CHAMBER II

The doorway from chamber I opens up into chamber II at the north end of the east wall, see the mastaba plan opposite.

Almost identical in size and shape to chamber I, chamber II is 2.05m east-west, 2.12m north-south. The original north wall has survived to a height of 2.68m and that of the west to 2.37m. The east and south walls are only preserved to a height of 2.09m, with most of the south wall only surviving to the height of the colour bands above the dado.

In addition to the entrance from chamber I, there are two other doorways. The one at the western end of the north wall provides access to chamber III. The other, providing access to a 'L'-shaped courtyard, is located at the southern end of the west wall.

DOORWAY FROM CHAMBER I

This is located at the north end of the west wall of chamber I, described on the previous page.
The passageway measures 0.75m wide, 2.10m hight and 0.75m long. At the chamber II side this is widened to take a door.
The scenes on both main thicknesses of this doorway were produced in fine, coloured relief. These, just like the thicknesses of the other doorways between the different chambers of the chapel, have survived to their full height, because the original ceilings of all the doorways are still in place, the one of this doorway having retained it red colour. The actual scenes extend all the way to ceiling level, with the bottom being edged and separated from the floor by the broad coloured bands and dado as found in chamber I (see photos opposite).
Each thickness is divided into two registers, both depicting the bringing of animals for inspection. On both thicknesses the animals and the men proceed from chamber I into chamber II. Each of the registers contain three men and two animals, the upper ones contain 'exotic' animals, whilst the lower ones contain oxen. All the men in the two upper registers have short wigs which cover their ears, whilst all those in the lower registers have short hair with their ears showing. The men of the upper registers also wear short, tight kilts. The first man of the lower register of the north thickness wears a short, projecting kilt, whilst the one on the south thickness wears the herdsman kilt. All the other men wear loin-cloths. Many of them are balding but one is unshaven with a good growth of beard.

South thickness

Two men in the are leading on leashes two scimitar-horned oryxes, which are followed by a herdsman carrying a sack hanging from a stick, which rests over his shoulder. The caption above them reads: "Bringing the young scimitar-horned oryxes for the viewing".
The man at the head of the is designated as "The overseer of pastures". His name was later roughly scratched onto the wall, in front of his legs, as "…ifkhu". He is followed by a man leading two oxen which are followed by the carrying a raised stick. Although his beard is now difficult to see, it is easy to see that he is balding. The label above this lower scene reads: "Bringing the young oxen for the viewing".

North thickness

The two men of the are leading gazelles, which are followed by a herdsman holding a rope attached to the back legs of the animals. The caption describing the scene reads: "Bringing the young gazelles for the viewing".
The captions in the are identical to those on the opposite thickness and the figures are, in most respects, similar to those of the facing wall.
A name has been scratched onto the wall in front of the first man of both registers, which reads: "Meritef".

ENTRY RECESS FROM CHAMBER I

Located at the chamber II side, the entry passageway is widened to take a door. This recess is 1.12m wide, 2.25m high and 0.25m long, making it 0.3m wider than the actual passageway which is located centrally.
The relief decoration of the north wall of the recess is the right-hand part of the scenes of the north wall of chamber II.
The remainder of the recess, the south wall and the east face which surrounds the actual entry passageway, is undecorated except for the lower border bands and dado, although there are traces of red on the ceiling area. The upper area has a rough finished with chisel marks which are still visible.

THE ACTUAL CHAMBER

As with the previous chamber, the actual scene decorations are positioned above a border of red (top), yellow and black horizontal bands of approximately 10cm, edged with thin black lines. These are above the approximate 1 metre high dado area, which in this chamber, has retained a fair degree of its colour, which is blackish but slightly lighter than the bottom black band. This, as in chamber I, places the bottom of the scene area approximately 1.25m above the floor.
The bottom two registers of all the walls of this chamber are dominated by scenes of female offering bearers, usually representing funerary estates. They all walk towards either the entry to chamber III or towards the tall standing figure of Nikauisesi. Although the names of the associated estates are frequently inscribed in front of each woman, only one such name has survived in relief on the west wall. It is uncertain whether other names were written in paint, which has since disappeared. Each woman carries a basket filled with items of food on her head supported by one hand, while in the other she carries a bird, a vegetable or a flower and on rare occasions more than one object. A few women also lead a young calf on a leash or have an offering item hanging from their raised arm.

The upper registers contain (when they have survived) a variety of scenes, including piles of offerings, or, as on the north wall, the scene of the transportation of Nikauisesi by a palanquin carried by a multitude of porters.

