Dair al-Berscha

Deir el-Bersche Memphis Elephantine

Map of Egypt

Coordinates: 27 ° 45 '  N , 30 ° 45'  E

Dair al-Berscha or Deir el-Bersche ( Arabic دير البرشا Dayr al-Barscha , DMG Dair al-Baršā ) is a village on the eastern bank of the Nile south of Sheikh Abade (now Sheikh Ibada , formerly Antinoopolis ). Dair al-Berscha is located in Markaz Mallawi in al-Minya Governorate , the 2006 census counted 14,719 inhabitants.

There is an extensive ancient necropolis on the border with the eastern desert .

Excavation history

1891-1892 Percy E. Newberry copied the decoration of the graves then accessible. Ahmed Kamal and Georges Daressy later undertook excavations in Dair el-Berscha. In 1915, George Andrew Reisner discovered the grave of Gaufürsten Djehutinacht. Since 1988 the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) has been carrying out excavations in Dair el-Berscha under the direction of Harco Willems .

history

During the Old and Middle Kingdoms, Dair al-Berscha was the necropolis of the ancient city of Hermopolis Magna (al-Asmunein), although it was ten kilometers east of the city on the other side of the Nile . In the Middle Kingdom, princes built large rock graves . This custom was probably as in Qau el-Kebir under Sesostris III. or Amenemhet III. given up.

Later, the residents of Hermopolis Magna were buried in the city itself and in Tuna el-Gebel . In Greco-Roman times , the necropolis was reused. In Christian times there were several monasteries in the nearby valleys such as the church of Deir Abu Hinnis .

Dair al-Berscha has also been used as a quarry since the New Kingdom .

The tomb of Djehutihotep

The grave of Djehutihotep, a guest prince, mayor and high priest of Hermopolis Magna under Sesostris II and Sesostris III, is known for the large-format depiction of the transport of a colossal statue from the quarries of Hatnub to Hermopolis Magna.

literature

• George Willoughby Fraser, Percy E. Newberry : El Berscheh 1 The Tomb of Telmti-hetep (= Memoir / Archaeological Survey of Egypt. Vol. 3). Egypt Exploration Fund, London 1894.
• Francis Llewellyn Griffith , Percy E. Newberry: El Berscheh 2 (= Memoir / Archaeological Survey of Egypt. Vol. 4). Egypt Exploration Fund, London 1895.
• Harco Willems: Chests of Life. A Study of the Typology and Conceptual Development of Middle Kingdom Standard Class Coffins. (= Mémoires de la Société d'Études Orientales "Ex Oriente Lux". Vol. 25). Ex Oriente Lux, Leiden 1988, ISBN 90-72690-01-X , pp. 68-81.
• Harco Willems: Deir el-Bersha. In: Kathryn A. Bard (Ed.): Encyclopedia of the Archeology of Ancient Egypt. Routledge, London 1999, ISBN 0-415-18589-0 , pp. 246-47.
• Harco Willems: (Ed.): Dayr al-Barsha. Vol. 1: The rock tombs of Djehutinakht (no.17K74 / 1), Khnumnakht (no.17K74 / 2), and Iha (no.17K74 / 3) with An essay on the history and nature of nomarchal rule in the early Middle Kingdom (= Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta. [OLA] Vol. 155). Peeters, Leuven / Paris / Dudley MA 2007, ISBN 978-90-429-1825-2 .

Web links

• Dayr al-Barsha Project
• Percy E. Newberry (Ed.): El Bersheh (Volume 1): The tomb of Tehuti-Hetep, London, 1895
• Francis Ll. Griffith (Ed.), Percy E. Newberry (Ed.): El Bersheh (Volume 2), London, 1895

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Egyptian census data 2006  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.