Hany Abdallah El-Tayeb - The Mastaba of Rashepses (LS16) at Saqqara

This lecture will be hosted on Thursday, 16 January 2025 at 6:00 pm.

The mastaba of Rashepses (LS16) at Saqqara is an extraordinary monument dating to the reign of Djedkara (5th Dynasty c. 2414- 2375 B.C). The tomb attracted much attention during the 19th century, with blocks of it even removed to the palace of Mohamed Bey, the defterdar or financial vizier in the reign of Mohamed Aly, but afterwards it was nearly forgotten.

In 2009 a new expedition under the direction of the author was initiated, uncovering and documenting hitherto unknown parts and decoration of the mastaba, which contains 29 chambers and passages, making it the largest Old Kingdom mastaba in Saqqara belonging to one person. In this talk the history, rediscovery, and recent excavations of the tomb are discussed with special attention to the unusual decorated burial chamber of Rashepses.

About the speaker

Hany Abdallah El-Tayeb is the General Director of Foreign Missions Affairs and Permanent Committees. He received his PhD in 2014 at the Faculty of Archaeology at Cairo University and has worked many years at the Saqqara Inspectorate, where he was involved in several different fieldwork projects. Until recently he was Head of the Scientific Office of the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.

Attention!

The lecture starts at 6 pm. The number of seats is limited and we work on a first-come, first-served basis. We open our doors at 5:30 and close them at 6:15 or earlier in case the lecture room reaches its full capacity. This talk will not be recorded nor livestreamed.