THE TOMB OF NAKHT IN THE VALLEY OF THE NOBLES-THEBES-WEST

the courtyard& the entrance of the tomb

Since the days of Davies, the courtyard area has changed dramatically, leaving no indication as to its original size and depth. The tomb is now entered via a set of modern steps just wider than the actual entrance. At the beginning of the 20th century the courtyard was very different  although possibly nothing like it was originally.

The entrance passageway is narrow (less than 1m) but just less than 2m in height. The short length of its side walls are undecorated and the external uprights (also undecorated) are, like the lintel, reasonably modern. 

THE CEILING

 the ceiling is very uneven, dipping and curving, . The ceiling was painted with imitation wooden beams, in yellow ochre, dividing and bordering the area into smaller sections, into which colourful matting designs were inserted. In some other tombs these "beams" contain texts, but here there is no indication of such. The beams are edged with white borders, however, for some reason the red centre line seen in the borders of the south bay has been omitted in the northern one. The feature of matting suspended between beams was common in domestic architecture. The zigzag designs used here were typical for this period, three designs, with variants, being used.
In the area delineated between the entrance doorway and that to the inner chamber was a plain pattern of zigzag lines of red, blue and green, separated by white and edged by its own beams. This panel runs roughly at right angles to the other two areas, which are situated above the two sides bays of the transverse room.
The area in each of the two bays has been divided into two panels with a separating central beam, thus giving four zones. The basic design of three of these are very similar and is that of rows of diamond shapes containing four-petalled rosettes, in-filled between the petals with dots. These shapes are separated by zigzag lines of blue, red and green. In two of these sections, the in-fill around the rosettes and dots is ochre, with the zigzag lines separated by white; in the other the in-fill is white and the zigzag lines are separated with ochre. The differing design is in the quadrant above the the south-east corner. This still consists of rows of ochre coloured diamond shapes, but this time outlined in black and containing two further black diamond shapes. These diamond shapes are separated by red zigzag lines, edged in white. Each inner area, which includes the diamonds, is divided into a blues and a green zone.
The ceiling is in very good condition on the northern side and the area joining the two doorways. However, a major portion has fallen from the southern side, western quadrant , below which is the most damaged section of wall

 the sides and upper edge of the walls were decorated with the so-called Egyptian border (a colour ladder design) edged with narrow black bands. This border consists of coloured rectangles, the sequence of being green, ochre, blue and red with small white intermediate stripes separating them. At the junction of two walls, the ladder bands were all intended to be edged with a chain or leopard tail design on a black background, and separated further by a blue column situated in at the actual corner. This can be seen on those of the south corners . This isn't the case in the corners of the north end, where the areas remain blank , with no chain design or blue band.
Above the top horizontal border design, the area is filled with the so-called kheker frieze, representing bound bundles of reeds daubed with mud and painted. Although space was left for the frieze on the north end wall, this wasn't even started.
The bottom dado area of the walls (frequently painted black) was left unpainted and was meant to be separated from the main scenes by broad red and yellow stripes edged in black ; however, this was only completed on the west wall. On the other walls, the bottom of the scene area is merely edged with a black line.

THE SCENES OF THE TOMB

The images of Nakht and Tawy occupying the almost the total height of the upper register, the text above them taking up the remaining height  The other characters are shown at a much smaller scale, which is usual in tomb decoration. They stand in front of a pile of offerings, which doesn't actually stand on the floor, but is raised to the knee height of Nakht, leaving space below for a sub-scene.
Behind this scene, the right-hand side of the wall contains scenes of agriculture; these being continued in the bottom register which extends the full width of the wall.

 The Offering scene 

• The couple and the offerings
The eleven lines of text above the scene describe it as follows (the name of Amon having been removed three times): "Offering all good and pure things, bread, beer, ox, poultry, long-horned cattle and short-horned cattle, which are placed on the altars [of Amon, to] Re-Harakhty, to Osiris the great god, to Hathor mistress of the necropolis, and to Anubis on his hill; (by) the serving-priest of [Amon, the scribe Nakht, justified], (and) his sister, his beloved, with a place in his heart, the chantress of [Amon, Tawy], justified.".
The offerings rest on a reed mat, whilst above the many different items, as mentioned above, is another reed mat on which stand four vessels, no doubt for oil or unguents. Over each of these four vessels rest lotus blossoms, both in bud and in bloom.

