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The tomb dates from dynasty VI during
the reigns of Merenre and Pepi II.
What is immediately noticeable about the
tomb of Harkhuf is the vast body of texts,
which decorate the external façade.
The interior comprises a single, fairly
small room with four decorated pillars.
A square-section tunnel leads to the crypt.
Texts of the inscriptions
(from Claire Lalouette: Sacred and secular
texts from ancient Egypt, Gallimard,
1984)
Wishes for the Afterlife
These texts are carved above the door
“May the king and Anubis - he who
is on his mountain, who presides at the
divine chapel, who resides in the place
of embalming, the Lord of the Ta Djeser
deign to grant an offering -: may the prince,
governor of Upper Egypt, treasurer to the
king of lower Egypt, the sole companion,
lector- priest, chief of interpreters,
the imakhu to Ptah-Sokaris, Harkhuf., having
reached a great age and endowed with the
quality of imakhu before the Great God,
be entombed in the necropolis of the Western
Desert.
May the king and Osiris, lord of Busiris,
deign to grant an offering and may he,
the prince, chamberlain, attaché at
Nekhen, chief of Nekheb, the sole companion,
lector -priest, the Imakhu to Osiris, Harkhuf,
walk in peace on the sacred ways of the
West where the Imakhu usually walk and
may he raise himself towards the Lord God
of the sky in his rank of Imakhu of ……
May the king deign to grant an offering:
may bread and beer come forth for him when
invoked in the necropolis, may he be “transfigured” by
the lector-priest at each year's beginning,
at each feast of Thoth, on each New Year's
day, at each Wag festival, at the time
of each feast of Sokaris, at the time of
every great feast and every daily festival-… The
treasurer of the king of Lower Egypt, Sole
Companion, Lector-Priest, Chief of Interpreters,
Harkhuf.
I came today from my town, I came from
my Nome; I built a house, I dug a lake,
planted sycamores. The king praises me;
my father made a testament in my favour.
I am an excellent man… loved by his
father, praised by his mother, loved by
all his brothers. I gave bread to the starving,
a garment to he who was naked, I ferried
him who had no boat.
O, you living who are upon the earth and
who pass before this tomb, whether going
upstream or downstream on the river, say “ may
a thousand loaves and a thousand pots of
beer belong to the owner of this tomb”,
thanks to them I may pass (my “life”)
in the necropolis. I am an excellent spirit,
educated, a lector-priest whose mouth is
learned.
As for any man who enters this tomb as
if it were his own, I shall seize his neck
like that of poultry and, for that, he
shall be judged by the Great God. I am
a man who speaks well and repeats willingly
that which is liked. Never have I reported
bad things to a powerful man so that, as
a result, he acted against someone. So
I hope that all will go well with me before
the Great God. Nor have I ever judged two
brothers such that one son be dispossessed
of his father's goods.
May the king deign to grant an offering,
may Anubis who is on his mountain and who
presides at the divine chapel deign to
grant an offering: may bread and beer come
forth when invoked for him, for the Imakhu
to Anubis who is on his mountain and who
presides in the divine chapel… the
prince, lector-priest… Sole Companion,
lector -priest, chief of interpreters,
the Imakhu Harkhuf.
At the right of the tomb entrance.
The prince, Sole Companion, Lector-Priest,
Chamberlain, attaché at Nekhen,
chief of Nekheb, treasurer to the king
of Lower Egypt, Sole Companion, Lector-Priest,
Chief of Interpreters, secret advisor for
all business concerning the South of Upper
Egypt, he who is in the heart of his royal
Lord, Harkhuf, treasurer of the king of
Lower Egypt, Sole Companion, Lector-Priest,
Chief of Interpreters- who has brought
back the produce of all foreign lands for
his royal Lord and who has brought gifts
for the ornament of the king (the Queen),
The Steward of the southern lands of Upper
Egypt- who spreads the fear of Horus (=the
king) in foreign lands, who accomplished
that which is praised by his royal Lord,
the treasurer of the king of Lower Egypt,
the Sole Companion, the Lector-Priest,
chief of interpreters, the imakhu to Ptah-Sokar,
Harkhuf, saying:
Travels and explorations in Africa.
His Majesty Merenre, my master, sent me,
together with my father, Sole Companion
end Lector-Priest, Iri to the land of Yam
( an area located in modern-day Sudan)
to explore its ways. I carried out this
mission in seven months, I brought back
all sorts of tributes, beautiful and rare
and I was praised for it very highly. His
Majesty sent me a second time, alone. I
went by way of the Elephantine road and
returned via the land of Irtet, Makher
and Teres of Irtet at the end of a voyage
of eight months. I returned carrying tributes
of this land in very great numbers, of
a kind which nobody had ever brought to
Egypt before. I returned, coming from the
camp of the chief of Setu and Irtet after
having explored this land. You will find
no other Sole Companion, Chief of interpreters
who has reached (so far) into the land
of Yam before.
