26th March 2014
El-Mazawwaka Tombs - Dakhla
This was the fifth site to visit on my Oasis trip to Kharga and Dakhla on the 17th & 18th February 2014.
Nothing could have prepared me for what was waiting at these tombs. I was quite taken back with their splendor and the outstanding beauty of the vivid coloured painted walls and ceilings depicting traditional and classic styles.
The Necropolis of Muzawwaka (Muzawwaqa) meaning “The Decorated Hill” is in the vicinity of Deir al-Hagar Temple.
There are over 300 hundred tombs cut into the sides of low hills. The tombs of the priest Petubastis (probably 1st century AD) and the priest Patosiris (Sadosiris) - (somewhat later) are of outstanding workmanship.
The tomb of Patubastis is a single chamber room with recessed shelves, which once held the mummies. On one wall is a portrait of the owner. The ceiling of the chamber is painted with a zodiac in a typical 1st century AD style.
The second tomb is that of Petosiris and dates from the early part of the 2nd century AD. This tomb has two chambers. The owner is again portrayed on a wall standing on a turtle and holding a snake and a fish. Oddly, this tomb is decorated in traditional ancient Egyptian religious symbols including hieroglyphic text but also depict fair-haired Roman nosed figures in Pharaonic poses.
The inner chamber has paintings of the weighing of the heart before Osiris. Other scenes are of the New Kingdom funerary art. The painted zodiac ceiling is more complex than the tomb of Petubastis and is of birds and animals, a scarab and the God Horus.
There are harvesting scenes in both tombs as well as agricultural products of the Oasis. Other tombs in the necropolis are unpainted and the remains are poorly embalmed.
The tombs were discovered in 1972 and in 1992 the tombs were closed for restoration, which took about eleven years to complete owing to the soft layers of rock around the tombs.
There is a nearby cave that the guardian will be happy to show you, which contain many mummies. One can only assume that some of them are from these two painted tombs.
Tickets are obtainable at site.
Our tour was organized through Petra Travel Agency in Luxor. There were six of us and the trip came at an incredibly reasonable price. www.petraluxor.com - [email protected]
El-Mazawwaka Tombs - Dakhla
This was the fifth site to visit on my Oasis trip to Kharga and Dakhla on the 17th & 18th February 2014.
Nothing could have prepared me for what was waiting at these tombs. I was quite taken back with their splendor and the outstanding beauty of the vivid coloured painted walls and ceilings depicting traditional and classic styles.
The Necropolis of Muzawwaka (Muzawwaqa) meaning “The Decorated Hill” is in the vicinity of Deir al-Hagar Temple.
There are over 300 hundred tombs cut into the sides of low hills. The tombs of the priest Petubastis (probably 1st century AD) and the priest Patosiris (Sadosiris) - (somewhat later) are of outstanding workmanship.
The tomb of Patubastis is a single chamber room with recessed shelves, which once held the mummies. On one wall is a portrait of the owner. The ceiling of the chamber is painted with a zodiac in a typical 1st century AD style.
The second tomb is that of Petosiris and dates from the early part of the 2nd century AD. This tomb has two chambers. The owner is again portrayed on a wall standing on a turtle and holding a snake and a fish. Oddly, this tomb is decorated in traditional ancient Egyptian religious symbols including hieroglyphic text but also depict fair-haired Roman nosed figures in Pharaonic poses.
The inner chamber has paintings of the weighing of the heart before Osiris. Other scenes are of the New Kingdom funerary art. The painted zodiac ceiling is more complex than the tomb of Petubastis and is of birds and animals, a scarab and the God Horus.
There are harvesting scenes in both tombs as well as agricultural products of the Oasis. Other tombs in the necropolis are unpainted and the remains are poorly embalmed.
The tombs were discovered in 1972 and in 1992 the tombs were closed for restoration, which took about eleven years to complete owing to the soft layers of rock around the tombs.
There is a nearby cave that the guardian will be happy to show you, which contain many mummies. One can only assume that some of them are from these two painted tombs.
Tickets are obtainable at site.
Our tour was organized through Petra Travel Agency in Luxor. There were six of us and the trip came at an incredibly reasonable price. www.petraluxor.com - [email protected]