Nakht, bared-footed and with a shoulder-length black wig and no beard, is dressed in a short white kilt with a longer semi-transparent one over it. He wears wrist bracelets on each arm and a colourful broad necklace around his neck. In his hands he holds a vessel from which he pours the contents (incense oil, in the form of an orange mass) onto the pile of offerings.

Tawy, also bared-footed and with a longer black wig around which is a broad head band adorned at the front with a lotus blossom, is dressed in a tight fitting white dress, which reveals her breast. Over the white dress is also a semi-transparent longer one, the bottom edge of which reaches over her feet. She wears four bracelets, one on each wrist and one on each upper arm. Her broad necklace is also colourful and very decorative. In her right hand she holds a menat necklace and in the other a musical instrument called a sistrum. Both of these were associated with the goddess Hathor and were certainly appropriate to her title as "chantress of Amon"

• Sub-scene, below the offerings
A sacrificial ox, which is lying a reed mat, is being dismembered by two men. The artist would appear to have made a very strange error: if the ox is lying on the mat, then the lower part of their legs should not appear in front of it, from behind the animal . A third man is shown offering to Nakht a dish with two white cones of fat, presumably made from the animal being dismembered. 

The agricultural scenes 

 these scenes may also have (and possible just as important) the aim of presenting the succession of the seasons and thus providing a calendar for eternity. The upper area is divided into three registers, the top two of which have a canopy at the right-hand end, under which sits another image of Nakht. He also appears similarly at the right-hand end of the bottom register, again under his canopy. None of the actual scenes of agriculture contain descriptive texts, although thirteen columns for such were created in the next to top register; these were however left totally blank . The activities begin in the bottom register with the preparation of the land and continue in the three shorter upper ones. These scenes, with variations, are also found in other tombs  but here the scenes are extremely damaged). 

The upper image of Nakht (almost identical to the one of the bottom register) has him seated on a stool, holding a long staff in his right hand and a folded piece of cloth in his other, which he rests on his lap He is dressed differently to that of his standing image before the offerings, this time he has a semi-transparent garment over his upper torso, which drapes over his back. This canopy, and the one below, is supported at the front by a papyri form pillar, with a double lotus blossom attachment, and the remainder of the structure apparently made from reed mats, including the ground area on which his stool rests. This upper image, which is larger than the one below, includes five columns of descriptive text, written in blue hieroglyphs, in which the third column (containing the name of Amon) has been destroyed. The text states: "Sitting in a booth and looking at his fields; the serving-priest of [Amon, the scribe Nakht, justified], triumphant before the great god.". In front of his booth are piled many provisions of food and drink, this time not being offerings but his sustenance during his time observing the activities in the fields, which he observes. 

 The bottom image of Nakht is different in the fact that here is shown wearing a short beard and there is no accompanying text . Again, in front of his booth is a pile of provisions, this time different from the ones of the upper image and displayed more clearly. However, unlike the upper registers, the workers of this bottom register are also supplied with provisions. These are located at the left-hand end of the scene, under a tree, obviously less plentiful than those of their master. In the branches of the tree hangs an animal skin of water, from which one of the workers drinks. For some reason the artist has included one bag of corn seed on top of the workers' provisions and two on top of those of Nakht

The bottom image of Nakht is different in the fact that here is shown wearing a short beard and there is no accompanying text . Again, in front of his booth is a pile of provisions, this time different from the ones of the upper image and displayed more clearly. However, unlike the upper registers, the workers of this bottom register are also supplied with provisions. These are located at the left-hand end of the scene, under a tree, obviously less plentiful than those of their master. In the branches of the tree hangs an animal skin of water, from which one of the workers drinks. For some reason the artist has included one bag of corn seed on top of the workers' provisions and two on top of those of Nakht.

