Egyptian Dreams

carla · Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 9:30 pm Post subject: Mastaba of Unas-Ankh

Specialy for kmt_sesh Very Happy

It's very difficult kmt_sesh, because there are so many Mastaba's around that area and most of them in a horrible state and very close together.

But I give it a try, at this picture at the Causeway, you see at the end at the right side a big Mastaba, I think it is the double one:

When I look at this little map

the Mastaba must be somewhere here I think:

It's difficult because I have more pictures but all close-ups from different Mastaba's so I can't show the area Confused

When you walk there you walk letterly over the Mastaba's, there are sooooooo many of them in that area. Many off them are still in the sand:

It's really a paradise to walk and explore there !!! The next time when I went to Cairo I will specialy search for the Mastaba of Unas-Ankh !! Now I wan't to now it also, you make me curious Laughing

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kmt_sesh · Posted: Sun Aug 05, 2007 10:08 pm Post subject:

Thanks so much, carla! Very Happy

Such wonderful photos! I can see why it would be a pleasure to explore that complex--and why it would be so confusing to locate some of the more obscure tombs. Shocked

There are so many mastabas in that one little area! I don't think all of them date to the reign of King Unis, do they? I've often wondered why so many tombs were squeezed into the Unis complex.

I see Unis-ankh is identified twice on your little map (letters Z and Q). On a map I have and coordinating with yours, the location would be Q (right behind, or to the north of, the large twin-mastaba). The tomb marked Z on your map is not identified on the one I have.

As I told you in my PM to you, we have Unis-ankh's offering chapel at the Field Museum. It was disassembled block by block and shipped to the U.S. around 1908. I have been told about a sign in the remains of his tomb at Saqarra that stands where the offering chapel used to be, which mentions the fact that the offering chapel is now in the Field Museum of Natural History. I even once saw an old photograph of it. I don't know if the sign is still there, but if it is, that should tell you for sure which mastaba is the right one.

A friend of mine from Egypt has told me that you enter the mastaba from the north side, right next to the enclosure wall of Djoser's complex. I'm pretty sure I'm remembering this right.

What an incredible site! LOL If I do make it to Egypt this December, I fear I could spend the entire time just exploring it.

A couple of questions for now. Do you know what the purpose is of the feature marked "Great Rock-Cut Trench"? I've never seen that feature marked before and I notice it runs under the twin-mastaba of Unis' queens. I know Unis built his complex over some Early Dynastic royal burials, so I wonder if this is a feature from an Early Dynastic complex?

Also, what sort of tombs are those marked along the causeway? I'm talking about the ones labeled "Ptahshepses," "Ny-ankh-re," et cetera. Are they little mastabas or shaft burials?

Oh, one more question. Is it all right if I download your photos to share with my friends at the museum, and perhaps to show on the occasional tour?

Thanks so much for sharing these, carla. Wink

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carla · Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:18 am Post subject:

kmt_sesh · Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:06 pm Post subject:

kmt_sesh · Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 11:50 pm Post subject:

I'm sitting at home now, carla, and was taking a closer look at the large photo of the Unis complex. I cropped down to the area of relevance and singled out two possibilities for the mastaba of Unis-ankh:

This would be my guess, anyway. Never having been there I have a tough time with scale in the photograph, but I'm guessing it's one of the two ruins I've indicated, with the missing roofs. If the reconstruction at the Field Museum is at all accurate (and I'm told it is), then Unis-ankh's mastaba was a small to medium-sized tomb.

By the way, I have the poster propped up above my computer, against the wall. I'm going to have to find a frame for it now. Very Happy

A special note to Daughter_Of_SETI: Did you see what's in this photo, at lower-center? It's our beloved mystery pit from that old YouTube video! It's a good thing it has that large wall around the top because I'm probably the kind of clutzy tourist who, while photographing the large twin-mastaba adjacent to it, would be backing up and backing up...until I fell right into the damn thing! Laughing

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Daughter_Of_SETI · Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:07 pm Post subject:

carla · Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:45 pm Post subject:

That must be the place of the Mastaba, kmt_sesh. I wish that a had taken a better look around there, but I was not very long at that place because I wanted to go to Userkaf's Piramid.

Next time I go straight to that place Very Happy

I will ask a friend of mine who's going next week, if he want to take some time to make a few pictures there !! It just came in my mind a great idear, send him an email right away with the big picture so he know's where to go Smile

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carla · Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:07 pm Post subject:

By the way here some pictures of Pits, I hope you survive them Daughter_Of_SETI Laughing

Excavations are still going on there in the pits, the Mastaba's are very deep in the ground
Shocked

Sorry the last picture is a little bit big Confused

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kmt_sesh · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 12:12 am Post subject:

That pit is so deep. Daughter_Of_SETI and I saw a YouTube video of it awhile back and spent quite some time trying to figure out where it was in Saqarra. Mostly thanks to Daughter_Of_SETI's keen efforts we pinned it down to the right spot. Along the way we learned it and the deep trench with the stairs were the remains of Persian Period tombs.

A warning, Daughter_Of_SETI: This pit is where they toss the naughty tourists, so whenever you make it to Egypt you'd best be on your best behavior! Twisted Evil

Did you take these photos, carla? I had read that the deep trench with the stairs had been filled in and was now covered by a small hut of some sort, but if these photos are at all recent that information is clearly wrong. Check out this Google Earth image:

You can see the deep pit, which I marked with the purple thumbtack labeled "Persian Tomb." I had thought the deep trench was just to the south of the remains of Unis' pyramid, but there's nothing at all there. You've been there, carla, so you should know: where exactly is that deep trench with the stairs? Confused

carla · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:44 am Post subject:

Daughter_Of_SETI · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 9:38 am Post subject:

carla · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 9:47 am Post subject:

Here another one from Google earht, Stan made for me, with the lokation of the different pits:

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carla · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 9:59 am Post subject:

Daughter_Of_SETI · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:16 am Post subject:

Hi, Carla. The one that you have labelled as "B Another one" (the southern one) is the one that Kmt_sesh and I identified as the Persian pit tomb. Not sure if we were right, though. Idea

When I was looking it up on *** a while back, I don't think I even noticed the northern pits that you have marked on that image.

Is the one that you have marked as "big deep pit" on your image the huge trench pit with all the stairs, because the shape seems to be quite like that one to me? Idea

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carla · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 11:52 am Post subject:

That's correct Smile

here on this site's there is some information about the Tombs;

http://lexicorient.com/egypt/saqqara11.htm

http://www.touregypt.net/persians.htm

http://www.egyptsites.co.uk/lower/saqqara/tombs/lateperiod.html

http://www.youregypt.com/eguide/destinations/greatercairo/surroundings/saqqara/persiantombs/

http://www.glasgowmuseums.com/venue/showProject.cfm?venueid=1&itemid=34
Including a few fascinating little quicktime movies !!

So I keep you all busy for a while Laughing

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