Mehu Tomb: Stunning Old Kingdom Tomb in Saqqara

The Egyptian civilization contains many great archaeological and historical monuments, including the Mehu Tomb, which is one of the historical tombs that dates back more than 2500 years, and it is one of the tombs that were discovered and announced during the past few years, which amazed all those present when it was discovered, and visitors come to it from all over the world to visit it and get to know it closely, and we will learn with you through our article about all the details related to the tomb, so follow us.

The Mehu Tomb is located in the Saqqara necropolis, and it is a burial chamber that dates back to the ancient era more than 2500 years BC, where Mehu was a minister or high priest and worked as a reliable guide for the pharaoh.

The Mehu Tomb is a huge tomb with multiple factors, as it was from the beginning one of the few burial places that remained very intact in the world, which made it one of the most important tombs by the ancient Egyptians, in addition to containing many artistic creations and various engravings that indicate the experiences of daily life and customs in the time of the ancient Egyptians.

The Mehu Tomb consists of several rooms, where Mehu and his entire family were buried in the Mehu Shrine, where the tomb contains a huge and large statue of Mehu, in the first room there are reliefs depicting Mehu and his entire family in various places of daily life at that time, which are represented in hunting and agriculture, and this room is known as the entrance hall.

As for the second room, Mehu’s sons were buried, during its penetration into the depths of the tomb, and this room is somewhat smaller than the first room or what is called the entrance hall, as this room contains elaborate drawings and engravings showing Mehu’s sons practicing a variety of hobbies.

In the third room, Miho and his wife were buried, This room is the largest of the other rooms, When you reach this room, you will notice engravings and drawings in the tomb that reflect the scenarios of Miho and his wife in the room, where you find Miho and his wife having dinner with some gods through some beautiful and wonderful engravings.

The Miho tomb contains many factors that made it very important, the most prominent of which are:

• The tomb provides a unique window into ancient Egyptian funeral customs.
• The tomb contains a large number of compartments to provide food, clothing, and many other necessities in order to take care of Miho and the entire family in the afterlife, as the ancient Egyptians believed at that time.

The Miho tomb was discovered by the Egyptian archaeologist Zaki Saad in 1940 AD, He also discovered many other archaeological tombs, such as the tombs of Nebt and Khent, the wives of King Wenis.

The tomb of Mehu is located 6 meters south of the southern wall of the step pyramid of Djoser, and the area of ​​the tomb is about 511.92 square meters, The tomb also includes burial chambers for his son Mery Ra Ankh, and his grandson Heteka II.

The tomb of Mehu is a private tomb for Mehu and his family, as Mehu lived during the reign of King Pepi I, and he held 48 titles that were engraved on his burial chamber and also on his coffin, which are: Minister, Chief Justice, Supervisor of Upper Egypt, Supervisor of Writing the King’s Documents, and Governor of the Region.

The tomb of Mehu is one of the most beautiful tombs of the ancient Egyptian state in Saqqara, as it still retains the beauty of its colors and its picturesque and wonderful views, as the abundance of scenes and details that were added in the era of the Sixth Dynasty did not appear in the tombs of the Fifth Dynasty in Saqqara, and among these scenes is the scene of the turtle, and the scene of the mating of crocodiles.

One of the most prominent scenes depicted on the walls of Mihu’s tomb is the scene of Mehu hunting birds with a shooting stick and fishing freely in the bushes, This scene is evidence of Mihu’s power and influence, Care was taken to engrave this scene on the walls of the first chamber of the tomb to be close to the visitors’ vision, in addition to the scene of fishing with a large net.

The scene of planting seeds and harvesting, and also the scene of cooking and making beer, in addition to the scene of Ukrainian dancing and music, which did not appear in Saqqara until the Sixth Dynasty only.

The Mehu Tomb consists of a sloping ground corridor with an area of ​​2.75 meters, and it contains 6 rooms, and there is a courtyard in the middle leading to the burial chamber 5 meters from the floor of the tomb, and a lidded coffin measuring about 1.55 x 3.10 x 1.95 was found in the burial chamber, and in the southern wall the canopic jars were placed, and the burial chamber of Mery Ra Ankh, the son of Mehu, can be reached through a well behind the false door chamber.

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities has begun restoration work on the Mehu Tomb in order to develop it in a manner befitting it to receive visitors. The most prominent restoration work is cleaning the colored inscriptions on the walls of the tomb using chemical and mechanical methods, in addition to fixing the weak colors, and also developing the lighting of the tomb and covering the burial well.

Because the Tomb of Mehu has never been opened to the public before, it has not been damaged like many other tombs. The wall carvings and hieroglyphs are still in very good condition and the colors are brighter than those in most other tombs you can visit.

The tomb has four decorated rooms and one of them is an open courtyard without a roof. The walls show pictures of everyday life.

If you are staying in Cairo and have a free day, it is definitely worth visiting. You can easily visit it together with the Step Pyramid of Djoser.

Second, the Tomb of Mehu has some of the most detailed and best preserved wall paintings and carvings from the Old Kingdom period. These pictures show the roles of women and children, the importance of fishing and hunting and beliefs about life after death. They help us understand the customs and everyday life of people at that time.

Finally, the tomb is very large because it was built for a vizier, or chief minister who was one of the most powerful and important men in the court of Pharaoh Teti. This helps us learn more about the political and social system of ancient Egypt and the important role of the vizier in the king’s court.

The tomb has several rooms. There is an entrance hall, a second room for Mehu’s sons and the largest room for Mehu and his wife.

In the entrance hall, there is a large statue of Mehu. The walls have carvings that show different scenes from everyday life, such as farming, fishing and hunting. The second room is smaller, but it has detailed carvings and paintings of Mehu’s sons doing different activities.

The third room, which is the biggest one, has the most beautiful paintings and carvings. These show Mehu and his wife in the afterlife. One very impressive carving shows them eating a meal with the gods.

In September 2018, Egypt opened the 4,000 year old Tomb of Mehu to the public for the first time. The tomb was discovered in 1940 at Saqqara, but until then, visitors were not allowed to enter. It is located in the Saqqara Necropolis, not far from Cairo. However, once you arrive there, it is very hard to find.

As often happens in Egypt, the Ministry of Antiquities announced the opening with a lot of excitement around the world, but they did not put up any signs to help visitors find the tomb.

Where is the Mehu Tomb located?

The Mehu Tomb is in the Saqqara Necropolis, 6 meters south of the southern wall of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, near Cairo, Egypt.

Who was Mehu?

Mehu was a high-ranking official and minister during the reign of King Pepi I. He held 48 titles including Minister, Chief Justice and Governor of the region.

When was the Mehu Tomb discovered and by whom?

The tomb was discovered in 1940 by the Egyptian archaeologist Zaki Saad.

How old is the Mehu Tomb?

The tomb dates back more than 2500 years, to the time of the Sixth Dynasty of ancient Egypt.

What makes the Mehu Tomb special compared to other tombs in Saqqara?

It has well preserved colors, detailed artistic scenes, and many elaborate engravings that are more abundant than in the Fifth Dynasty tombs.

What can visitors see in the tomb’s entrance hall?

The entrance hall has reliefs showing Mehu and his family hunting, farming and performing daily life activities.