• The activities of the bottom register
The agricultural activities begin in this bottom register .
Several scenes are depicted here, one set separated from the other by an undulating ground level or a creek, which runs along the middle of the image, in the centre of which is enclosed a small lake or pool left by the inundation from the Nile. This certainly gives the imagery a feeling of depth.

The major activity (by size) is that of ploughing, where the two farmers direct their ploughs towards each other, thus forming at first glance a symmetrical composition. However, these two images are different. On the left, the farmer stands erect and reasonably youthful, his plough being pulled by two brown oxen. Whereas, the farmer on the right is bent over his plough and with his partially bold head is obviously much older; his plough is pulled by two black and white oxen. Behind the left-hand ploughman is a naked youth who scatters the seed into the furrows he has made.
To their left, two men pound the ground with mallets, probably breaking up large and hard clods of earth, whilst another scatters seeds into their cultivated soil. Immediately behind this man is the pile of farmers provisions, above which is the tree shading these and the skin of water (these were mentioned above).

Above the undulating separation are two more scenes.
When the Nile flood has receded (in late summer), it leaves behind large pools of water, as shown in the undulating line, in the low-lying agricultural land. This area also remains muddy and is where Egyptian peasants sowed their crops.
The farmers on the left are shown standing up to their ankles in the mud, using hoes to break up the more solid layer below. A seed sower works with them.
On the right, a field worker cuts down tamarisk and mimosa trees at the edge of the cultivation area, thus extending the fields farther towards the desert. Another man works in the wild grassland thus enabling its cultivation.

• The activities of the upper three registers
These registers cover the activities which take place at the end of the growing season. These are to be viewed in the following order: bottom one first, followed by the top one and finally the one between (see the line drawing).

• Bottom register - harvesting
This is divided into three sub-scenes, starting from the right. Three harvesters, each holding a sickle, walk into the tall wheat in order to harvest it. They all point in front of them perhaps towards Nakht who may be overseeing what they do, or perhaps pointing to what still had to be done. The artist has omitted to add the detail of the tall stems of the harvest in front of them, which is included behind them, but did manage to make it a straw colour.

The tall crop of the first scene separates this scene from the one to its left. Here, two workers are trying to close the top of an overfilled container, indicating the abundance of the harvest. The man on the left stands in the usual attitude, whereas his companion is shown in full action, as he leaps into the air to put pressure on a long pole, to try to force the excess into the large basket. Below him is a gleaner gathering the heads of wheat which have fallen to the ground.

At the left edge, two girls harvest flax, which also appears in other tombs, although there seems to be no real connection with the crop being harvested, other than perhaps the time during which it happens. The colour of the background plants is totally different, changing from a straw colour to green, which definitely separates the two scenes within the register. It also highlights the whiteness of the dresses of the two young ladies, thus easily seeing that they wear dresses of different designs, although both are fairly close fitting and reach down to their ankles.

• Upper two registers - winnowing (uppermost), gathering and measuring (below)
Due to a lack of space, the artist has omitted the treading of the corn on the threshing floor by oxen. Thus the action moves immediately from the harvesting to the topmost scene, that of the winnowing.

The winnowing scene is that of the separation of grain from the chaff, which would have taken place on a day when a light breeze was blowing. This would blow away the light chaff, letting the grain fall to the ground. Six men, three on either side, toss the mixture into the air using two scoops, whilst two others stoop in the middle. One picks up more of the mixture from the ground, again with two scoops, whilst the other is provided with two small brooms and brushes the scattered grain towards the central heap. All the men wear white cloths tied around their heads to keep out the dust. The image is very symmetrical, using curves within curves.
Above the scoops of the standing men is an image . This is a goblet stand, above which can be seen the presence of a strange object resembling ectoplasm : it actually consists of a bundled sheaf of corn held within a crescent moon shape. This was thought by Davies to represent an inverted goblet, and that the group evoked an offering to the goddess of the harvests, Renutet. According to Moret and Assman, it is to be considered as representing an offering to Osiris, but an explanation proposed by Capart seems more probable: "Miss Blackman (note: this is the sister of the well known Egyptologist) [...] had the surprise to discover, suspended in a granary in Illahun, the object which appeared in the tombs of the XVIIIth Dynasty. It is a kind of small doll made from the last collected ears, and which was keep until the following season".

