught, the four painted coffins, three of them with inscriptions, including mummies and wooden statuettes (probably ushabtis) from the 20th – 22nd centuries. Excavate dynasty.^[1] After that, it remained quiet around the local cemetery for a long time. In the meantime, the settlement ʿAin Aṣīl was discovered in 1947. Qilāʿ eḍ-Ḍabba himself was only rediscovered in January 1970 by the head of the guardians of the oases, Ahmed Zayid, with the discovery of a tombstone of Governor Descheru. In April / May 1971 and in May and September 1972 excavations were carried out by the Egyptian Egyptologist Ahmed Fakhry (1905–1973) and the antiquities inspector A.F. Fayed. Four of the five known mastaba graves (bank graves) have already been discovered. The finds such as tombstones, friezes, steles, sacrificial basins and door frame inscriptions were taken to the museum by el-Chārga brought. The work was interrupted by the death of Fakhry, but in 1977 by the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale du Caire under the direction of the Egyptologist Jean Vercoutter (1911-2000) resumed.^[2] In 1977 a fifth mastaba was found. The work in Qilāʿ eḍ-Ḍabba and ʿAin Aṣīl has not yet been completed and is now being led by the Egyptologist George Soukiassian.

The graveyard was used by the 6th dynasty in the Old Kingdom until the second interim period and again in Roman times.

The Mastaba graves the oasis governors are located southwest of the French excavation house, almost in a line from south to north. Mastabagrab 1 (actually a double grave) in the south belongs to Ima-Pepi I, Descheru and Inkonnu from the time of the king Pepi I. Then follow the graves of Ima-Pepi II (Mastaba 2), Chentika (also Khentika, Mastaba 3), Chentikau-Pepi (also Khentikau-Pepi, Mastaba 4) and the Medu-Nefer (Mastaba 5). Except for Chentikau-Pepi, all of them lived during the reign Pepis II. For Chentikau-Pepi it is not possible to give a more precise indication than the 6th dynasty. The graves consisted of two parts: the visible superstructure for the cult of the dead with a courtyard and a cult chamber and the underground grave. The mud brick superstructure of the graves of Chentika and Chentikau-Pepi were still very high when they were found. The superstructure of the Chentikau-Pepi reached a height of 6 meters. The superstructures of the other graves were largely demolished over time, and only more or less small mounds remained. The superstructures of mastabas 1 and 2 had niche decorations on their west side. There were no statue chambers, so-called serdabs, in any of the graves. Mastabas 1 and 3 had several burial chambers for family members. The remaining mastaba graves had only one burial chamber, but with one or more antechambers.

To the particularities includes the attachment of coffin texts to the coffin of Medu-Nefer, which is thus one of the earliest evidence of this type of text. The mastaba of Chentika is the only one to contain wall paintings in the burial chamber.

In the vicinity of these mastaba graves, further graves were dug in the 6th Dynasty and the First Intermediate Period. Some of these are simple shaft graves. Other graves were dug in the rock and closed at the top with an adobe vaulted ceiling. The largest graves even had a courtyard with a small mud-brick mastaba. The deceased were buried in wooden coffins or mats and received gifts such as calcite vessels, copper mirrors and tools.

getting there

The site can be reached by car or taxi via a dirt road leading from trunk road 10 in the southeast of Balat at 25.5586629.27002Branch to Qila 'ed-Dabba1 25 ° 33 ′ 31 ″ N.29 ° 16 ′ 12 ″ E branches off to the east.

mobility

The area can easily be explored on foot. The subsoil is sandy.

Tourist Attractions

The archaeological site is accessible daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The entrance fee is LE 40 and for students LE 20 for a joint visit ʿAin Aṣīl. There is also a combined ticket for all archaeological sites in ed-Dāchla for LE 120 or LE 60, which is valid for one day (as of 11/2019).

Mastabagrab of Chentika

Mastaba tomb of Chentika, looking east

Mastaba tomb of Chentika, view of the antechamber and burial chamber

The 25.55776429.2800341 Mastabagrab 3, that of Chentika,(25 ° 33 '28 "N.29 ° 16 '48 "E.) is the most beautiful of the graves. It was explored in 1977 and 1982-1994 and later made accessible to tourists. Chentika, who was only around 25 to 30 years old, is known to have his father Ima-Pepi and his son Descheru.

During the excavations, the mud brick superstructure was dismantled and dug into the depths. Today the grave looks roughly what it might have looked like when the burial chamber was built. Parts of the mastaba superstructure were reconstructed and rebuilt to the west behind the grave.

