Deir el-Bersha

27.7530.75Koordinaten: 27 ° 45 'N, 30 ° 45 ' E

Dair al - Berscha, even Deir el- Dayr al - Barsha or Bersha, is a village on the eastern bank of the Nile south of Sheikh Joao (now Sheikh Ibada, formerly Antinoopolis ). There is a vast ancient necropolis on the border with eastern desert.

Excavation history

Percy E. Newberry 1891-1892 copied decorating the graves then available. Later A. Bey Kamal and G. Daressy conducted excavations at Deir el- Bersha. 1915 saw George A. Reisner the grave of nomarchs Djehutinacht. Since 1988, the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium ), under the direction of Harco Willems through excavations at Deir el- Berscha.

History

During the Old and Middle Kingdom Dair al - Berscha was the necropolis of the ancient city of Hermopolis Magna (al- Aschmunein ), although it was ten kilometers east of the city on the other side of the Nile River. In the Middle Kingdom itself nomarchs large rock tombs laid on. This custom was probably as in Qau el -Kebir under Sesostris III. or Amenemhet III. abandoned.

Later, the residents of Hermopolis Magna in the city itself as well as in Tuna el -Gebel could bury. In Greco- Roman 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 was used as a quarry since the New Kingdom.

The grave of Djehutihotep

The grave of Djehutihotep, a nomarchs, mayor and chief priest of Hermopolis Magna under Sesostris II and Sesostris III. , Is known for the large-scale representation of the transport of a colossal Impounded from the quarries of Hermopolis Magna Hatnub after.