The southern tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of Ay ( No. 25 ) .. Part ( 26 )

A. General notes

Tomb No. 25 is important, not for its condition, for it is unfinished, but for its owner, who was that Ay ( Eye ) who, after serving Akhenaten in the king's youth, and being a supporter of his religious policy all through, finally succeeded to the throne after the death of Tutankhamun, and has his actual burial-place in the Valley of the Kings at Thebes, where it is No. 23, known as ' The Tomb of the Apes ' .

The southern tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of Any ( No. 23 ) .. Part ( 25 )

Tomb No. 23 belongs to Any ( or Eny ) . The position of this tomb will best be learnt from the map ( Plate 13-c ) . A broad road leads to it from the river, marking out the spot as the site of an important tomb .

The southern tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of May ( No. 14 ) .. Part ( 24 )

A. Previous Work

The existence of this large tomb ( No. 14 ) must have been patent to visitors at all periods ; but as the entrance was almost completely blocked with sand, what was visible was extremely unpromising, and the tomb was not cleared by M. Urbain Bouriant in 1883 . This task, however, was carried out by M. Alessandro Barsanti ten years later, and M. Georges Émile Jules Daressy published most of the texts of this tomb of a " flabellifère ", but not his name, for he found it erased from the inscriptions .

The southern tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of Nekht-pa-Aten ( No. 12 ) – The Tomb Of Nefer-kheperu-her-sekheper ( No. 13 ) .. Part ( 23 )

The Tomb of Nekht-pa-Aten ( No. 12 )

Tomb No. 12 belongs to Nekht-pa-Aten . This tomb, which was to have been of the same type as Tombs 10 and 13, has only had its facade and entrance completed . Inside there is a small area of floor, and the upper parts of three columns have been detached and remain as square pillars of rock .

The southern tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of Apy ( No. 10 ) – The Tomb Of Ramose ( No. 11 ) .. Part ( 22 )

The Tomb of Apy ( No. 10 )

A. Architectural Features ( Plate 30 )

Tomb No. 10 belongs to Apy ( or Ipy ), who was ' Royal Scribe and Steward ', not quite so big a man as some of his fellows . This tomb as it stands is small, simple, and rude . Only the door and entrance-way are completed and decorated . The passage to it through the rock slope has not yet been cut down to the floor-level, so that one descends by rough steps into the tomb .

The southern tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of Mahu ( No. 9 ) .. Part ( 21 )

A. Site and Condition of the Tomb

Tomb No. 9 belongs to Mahu or Meh, who was Akhenaten's chief of police . This tomb was opened by M. Urbain Bouriant in 1883 for the first time . Norman De Garis Davies has suggested that it was because the head of the New Scotland Yard at Akhetaten knew better than any one else ' the risk, or rather the certainty, that his tomb would be plundered after his death ' that he chose its location in such an inconspicuous position .

The southern tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of Tutu ( No. 8 ) .. Part ( 20 )

Tomb No. 8 is that of Tutu, who may be the Dudu who figures somewhat suspiciously in Aziru's correspondence in the Amarna Tablets, and lies under grave suspicion of having been at least rather less than loyal in his dealings with his royal master .

The southern tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of Parennefer ( No. 7 ) .. Part ( 19 )

Tomb No.7 is that of Parennefer, who was ' Royal craftsman, Washer of hands of His Majesty ' . This tomb is the northernmost of the tombs of the South Group, being excavated at the extreme end of the line of foot-hills ( Plate 13-c ) . Lying high up on a steep slope, its entrance was probably always traceable, if not actually open . A road which leads from it to the city across the plain helps to mark down the site . The name of the owner is injured wherever it occurs .

El-Amarna - The southern group of the rock tombs .. Part ( 18 )

1.  Situation :-

We now move southwards towards the southern group of tombs, they are located off three miles from the south of the northern group . On our way we notice, about the centre of the arc formed by the high desert behind the city, a long and narrow promontory jutting out from the high ground, and enclosing at its broader western point a small hollow .

The rock tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of Penehsy ( No. 6 ) – The Sculptured Scenes .. Part ( 17 )

B. The Sculptured Scenes

1.  The Entrance Portal ( Plates 5, 6 ) .

The rock tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of Penehsy ( No. 6 ) – The Architectural Features .. Part ( 16 )

The last of the important tombs of the northern group is No. 6, that of Penehsy . its architectural features must have been almost exactly like those of Meryra I, consisting of a large hall, a second hall ( both columned ), and a shrine .

The rock tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of Penthu ( No. 5 ) .. Part ( 15 )

A – Architectural Features

Exterior . ( Plates 1, 2 )

This tomb is hewn in the cliff, 60 yards or thereabouts to the South of No. 4 ( Meryra ) . The rock here forms an overhanging face about 30 feet high, and by cutting back the foot-slope on the left hand a vertical wall 70 feet long and 15 feet high was gained for a façade with but little labour .

The rock tombs of El Amarna .. The Tomb of Meryra I ( No. 4 ) .. Part ( 14 )

A. Historical Notes

Close to the tomb of Ahmose lies the Tomb No. 4, which is that of Meryra I, which is one of the largest, and perhaps the most important of the whole series .