Door lintel showing the boat

North wall of the burial chamber

South part of the burial chamber

The Tomb of Chentika one enters in the east. On the east side there were four grave shafts, once about 9 meters deep, today about 7 meters deep, with a roughly square cross-section and an edge length of about 2 meters. The third grave shaft has given way to a modern staircase. The southernmost grave belonged to a 25-30 year old woman, the next to a 40-50 year old woman. The third shaft led to the tomb of Chentika. The fourth, northernmost shaft led to the grave of a 17-18 year old man. The graves of the family members consisted only of the grave shaft and a chamber about 3 meters long and 1.2 meters wide, in which the body and the grave goods were located. The bottom of all burial chambers was about 9 meters deep.

All funerals were attended with numerous Grave goods fitted. These included plates made of calcite (alabaster), vessels made of ceramic, calcite and, more rarely, diorite and greywacke, headrests, copper mirrors, pearls, chains, bone spoons and seal impressions. In one of the women's graves there was a special vessel made from an ostrich egg with a depiction of a falcon in its claws ting- Holds rings as a sign of duration.^[3]

A modern staircase leads to the elongated, 3.3 meter long, 1.6 meter wide and 1.7 meter high Antechamber of the tomb of Chentika. Both the antechamber and the burial chamber were built from limestone blocks and covered with large limestone blocks. The antechamber leads to the transverse, 7.7 meter wide, 1.6–1.7 meter deep and 2.1 meter high burial chamber. Several coffins were deposited in the burial chamber.

The entrance to the Burial chamber and the burial chamber itself has been decorated with colored wall paintings on the limestone blocks, some of which are still preserved today. The style of representation largely corresponds to the style known from the graves of the Nile Valley at that time. At the entrance to the burial chamber you can see the head and feet of the tomb lord entering the tomb. The inside of the lintel shows a boat with rowers. The north half of the east wall has two registers. Above is a banquet at the funeral celebrations. Some of the seated guests in both rows hold a lotus flower to their noses. Underneath are the remains of a ship depiction. The adjoining northern narrow wall shows one of the most beautiful representations in the grave. In the upper register on the right side the grave lord sits in front of an offering table with bread. Across from him is his wife, who is holding a lotus flower to her nose. There is a dog under each chair. Below are the remains of five people. These could be his sons, priests, or gift bearers. The west wall has a so-called. cheker-Fries. On the right edge is the grave lord with a staff in hand, to which two men sacrifice. The tomb lord follows again, sitting in front of an offering table with bread. The southern half of the west wall is occupied by the funeral procession. The southern narrow wall is again divided into two parts. Above you can see people at the harvest on the right, and on the left how two men are plowing with a bull. Below are several men in a boat. Immediately at the corner you can see the grave lord on the east wall as he spears a hippopotamus.

Mastaba superstructure

Kepelle in the west of the mastaba's superstructure

Mock door stele of Chentika, Museum of el-Chārga

To the west behind the grave is the one who was relocated here and 25.55782229.2797822 reconstructed superstructure(25 ° 33 '28 "N.29 ° 16 ′ 47 ″ E). Originally the superstructure was above the grave. The mud brick superstructure measures 21.3 × 22.4 meters. Only the chapel, the lowest layers and the door frames were made of limestone. An approximately 13 meter long corridor in the north of the superstructure leads to both the courtyard in the east and a separate cult chamber in the west. The four grave shafts were located on the east side of the 14.4 × 9.8 meter courtyard. The cult chapel is 14.6 meters wide and 5.3 meters deep and was built from limestone blocks.

There was a large one in the middle of the grave superstructure Mock door stele of the grave lord with sacrificial scenes and list of victims. Today it is one of the highlights in the archaeological museum of el-Chārga. The stele is divided into two parts. At the bottom left you can see the aged grave lord in front of an offering table with bread, to the right the young grave lord. The little person next to the tomb lord is his beloved son Descheru. On the left above the scene is the list of victims. To the right of this is an eight-line inscription at the top with a funeral prayer to Anubis and Osiris. The eleven-column inscription below is aimed at passing visitors. The titles of the grave lord are captain of the ship's crew and governor of the oasis. Ahmed Fakhry found two more steles in this tomb by Governor Descheru and a scribe named Ima.

More mastaba graves

North of the Tomb of Chentika is the 25.55807929.2801043 Mastaba 4 of the Chentikau-Pepi(25 ° 33 ′ 29 ″ N.29 ° 16 '48 "E.) or south of the Chentika tomb die 25.55723229.2797024 Mastaba 2 of Ima-Pepi II.(25 ° 33 '26 "N.29 ° 16 ′ 47 ″ E)whose superstructures give an idea of ​​the original size of the superstructures of all graves. The details of the adobe buildings include, for example, niche facades and archways.