The gathering and measuring scene is another well represented image in tombs. This includes two men who stoop to gather and measure the grain, whilst an official watches over them. It is surprising not to see him actually recording their results. Here the artist has drawn the curves of the heaped grain at each end of the scene at different heights, with the men who gather the grain and the official having their feet completely covered. Note that the feet of all the men in the image above have their feet in full view, as if being superimposed on the image, rather than being part of it. Also note that this scene was intended to have been annotated in the blank columns above the activity.

 East wall, north side 

Once again the images of Nakht and Tawy occupying almost the total height of the upper register, with the text above them taking up the rest (see image opposite). Again a pile of offerings stands before them. Instead of being accompanied by scenes of agriculture, behind them are three registers of porters of offerings.

On this side of the wall, unlike the other, there is no lower register. Also, the extreme left edge of the imagery is incomplete.
Even the vertical coloured border has not been produced, along with the end of the top one  . This is not the result of damage, but because it wasn't completed by the artist.

Faint red grid lines are still visible in background areas of the wall, especially around the legs of Nakht and Tawy, which helped the artist in the spacing and proportioning of the figures.

 The Offering scene 

The nine lines of text above the scene describe it as follows (the name of Amon having been removed three times, but this time almost totally removing four columns): "Placing myrrh and incense on the altar [to Amon, to Re-Harakhti, to Osiris the great] god, to Hathor, mistress of Thebes, and to Anubis on his hill, (by) the serving-priest [of Amon, Nakht, justified, and] his sister, the chant[ress of Amon, Tawy,] justified.".

The artist has deliberately made this scene different in many aspects to the one at the other side of of the entrance doorway.

The pile of offerings, which consists of many different items, also contains a dish with white cones of fat, like those offered to Nakht in the other version of the scene. Also, below the main pile of offerings, is a prepared ox carcass which was being prepared previously by two butchers. The lotus flowers resting on the vessels, at the top, have no stems and consist of just one bloom on each.

Nakht, at first glance, appears to be the same as previously. However, he now wears a beard. Even though the text states that he is placing (pouring) myrrh and incense onto the offerings, none can be seen coming from the vessel which he holds, though this was very evident in the other version, where it wasn't mentioned in the text.

Tawy, also appearing as before, this time wears a large semi-transparent over-garment, which drapes over her upper left arm and reaches down to her feet. She also wears an additional bracelet on each arm, just above those on her wrists. Her necklace is also of a different design.

 The bearers of offerings 

Eleven offering bearers are displayed on three registers, with no descriptive text having been either applied or planned (i.e. no blank columns). They bring even more animals and produce to the scene. The items include: papyrus plants, grapes, poultry, wild gazelles and little calves, which are intended not just for the offering of Nakht, but also for the cultic care of the deceased in the afterlife.

The quality of the imagery is, in places, lacking, especially that of the three animals which walk near the legs of the men. In the second register the artist has even painted a "transparent" gazelle, through which can seen the legs of the man who brings it . Obviously much work was still to be done in order for it to be in a finished condition.

Prefer to explore the places , learn from the locals , &intermingle with their atmosphere ?so you diffidently should try this tour around Thebes various necropolises of the Nobles , Artisans , & the glorious Ramasseum temple.click for details

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A Tourist Tale about Egypt's Food

When I left to Egypt in the past year, I never thought I was coming back fond of this country kitchen. Fresh fruits, vegetables and cereals group of stunning and huge markets is a paradise for vegetarians. Will occupy the kitchen Egypt easily ranked fifth among the top five countries in the plant list.
 Took me cook pancakes and  food talented guide Nadia on a tour of food to the market "Moaz street" famous in Old Cairo, which I took many of the photos below and if you visit Egypt one day, do not waste your tours , food interesting and fun provided by Nadia and her friends.
  Making good "pita" Bread
 