NORTH WALL

The wall has a width of 2.05m and a surviving height of 2.68m.
At the western side, the wall includes the entrance doorway to chamber III which is possitioned 30cm from the west wall, providing a decoration zone. The opening itself is 0.75m wide with a height of 2.1m.
Passing between the north wall and the east door thickness, at a height of about 26cm from the floor, is another small hole, the second of these such holes (see ).
Above the lower decoration bands, an approximate 5cm undecorated area surrounds this entrance on both sides and the top, with no sign of a decorative border having been produced. The decorated versions of these type of borders were created at the east and west sides of the wall, but the only piece easy to see is on the west side, seen in the left-hand image below. The scenes of the wall were divided into four registers (the first being at the bottom), with the upper part of the top fourth register now missing. Both of the two lower registers are twice the height of the third, which was probably reduced to allow for the larger top one in which the palanquin procession is depicted.

The two lower registers, like those of other walls in this room, contain images of female offering bearers carrying baskets and food items. The direction which the figures proceed indicates that they are moving from chamber I towards chamber III. Thus on the east, south and west walls and those to the left of the doorway on the north wall progress clockwise, whilst those on the north wall, to the right of doorway, progress anti-clockwise.
The bottom registers of this wall are divided by the entry to chamber III, placing eight offering bearers in each register on the right and only a single one in each on the left. The females on either side of the entry to chamber III (that is, the leading one on right-hand side) are accompanied by one calf. All the females hold, with a single hand, a basket or container of goods on her head, whilst most hold either a small bouquet of lotus or a bird in the other. The woman of the bottom register to the left of the entry to chamber III carries a great deal more than any of the others (see the image left above).
There is no accompanying text in either register.

The third register passes immediately above the top of the doorway (see ). It is filled with five identified heaps of fruits (four on the right-hand side and one on the left) and some loaves of bread. The fruits are named as follows (from right) : 1) "jSd-fruit", 2) "nbs-fruit", 3) "wnS-fruif, 4) "grapes", 5) - located beyond the piles of breads - "figs". The loaves are identified twice as "One thousand of nbs-fruit cake".

The top register (see the , and for more detail) is now missing its upper part, but what survives contains the remains of a scene of the transportation of Nikauisesi by a palanquin. Only the feet of the tomb owner have survived and can be seen below what is almost certainly a low chair supported on long poles shown to be carried on the shoulders of nine men, five at the front and four at the rear. It is almost certain that they only represent the men on one side, thus making eighteen men, ten at the front and eight at the rear, but usually some indication is made of this duplicity (see the from the east wall of chamber I of Meryteti's part of the Mereruka mastaba). These men all wear short wigs (which expose their ears) and loin-cloths with three flaps. They are led by a man in a short plain kilt, who is identified as "The overseer of gangs of workmen". The second man is described as "The director of a gang of workmen I…i". These are preceded by three men (only the legs of the first two have survived) who presumably carrying various items required for the journey. The third man (on the left) is named "Niankhkhnum", while the first has partly preserved graffiti identifying him as "The overseer of…".
Nikauisesi is accompanied by his pet animals and a dwarf, who probably looked after them. These can all be seen below his seat. Three dogs are named (right to left) as 1) "ai", 2) "Baq", and 3) "Idji" and a monkey perched on the shoulders and head of the dwarf, "Iri". It is possible that this dwarf "Iri" is the same as "Iriniptah", who appears on the west wall of chamber III, to be seen later.

WEST WALL

The wall has a width of 2.12m and a surviving height of 2.37m. A doorway to the courtyard is offset 18cm from the south wall, providing a narrow decoration zone. The actual passageway itself is the same size as the one on the north wall, 0.75m wide with a height of 2.1m. Above the lower decoration bands, an approximate 5cm area again exists surrounding this entrance on both sides and the top, however, unlike the northern doorway, parts of the still exist, as do small traces at the north and south edge of the wall. This courtyard entrance is currently closed to the public by a grill and the view is even closed off by a solid cover behind it. A small hole is cut through the corner of the northern side of the doorway from the west wall of chamber II to the northern thickness, about 13cm above the floor (see ). This is the third of the six holes.
On this wall, much of the colour has been lost from the scenes, with virtually none existing on the figure of Nikauisesi himself.

