Breakfast done, it was into the minibus once more. Today we were going to have a look at a handful of the so-called Tombs of the Nobles. Although there are over 400 tombs across this ancient hillside, we would only visit about half a dozen of them.

We arrived at the parking area and were met by the guardian who had taken me round these tombs last time I was here. We were making for the tomb of Sennefer as a starting point, and our “guide” was quick to offer the services of his motorbike for anyone who felt they couldn’t do the steep path up the mountainside. Everybody declined but I am sure there were some who later wished they had accepted; me included! Eventually we got there, stopping at the tomb of Rekhmire first. The height of the ceiling in this tomb always amazes me. It also has a really good example of how the Egyptian artists conveyed a 3D idea. The example is a tree-lined pool where the trees surrounding the pool are depicted in a plan form. This is visual description, not a pretty picture to look at; rather it attempts to paint its picture in the mind of the viewer. It is actually a very clever way of conveying information.

Next stop Sennefer, the only real burial place, all the rest being more like mortuary chapels with the actual burial place usually sealed off. These “chapels of remembrance” would stay open after the burial ceremony, and family would come and celebrate the life of the tomb owner on festivals and special occasions. Sennefer’s tomb is often called the Tomb of the Vineyards as the uneven ceiling is beautifully painted to imitate a grapevine.

We made our way across the hillside to the tombs of Menna, Nakht and eventually that of Amenemopet. I always enjoy these tombs especially when one finds the little humorous extras that the painters included. A cat under a chair, a worker drunk from too much wine, and so on. We were now getting on towards midday, and it was very hot out there. We decided to do one more before going in search of some shade and some lunch. I’m glad to say it was my favourite, TT55, that of Ramose.

There is so much to look at in this tomb, with the beautiful inscriptions of the funerary feast, as well as the transport of the burial goods and how that particular decoration leads to the burial chamber. Of course, the star of the show for me is the two distinctly different depictions of Amenhotep IV with his mother, and his alter-ego, Akhenaten, with one can only presume, Nefertiti. Also further to the right of the royal couple are great examples of how the grid system was used in marking out wall decoration.
A short ride across the road to the Ramesseum Rest House for a bite to eat, where we had the enormous pleasure of bumping into Egyptologist Eman Bahaa, and then on to our main afternoon attraction, the House of Millions of Years of Usermaatre Setepenre,

The Ramesseum, mortuary temple of Rameses the Great, was the original that yesterday’s temple at Medinet Habu was modelled on. Although not as complete, it is still pretty impressive. Again, the colours at the tops of the columns have to be seen to be believed. There has been some work done on restoring the first pylon but the thing that gets everyone’s attention is the massive statue, or what remains of it, that lies in the first courtyard. This massive colossus was carved from a single block of stone and originally stood 19 metres high. It represents Rameses as a god.

Staying with colossal statues, on the way back to the hotel, we stopped off at the Colossi of Memnon for a quick photo op.

That wasn’t the end of the day, and a little later we met in the foyer of the hotel for a short walk into the village to dine at a local eatery, where I found out that cash is still king in Egypt.
Other kings on the menu for tomorrow.