A well preserved limestone chapel from the reign of the 11th Dynasty king Mentuhotep II has been unearthed in Sohag
Posted on 07/04/2014 5:56:52 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
At the Arabet Abydos area in Sohag, where the large temple of King Seti I is located, an Egyptian excavation mission from the Ministry of Antiquities and Heritage (MAH) stumbled upon a limestone ancient Egyptian chapel from the 11th Dynasty.
The excavation work came within the framework of a cleaning programme carried out by the MAH in that area, after officers of the tourism and antiquities police caught red handed inhabitants trying to illegally excavate the area in front their residences in search of treasured artefacts.
Ali El-Asfar, head of the ancient Egyptian Section at the MAH, told Ahram Online that the chapel is in a very well preserved condition and is located 150 metres north to the temple of King Seti I.
Early studies on the hieroglyphic text engraved on the chapel's walls suggest that it belongs to the 11th Dynasty king Mentuhotep II, in honour of the god Osiris after his unification with the local god of Sohag, Khenti-Amenty.
The chapel is now under restoration as some of its engraving was subjected to damage from subterranean water.
"It is a very important discovery that will reveal more of the history of King Mentuhotep II," Minister of Antiquties and Heritage Mamdouh El-Damaty told Ahram Online.
He explained that monuments belonging to Mentuhotep II are rare in Abydos, despite that Mentuhotep II built several religious edifices in Abydos in an attempt to bolster his power in the ancient city through drawing closer Khenti-Amenty.
(Excerpt) Read more at english.ahram.org.eg ...
A well preserved limestone chapel from the reign of the 11th Dynasty king Mentuhotep II has been unearthed in Sohag
Mentuhotep II also built a nice one at Deir el Bahari; Hatshepsut emulated his structure (and surpassed it, probably, or even quarried it for building materials) right next to it, centuries later.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/great_dynasties_gallery_05.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/images/gal_11_dyn.jpg
“Hatshepsut emulated his structure (and surpassed it, probably, or even quarried it for building materials) right next to it, centuries later.”
Hatshepsut, I have been in her temple structure in the Valley of the Kings (Luxor). Our guide said we could remember how to pronounce her name as Hat-Cheap-Suit. And I think I remember our guide saying that she was the only female ruler buried in the Valley at Luxor.
When we visited Tut’s tomb we had to leave our cameras in a common pile at the entrance. They said flash photography would degrade the colors in the hieroglyphics in the tomb. My camera was there waiting for me when we came out of the tomb.
And not just the flash — the exhaled vapor and the other gases also damage those paintings. Most of the tombs have been open to passersby since pharaonic times, and more than a few have been used as housing, hideouts, and places to stash loot. There’s a tug of war between those in Egypt who want them closed to visitors, and those who want to keep the money coming in.
I hope they didn’t awake Imhotep.
That seems to not end well...
Imhotep, yourehotep, this whole 11th dynasty temple is hotep!
Yes, have to watch out for the 'red handed inhabitants"
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