Ryan MoorhenEl-Sheikh Said
On the east bank of the Nile a few kilometres south of Mallawi, officials of the 15th Upper Egyptian Nome were buried in a group of rock tombs cut into the side of the cliff. The area is named after a Muslim holy man, Sheikh Said, who was also buried nearby. The site is very close to Deir el-Bersha and marks the northern limits of the Amarna plain. Like Deir el-Bersha there are also many ancient quarries here.
The necropolis contains the tombs of the governors of the Hare Province who were buried during Dynasty VI, including ‘Chiefs of the Palace’ Meru-bebi, Wau and Ankheti. They are simple structures containing a tomb chapel, a smaller inner hall and a statue or offering chamber. They usually contained one or more shafts leading to subterranean burial chambers.
The capital of the 15th Upper Egyptian Nome was at el-Ashmunein on the west bank of the Nile. The cemetery at el-Sheikh Said is important because of the absence of contemporary evidence from the capital of the province.