Hassan is a bakery to bake "Pita" in a street market next to Khan Khalili, "Azhar area" famous in Old Cairo, which is a small shop and a modest, hardly pay any attention to him. But I am very happy because I entered it, and thanks in return for Nadia, because the bread is very good, fresh and extremely flavorful.
 Not only the quality of the bread, but the same good people nice and friendly. It has invited me to his kitchen, and showed me how the bread making distinctive and spoke enthusiastically about the methods and prescriptions. It also allowed me to spend several hours in his small store, and even allowed me the opportunity to try my hand making bread, but what I made bread from my hand it seemed funny ,asterisk are distorted and made me laugh!
 Do you see Oven  in the background? There are good baked the bread, which is lined with metal furnaces and round and cavernous. Has been described as good, saying it was "like the mother's abdomen." It is interesting that they call ovens "Forn", we in India call it "tandoor."
 I asked about the secret of good bread wonderful, he said that the secret in the beginning the "old" in the kneading. Hassan called "old" because the first dough was made to him in 1985, and since that time, and every day, keeps good piece of dough the previous day and adds them to the dough the following days. In this way, as explained to me the good, the dough "continuous" since more than 27 years. The first-made dough containing yeast in it, but since that time has not been used at all in yeast Hassan daily. After that, the way of continuity in the old dough bread quality given a mild yeast.
 Belongs to a class with good bakers who make bread, a traditional Arab, he is from Zakazyek, a Delta city. He works hard, gets up at five o'clock in the morning and often works late into the night. dough fresh every day using half white flour and half wheat flour, water and salt (in addition to some of the dough the day before).

Then Hassan and his assistant, the formation of dozens and dozens of loaves of pita bread round and large chewed gently and bake in the oven is a wonderful charcoal its own, and then carrying out spraying sesame seeds black and white or a little thyme to the bread.

 Cookies "Kahk" which looks like you've never see before
 
The Egyptians have developed a small buns to a form of art. After the experience of Cookies "Kahk", you will not see at all the cookies in the same way again. The Fitre Feast  is a Muslim Feast , which lasts 4 days, the Muslim  eat cookies (or Kahk) and other cookies items during the period of Eid al-Fitr.

 I was lucky enough because I was present in Egypt during the festival Eid al-Fitr, and tasted some amazing cookies. It was a difficult choice because it was the introduction of many flavors of appetite.

 During the festival, "Eid al-Fitr", the cookies shops packed with people. This man loves cookies selection.
 My favorite cookie  that was stuffed , and that comes stuffed with Turkish delight ! What a great idea! This cookie was presented with the sugar powder on top, and the filling containing turkish delight .
 This cookie  in the market  was" kind "common" and Stuffed date  dessert.
 Homos best eaten at all
 

I am fond of chickpeas. I ate a lot of hummus in Egypt until he came out of my ears! I have cleared the dishes and the delicious dishes of hummus and pita bread with fat and soft bloated. Eventually, I found this the best hummus ever eaten.
 That was in a small restaurant called "Elmadry" in the market "khan khalili" in Cairo. This restaurant offers delicious dishes traditional Egyptian cuisine (a large number of vegetarian options also ), Homos  best tasted at all.
 It was a chick in a restaurant "Elmasry" rich and soft and very luxurious, and the appropriate amount of salt and lemon. The restaurant was generous in tehena provided by the hummus, which gives him a sense of richness  in the mouth.
 Image above: vegetarian meal calorie diet and I dealt with  food in a restaurant "elmasry," a cabbage stuffed with rice cooked in tomato sauce, paprika, with pickles, hummus and pita bread.
 Vegetarian meal in Cairo with Egyptraveluxe guide Nadia

In the last night of the festival "Eid al-Fitr", making us a great power with Nadia sumac on the dinner. Sumac for the dark red color, which is a powder of spices with a wonderful flavor. Power, we dealt with a lot of grain and bread and cheese. Power was a snack, but compelling and wonderful reminder that even the simplest of meals can be transformed into unforgettable meals when eaten with the good people in an atmosphere of friendly conversation .

