We finished up our day in the West Bank at the Tombs of the Nobles, which were nestled in a dusty hillside with a sweeping view of the fertile banks of the Nile. On the agenda were visits to the Tombs of Sennefer and Rekhmira. Both of the tombs date to the 18th Dynasty in Egypt, and the Tomb of Sennefer specifically dates to around 1400 BC.
Technically, no photos are allowed in the tombs, but the tomb guardians are vulnerable to Egypt’s general culture of “backsheesh” (i.e., paying a “tip” to get something extra)– meaning you can pay a dollar or two and they will look the other way while you take photos. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be complicit in this petty corruption, but our guide was so blasé about it when he told me to give a couple of lira. And frankly, it also ensured the tomb guardians left us alone– there is no guiding allowed in the tombs, and in the Valley of the Kings, if the tomb guardians figured out you were American they would follow you around and attempt to “give you a tour” (or rather, harass you by offering one word explanations of errrthing in the tomb) and then demand money. Once we figured out was happening in Ramsses III’s tomb, we ditched Tom who took one for the team and listened to the tour. We briefly considered a rescue attempt, but it looked like he was actually enjoying it so we left the sacrificial lamb to his fate!
Here is the entrance to the Tomb of Rekhmira– I didn’t take any photos inside because it was dark. It was a rather simple and straightforward tomb with some nice hieroglyphs:
Sennefer was the mayor of Thebes and “Overseer of the Granaries and Fields, Gardens, and Cattle of Amun.” He wasn’t royal, but was clearly able to amass a lot of wealth and influence. He and his wife ended up being buried in the Valley of Kings, even though they had this sweet plot all carved and ready to go. The entrance to the Tomb of Sennefer was a little more dramatic than that of Rekhmira–
I started to go down the steps first but I quickly scrambled out when I realized how narrow the space was– I didn’t like to descend with all these people (and by these people, I mean Sev, Mom, and Tom) blocking my escape. As an added bonus, I was able to get this great shot of everyone in front headed down the tunnel. Severin is lighting the way with his iPhone flashlight, giving me just enough light to get a photo!
Sennefer’s tomb is known for it’s spectacular paintings, including a ceiling cover with this beautiful vineyard scene. The ceilings here were low– too low to stand up in– so I sat down and leaned backwards to take this photo. Unfortunately, my camera lens weren’t powerful enough to really capture the spectacular paintings and colors, but I’m hoping Tom got some good ones I can supplement with later.
Some of the tomb walls were covered with protective glass–
Spectacular ceiling with geometric patterns and some hieroglyphics:
I love the contrast between the almost-white sand and stones against the perfect blue sky– you can see numerous tombs carved all over the hillside:
Here you can appreciate just how powerful the Nile is– in the mid-ground, you can see the Ramasseum, then verdant green fields irrigated and fertilized by the Nile. In the foreground, you see what the landscape would look like without the “Gift of the Nile.” It’s amazing to think people have been living here for 4,000+ years.