The layout and contents of the scenes displayed on this wall are in many ways similar to those on the opposite east wall, which will be dealt with below. The tomb owner stands, facing left, holding the staff and sceptre and wearing a shoulder-length wig and a beard. He wears a broad necklace and only one bracelet, which is on his right wrist. Unlike the figure on the east wall, he is bare-footed, but is dressed in full leopard skin, with the claws shown on his shoulder and kilt, the head below his waist and the tail dangling between his legs. As seen on the facade of the mastaba, his image portrays the strange anomaly, the sceptre passes behind his kilt, yet he holds it with his left hand (which should be closest to the viewer). As already stated, this is due to a strange ancient Egyptian perspective, indicating that he is holding the sekhem sceptre of power in his right hand, and long cane of office in his left. This occurs again on the east wall.
In front of him is his eldest son, Nikauisesi, holding his father's staff (see ). Bare footed, he wears a projecting kilt, a shoulder-length wig and a collar. The inscription above him reads: "His eldest son, his beloved, the sole companion, Nikauisesi". Behind the tomb owner is a dwarf designated as "The overseer of gangs of workmen, Iriniptah" (see ).

The figure of the tomb owner originally took up the full height of the right-hand side of the wall and taking up about a third of the total width. The remainder of the wall space facing him was divided into three registers of similar heights. These registers each contain the figures of three offering bearers, all facing the figure of Nikauisesi (only two on those of the east wall, this reduction will be explained there).

In the top register three males are depicted carrying various offerings. The first of these is almost totally lost and also the top of the heads of the other two. The last one, who has a small calf walking beside him, is named "Heneni". The extension of this register, above the doorway between chamber II and the open courtyard, shows the remains of scenes of offerings in containers and birds, some inside a cage.

The middle register shows three female offering bearers, supporting baskets on their heads and carrying a bird or a lotus flower in their hands.

The bottom register, which has retained more of the colour than the rest of this wall, is labelled "Bringing gifts by the lake of the estate". As on the east wall a male figure described as "The lake belonging to the ka-chapel". He may represent a personification of a lake situated among the many funerary estates represented by female offering bearers in this chamber in particular. He holds birds and lotus flowers and above him was scratched the name "Djau". Behind him is a female offering bearer, the only one with an estate name inscribed in relief, although its reading is uncertain. The following reading has been suggested: "The remover of fear desires that Teti lives".

SOUTH WALL

This wall has lost most of its original decorated blocks, its surface now being mostly a modern restoration. Even the red band at the bottom of the decorated area is lost in the middle, the only original decoration still extending the full length of the wall is the yellow bottom border band and even this has faded.

All that remains on the right-hand side of the wall are the legs of Nikauisesi and even these are not complete. He can be seen wearing sandals and facing to the left.

In what remains of the left-hand side of the wall (see ) are two registers of female offering bearers walking towards the right. Each of these supports a basket on her head and carries one or more items in her other hand. No names of individuals or localities have survived.

EAST WALL

This wall includes at its northern end the entrance recess of the doorway to chamber I, which was described in detail at the top of this page. In total, the wall has a width of 2.12m and a surviving height of 2.09m. The only area for decoration is above and to the south of the doorway recess. The south decoration area is less in width than that of the west wall because of the larger space taken up by the doorway. Above the lower decoration bands, an approximate 5cm area again exists surrounding this entrance on the right-hand side and the top. Very faint traces of the decorative border still exist. A similar vertical band was created at the right edge of the wall.

At the extreme right is the tall representation of the standing figure of Nikuaisesi, holding the staff and sceptre. He wears at least one bracelet (on his left wrist), a short, projecting kilt and sandals (unlike his image on the west wall, where he has bare feet).

Again, in front of him, also facing left and holding his staff, stands his son, who wears a short wig with a streamer, a collar and a short, projecting kilt. The inscriptions above him read: "His eldest son, his beloved, the sole companion, Nikauisesi". This time there is no dwarf standing behind the tomb owner.

Facing them are the two lower registers of three, only a fragment has survived of the top one with a fragment of one male porter (almost certainly of two) and a narrow band of offerings above the doorway. In the middle register are two females and in the third (bottom) register is a solitary male.
This porter of the bottom register (see the ) is of particular interest because of his long wig with a tress falling over the collar and also because of his labelling text: "The lake belonging to the ka-chapel", as with another male figure on the west wall. The figure holds three geese in each hand and a sack presumably full of a kind of fruit. Behind him is graffiti giving the name of "Meritef", probably the same person who scratched his name on the north thickness of the doorway between chambers I and II.
The left part of the wall is occupied by the above mentioned doorway, above which are the remains of the upper register (see ). In this can be seen some offerings in containers and some pigeons in a cage (see ).

Near the top right-hand corner of this wall has been inserted a fragment found during the excavation. Its attribution to this wall or even the tomb is questionable. The text gives part of four vertical lines of hieroglyphs which read: "… the overseer of the two workshops… | … the embalmer of Anubis, the… of Anubis… | … Osiris, lord of Busiris | Anubis, who is on his hill, lord of the sacred land…".