 After we dealt with the authority of sumac, we finished the meal Holiday "Eid al-Fitr" eat cookie "kahk" usual, and these were sugared and the cookie stuffed with nougat this time .
 
 
 

NAKHT AND HIS FAMILY

Nakht ,  means "strong", held the positions/titles of "scribe" and "serving priest".his wife, Tawy, was a chantress of Amon, and  her son was called Amenemapet.
The title "scribe"   simply means that he had received the education of an official, the other tittle "wenuti" is so rarely used .  it must indicate a very secondary function. Within the texts of the walls (and the small statue) this word is written in five different ways ( , , , and ). In each case this was followed by the name "Amon", and which in each case has been removed. The title indicates a class of priest or temple official whose duties and rank are not very clear. Its use to identify an individual is very rare. It clearly refers to members of a roster whose period of service was fixed to certain hours of the night or day. It would appear that they were laymen, summoned to perform short duties of service in the temple and who thought of it as an honour to fulfil the simplest tasks, thus explaining why few officials carried the title except those who, like Nakht, had no other definite positions of office in administration. Thus the translation as "serving priest" or probably more correctly "priest of the hours" (of "Amon") seems appropriate. The determinative , found at the end of two versions of the word, used rarely in this tomb, is also associated with the word "astronomer", and has given rise to the thought that Nakht may have been an "astrologer" of the temple of Amon (although the word "temple" is never included in the texts.
His titles and name are usually followed by the hieroglyphs for "true of voice", interpreted as "justified" or "deceased". This originates from the fact that the dead person must appear before Osiris and the scales of truth (the "weighing of the heart ceremony"), where his heart is weighed against the feather, the symbol of the goddess of truth, order and justice, Ma'at. If the heart equals the weight of the feather then the person is proved true and honest, i.e. justified, and can proceed into to afterlife. The scene of the "weighing of the heart" does not appear in this tomb.

Despite the small size of the tomb it can hardly one of a poor man or a person of no important position. To have the wherewithal in order to produce a tomb of this quality he certainly had something, perhaps he had close connections with the royal court or the royal family itself, although there is no indication of this in the tomb decoration. Regarding the period in which he lived, there can be not doubt, the erasure of the name of Amon from the texts in the complex shows that it was at least prior to the Akhenaton era. As discussed above, the relationship of the decorative style indicates that he must have lived during the reign of Thutmosis IV and Amenhotep III.


  • His wife, Tawy , is identified most commonly in the tomb as "his beloved, the chantress of Amon". Her identity only appears five times, and her name only four times, each time the deletion of the name "Amon" has also removed other characters.
  - On the north wall, upper register, she is "His sister, his beloved, the chantress of [Amon], Tawy.". On the lower register, the columns above the couple have been left without text.
  - On the south wall, she is only mentioned in the badly damage area of the false door (centre top), where all that remains for certain is "mistress of the house".
  - On the east wall - left-hand side, there is only room for "His sister, the chantress of [Amon], Tawy, justified.". However, only the last two characters of "His sister" and "justified" have survived the removal of the name "Amon".
  - On the east wall - right-hand side, she is named once: "His sister, his beloved, with a place in his heart, the chantress of [Amon, Tawy], justified." Here her actual name has been lost by the removal of "Amon".
  - On the west wall - right-hand side, she is mentioned twice in the upper register on the left-hand side. Firstly in the blue text, as: "His sister, the chantress of [Amon], mistress of the house, Tawy." Then, in multi-colour, as: "His sister, his beloved, with a place in his heart, [the chantress of Amon], Tawy."
  - On the west wall - left-hand side, no text to identify her has survived, the only text is that which states that the son is hers.
Note that she is only referred to as "justified" twice. Also, again only twice, is she referred to as "mistress of the house", which actually identifies her as "his wife"; the term "sister" being used for both "wife" and "sister".
Tawy held the title as "chantress of Amon", like most women with any resemblance of rank, thus it is uncertain that the title entailed anything other than being possibly associated with the temple of Amon, just as her husband was.