Double grave of Betju and Ideki

Entrance to the new building with the grave of Betju and Ideki

Back wall of the tomb of the tomb of Betju and Ideki

Betju and Ideki's grave

During the excavation campaign from December 5, 1991 to January 25, 1992 under the direction of S. Aufrère, the so-called southern hill became the most important Double grave of Betju (Betjou, Bṯw) and of Ideki (Ideky), QDK I / 75, found. Both grave lords were governors of the oasis, ḥq3 wḥ3t, active in the 10th dynasty, the Herakleopolitan period, at the end of the First Intermediate Period. Based on the representations and the text analysis of the grave inscriptions, the assignment to the 10th dynasty was possible. A comparison of this tomb with that of the mastabas of the 6th dynasty shows abundantly that the influence and prosperity of these governors declined considerably in the 10th dynasty.

Due to the ingress of water, it was not possible to reconstruct the grave on site. The grave was completely dismantled in 1992 and the limestone wall blocks removed. In one of the subterranean areas used for the presentation 25.55757129.2807485 New building(25 ° 33 '27 "N.29 ° 16 ′ 51 ″ E) The grave was rebuilt in 2004 70 meters east of the mastaba of Chentika, which can be reached via a staircase. To avoid confusion: The whole thing is presented dig, not just a coffin.

The entrance to the tomb was in the east. The grave itself consisted of only one, about half a meter high chamber, the walls of which were clad with limestone slabs. The two side walls on the north and south sides and the rear wall on the west side were completely decorated with colored painting. The ceiling was given a simple representation with three- to five-pointed stars on plastering.

The upper part of the walls is occupied by a cheker frieze and three lines of inscriptions on the south and west walls and two on the north wall. Below there are gift bearers on the south and north walls in front of the tomb lord. The north face is much better preserved. Both deceased are depicted on the back wall. Both grave lords sit in front of a table with bread on a chair with a dog under each. The right grave lord is also located under a canopy.

accommodation

Accommodation is available in courage and in Qasr ed-Dachla.

trips

The visit to the archaeological site can be completed with a visit to the old town of Balat connect.

literature

• Generally
  • Osing, Jürgen: Monuments of the Dachla Oasis: from the estate of Ahmed Fakhry. Mainz: Babble, 1982, Archaeological publications; 28, ISBN 978-3805304269 , Pp. 13-32, 42-56, plates 1-6, 10 f., 51-60, 62.

• Mastaba of Chentika
  • Castel, Georges; Pantalacci, Laure; Cherpion, Nadine: Le mastaba de Khentika: tombeau d’un governor de l’Oasis à la fin de l’Ancien Empire. Le Caire: Inst. Français d'Archéologie Orientale, 2001, Balat; 5, ISBN 978-2724702927 . 2 volumes.

• Double grave of Betju and Ideki, QDK I / 75
  • Grimal, Nicolas: Travaux de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale en 1991-1992. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), ISSN0255-0962, Vol.92 (1992), Pp. 211-286, especially p. 223.
  • Leclant, Jean; Clerc, Gisèle: Fouilles et travaux en Égypte et au Soudan, 1991-1992. In:Orientalia: commentarii periodici de rebus Orientis antiqui; Nova Series (Or), ISSN0030-5367, Vol.62 (1993), Pp. 175–295, panels VI – LVII, in particular pp. 258 f., Fig. 49 on panel XLII, PDF. The file is 45 MB in size.
  • Pantalacci, Laure: Travaux de l’Institut francais d’archéologie orientale en 2004-2005. In:Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale (BIFAO), ISSN0255-0962, Vol.105 (2005), Pp. 405-543, especially p. 475, Fig. 34.

• More excavation reports
  • Valloggia, Michel: Le mastaba de Medou-Nefer: (Mastaba V). Le Caire: Inst. Français d'Archéologie Orientale, 1986, Balat; 1, ISBN 978-2724700374 . 2 volumes.
  • Minault-Gout, Anne; Deleuze, Patrick: Le mastaba d’Ima-Pepi (Mastaba II): fin de l’ancien empire. Le Caire: Inst. Français d'Archéologie Orientale, 1992, Balat; 2, ISBN 978-2724701128 .
  • Valloggia, Michel: Le monument funéraire d'Ima-Pepy / Ima-Meryrê. Le Caire: Inst. Français d'Archéologie Orientale, 1998, Balat; 4 ISBN = 978-2724702187. 2 volumes.
  • Castel, Georges; Pantalacci, Laure: Les cimetières est et ouest du mastaba de Khentika: Oasis de Dakhla. Le Caire: Inst. Français d'Archéologie Orientale, 2005, Balat; 7th, ISBN 978-2724703788 .

Individual evidence

Web links

• Balat, Website of the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale du Caire

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25 ° 33 '28 "N. 29 ° 16 ′ 49 ″ E