His Majesty sent me for a third time to
the land of Yam. I went there from the
Nome of Thinis by the oasis road and I
observed that the chief of the land of
Yam had left for the land of the Timhiu
to chastise them, as far as the western
corner of the sky. I followed his trail
to the land of the Timhiu and I pacified
him until he adored all the gods for the
sake of the royal Sovereign.
On the left of the tomb entrance.
(I shall make haste… with a man
from the land of Yam)… so thet His
Majesty Merenre, my royal Lord, shall know
(that I went to the land of Timhu) following
the chief of the land of Yam. After having
given satisfaction to this celebrated chief,
(I returned via …) the south of the
land of Irtet, the north of Setu and I
met the chief of Irtet-Setu-WaWat… I
returned with three hundred donkeys burdened
with incense, ebony, hekenu perfume, grain,
panther skins, elephant tusks, many boomerangs,
all kinds of beautiful and good presents.
When the chief of Irtet-Setu-WaWat saw
how strong and numerous were the troops
of the land of Yam returning with me towards
the residence (marching) in the company
of the army which had been sent with me,
he handed over, to be given to me, bulls
and goats and guided me through the ways
of the hills of Irtet- because of the skill
and the vigilance which I had shown, more
than any other Companion, Chief of interpreters,
former envoy to the land of Yam. Then,
this servant followed the course of the
river as far as the Residence; and it was
arranged that the prince, Sole Companion,
Steward of the two halls of libation (?)
came to meet me with ships loaded with
date wine, cakes, bread and beer.
The prince, treasurer to the king of Lower
Egypt, Sole Companion, Lector-Priest, treasurer
of the God, secret counsellor for the decrees,
the Imaku, Harkhuf.
On the extreme right of
the façade: A Pygmy in the court
of Egypt.
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Pepy
II's letter to Herkuf. Click for
a high resolution picture
(102 Ko)
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A fourth, unnarrated, campaign to the
land of Yam must have taken place, during
which Harkhuf sent a letter to the young
king Pepi II to inform him, particularly,
that he was bringing back a pygmy, which
resulted in the rest of the inscription.
In fact, Pepi II wrote a letter in reply
to that of Harkhuf, who was so proud of
it that he had the text inscribed on the
façade of his tomb in Aswan. Since
little space remained, he had to prepare
a space for it at the extreme right of
the façade. Thus, the only complete
royal letter dating from the old Kingdom
has reached us.:
“ Seal of the king Himself. Second
year of His reign, third month of the season
akhet, fifteenth day. Royal decree (to)
the Sole Companion, Lector-Priest, chief
of interpreters, Harkhuf.
I have acquainted myself with the words
of your letter, which you addressed to
the king in the palace to inform him that
you travelled in peace to the land of Yam,
with the army, which accompanied you. You
said in your letter that you were bringing
back all sorts of presents, important and
beautiful, which Hathor, lady of Imaou,
gave for the ka of the king of Upper and
Lower Egypt, Neferkare- may he live eternally
and forever! You also say in your letter
that you will bring back a pygmy (for)
the dances of the God and coming from the
land of the inhabitants of the horizon
and similar to the pygmy which the treasurer
of the God, Bawerded brought back from
Punt in the time of the king Isesi.
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cartouche
of king Djed Ka Re (Isesi  ) |
You also say to My Majesty: never before
has such a (pygmy) been brought back by
any of those who have visited the land
of Yam. It is said that, each year, you
accomplish that which your royal Lord wishes
and praises. You pass your days and your
nights thinking of doing that which your
Lord wishes, praises and commands. So My
Majesty will act such that the numerous
and excellent honours which are yours shall
also please the sons of your son for eternity
and that men will say, when they hear what
my Majesty has done for you “ is
there any parallel to that which was done
for the Sole Companion Harkhuf when he
came back from the land of Yam, because
of the diligence with which he carried
out that which his Lord wished, praised
and commanded.?”
Come back, then, to the north, to the Residence.
Leave (everything) and bring with you the
pygmy which you have brought from the land
of the inhabitants of the horizon, alive,
in good health and strong so that he may
dance for the God and make cheerful and
rejoicing the heart of the king of Upper
and Lower Egypt, Neferkare- may he live
eternally!
If you come with him in the ship, set well-advised
men about him on both sides of the boat
and take care that he does not fall in
the water. If he lies down to sleep during
the night, have wise men to sleep beside
him in his tent; go and check, ten times
in the night. Because My Majesty wishes
to see this pygmy more than all the tributes
of Sinai or Punt.
If you reach the Residence and the pygmy
is with you, alive, in good health and
strong, My Majesty will do great things
for you, more important than those which
were done for the treasurer of the God,
Bawerded, in the time of the king Isesi,
according to the desire which My Majesty
has to see this famous pygmy. Orders have
been sent to the chief of the new town,
Sole Companion and steward of the priests
to command that victuals be taken by his
care in every warehouse town and in every
temple, without exception.
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