  • Children :
  - Amenemapet (Amenemopet), , who is not described explicitly as Nakht's son, appears on the rear wall - left side, in the bottom register of the scene of "Beautiful Festival of the Valley". He is actually identified as "her son" and may have been from a previous marriage of Tawy. In the one and only occurrence of his name, as elsewhere, the hieroglyphs spelling the name "Amen" (often used in names for "Amon", although the hieroglyphic spelling is the same) has been removed.

  - Other sons and daughters doubtless appear in the tomb, but were never specifically inscribed as being such or even named.

  • Parents and other family members : there is no mention of his or his wife's parents in either the texts or the imagery. Nor are there any indications to their ancestry. Neither is there any information about the previous marriage of Tawy, other than the fact the son is identified solely as hers.

T52, the tomb of Nakht and his wife, Tawy

today about 210 decorated tomb complexes, more than half of which date to the 18th dynasty, with the remainder mainly dating from the 19th and early 20th dynasty. In antiquity there were probably about twice this number, half of which have been lost or destroyed. Approximately 50 tombs remain which were decorated during the reigns of Thutmosis IV and Amenhotep III. It is located fairly close to tomb TT38 (Djeserkareseneb) and tomb TT69 (Menna ). These two tombs share many of the same decorative features.

TT52 presents the common type of tomb complex of the 18th Dynasty, which consisted of an open courtyard, then the two internal chambers in the form of an inverted "T" structure, plus a subterrean complex.  symbolically the courtyard should be oriented to the east (sunrise, the Nile, day and life), whilst the interior chambers should be to the west (to the setting sun, darkness and kingdom of the dead). The plan sections show this symbolic orientation
 The tomb complex of Nakht is of a modest size, with the internal structure consisting of a transverse chamber (approximately 5 x 1.5m.) followed by an inner one (approximately 2.5 x 2.2m. - only just longer than wide), thus combining to form the shape of an inverted "T". The wall of this rear second chamber is pierced by a niche, possible intended for a small statue
 This first chamber is divided by the entrance from the courtyard and the doorway to the inner chamber. The average height of the two chambers is just less than 2 metres.

• As with many Theban tombs, the one of Nakht is unfinished. Not only did the inner chamber not receive even the beginning of decoration (although it was plastered in readiness), but many incomplete areas can even be seen in the transverse chamber, particularly where columns created for the descriptive texts remain empty, and a totally missing lower register on the left side part of the entry wall, as seen when facing it. Some Egyptologists have proposed that this is evidence that Nakht’s tomb, along with others, may have been originally created and decorated as a generic tomb, to be assigned by the vizier to his favoured officials.

• A shaft descends from the floor of the inner chamber to the undecorated subterranean burial chamber, investigated by Davies. The stelephorous statue was found in this shaft.













The style of the paintings in TT52 are very similar to other tombs such as Djeserkarasoneb (TT38) and Amenhotep-si-se (TT75) and Nebseny (TT108), all of which are dated to the reign of Thutmosis (Tuthmosis) IV and contain a royal cartouche or inscriptions in their tomb complexes. The tomb complex of Menna (TT69) contains paintings of a similar style to those in that of Nakht and date to the period of transition between Thutmosis IV and his successor Amenhotep (Amenophis) III.


Details of the female figures, which in previous times were noble and austere, are now young, sensual and sophisticated. Their rounded proportions are revealed through the plaits of their hair and translucent dresses; additionally their large almond shape of their eyes are different from previous times. These things all indicate the decoration of TT52 was completed during the reign of Amenhotep III. Like many tombs in the Theban necropolis from this period, the short reign of Thutmosis IV meant that many tombs were actually completed in the reign of his successor, Amenhotep III.

One question worth asking is, that with the number of tomb complexes on the Sheikh Abd el-Qurna slopes, and the short period of time during which they were produced: "where did all the resources and man power come from?". Temples and the complexes of the pharaohs themselves were also being constructed, as well as other possible building and decorating projects. It is estimated that even a small tomb complex, like that of Nakht, would have taken about six months just to decorate it, which doesn't take into account the time required to excavate it and plaster the walls. There is no wonder that many of the images found in these constructions share great similarities.
 Modern history of the tomb



The tomb was found by European explorers in 1889, just a few years after it had been discovered by the local inhabitants of Qurna Village. Later, in 1889, the tomb was cleared by members of Antiquities Service.
Its details were recorded by Norman de Garis Davies between 1907 and 1910, for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and published in 1917. It was during this survey by Davies, that he discovered that the Antiquities Service had not cleared the burial shaft nor chamber, due to the fact that no plans existed. It was during the undertaking the clearence of these, that among the objects found by him, in the debris of the burial shaft, was a fine stelophore statue of Nakht, measuring about 40cm in height. During its transport to America in 1915, on board the steamship "Arabic", the piece was lost in an attack by a U-boat, in the Irish Sea, leaving us with just a few black and white photographs.
Images of the walls of the complex, which appear in most modern publications, were created many years ago and show the original brightness and clarity of the colours. These have become faded in many places today, less than a century after the tomb's discovery. This is mainly due to the flood of tourists who have visited the tomb in the last decades. The ongoing decomposition can be seen in the fine cracks which have formed in the paint, which then flakes away from the wall in small particles. Also the breath from the many tourists causes a fungal growth, which also has a bad effect on the quality. This resulted in protective measures having to be taken by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, especially of the decorated walls. Before these measures, the tomb was already small, but with the addition of protective glass, there to prevent the hands (or breath) of the tourists from touching the decoration, the tomb became even more claustrophobic and a rather less pleasant place to visit. This restricted the number of visitors which were allowed to enter at any one time, even making access by wheelchair impossible. The reflective nature of the glass and the small amount of lighting (what there is comes from ground level) now made even the viewing of the decoration difficult. But, like so many tombs of the area, its content is still worth the effort of visiting because it contains some unique pieces of Egyptian artwork.

At the time of Davies

Another major change which has happened between the time of Davies and now, is that the courtyard has been filled and reduced to just a modern set of steps leading to the entrance. This difference can be seen by comparison of the two photos above.

Fantastic Opportunity to Visit Egypt this time

These are some reviews of Egypt's visitors 2012:
We have just returned to Canada after a fantastic month of travel in Egypt and Jordan. After our group tour was cancelled because of the uncertainty in Egypt, Yousef Ibraham of Egyptraveluxe tours in Giza, Egypt was able to arrange a comprehensive tour of the major sights in Egypt and Jordan on very short notice. Within two weeks we had agreed an itinerary and arrived in Cairo on February 24, 2011.
Because of the current low level of tourists we were able to upgrade our accommodations and were fortunate to have very well qualified guides and personal attention throughout our travels. The staff from Egypt Traveluxe and their staff  were constantly monitoring our status and conditions of travel arrangements to ensure our plans and schedule remained intact. On a couple of occasions we had to change from air flights to train travel because of flight cancellations due to the low volume. The first train trip was an experience, but the second convinced us that plane travel was definitely preferable.
A particular highlight was a week spent in the western desert, including the Siwa Oasis and two days camping in the white and black deserts - a totally different view of Egypt. The guide and off road driver were particularly enthusiastic and knowledgeable to make this a fun experience.
Of course there were the well known key attractions of Abu Simbal, Temples of Karnak and Luxor, Valley of the Kings , Sakkara, Dahshoor, Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza, the Library in Alexandria and the various points in between covered during the Nile River Cruise from Aswan to Luxor. The sound and light show at Karnak, ballooning in the valley of the Kings and climbing Mt. Sinai were also memorable experiences.
Petra was truly an amazing place. We spent three days at the site and could easily have spent more time, the dead sea, Jerash, Amra and Ajlun Castle were also memorable areas to visit.
During all our travels in Egypt and Jordan we were welcomed by all that we met and never had any concern for our safety or security. While we regret the unfortunate effect on the economy and livelihood of many people the great lack of tourists provided us with unique opportunities to visit and view the historical monuments and sites in an unusual fashion, almost totally free of crowds.
Our thanks to Yousef and his staff for their outstanding efforts.

 

 

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