north wall and statue niche

The north wall is taken up, to a large extent, by a niche for the statues of Nefersekheru with the two wives, Nefertiri and Nedjmaat-Mut.

The outer lintel and vertical borders

The kheker-frieze of the east and west walls is replaced on the architrave above the niche with godly symbols. The human face of the head of Hathor, with cow's ears is situated in the middle (which, although damaged, can be reconstructed from the ones on either side). The head surmounts a nb-sign, the hieroglyph for "t" and finally the district sign. Hathor is therefore portrayed as mistress of the burial place or district. The various symbols of the frieze are in mirrored order. A yellow sekhem-sceptre precedes Anubis on his shrine and an udjat-eye hovers over the canine. Three open kheker-signs, coloured in the same way as those of the long friezes leads to the next image field, which is a repeat of Hathor, (no sekhem-sceptre), Anubis, udjat-eye and finally three more kheker-signs. The white background of the field is surrounded by a ladder band with white striped inner and outer edges.
The two end panels of the wall are set inside two vertical ladder bands, both edged with white. The thus included design is of a multilayered bouquet of lotus blossoms and garlands standing on a short pillar and topped with blue-green papyrus umbels. The two sides are identical.

The niche ceiling and side walls

The niche has a base background colour of yellow-ochre, including the bench on which the three figures of the three statues sit. The inner ceiling is enclosed in a rectangle of white-blue-white lines. The single design is a chequered pattern of white squares, each edged in red. They are alternatively bunches of grapes and a leaf pattern (see ).

The narrow side walls of the niche are decorated from the ceiling down to half the height with a white and blue chessboard pattern (the second row down is however red and white), from which a garland is suspended by means of a decorative red ribbon with two-tone blue rectangles and white dotted lines. The bottom edge forms a band of hanging blossoms between circles.

Along the top of the rear wall hangs a garland fastened by another ornate red ribbon. At each end, a vertical line of text extends from under the garland over the top and down the front of the bench. In the texts, Nefersekheru requests that "you utter my name, daily" (on the left) and that "you may give me Ma'at, daily" (on the right). Between the heads Nefersekheru and each wife, and rising from the bench, is a papyrus plant entwined with vine foliage.

The three statues

The niche contains three seated statues, all of which are damaged, the worst being the one on the left. All three wear pleated dresses with heavily pleated sleeves, the upper portion being red-brown in colour, from the knees down being white with a yellow-ochre centre band. The front of the skirt of the deceased is formed into the usual flat projection. The wigs are of a heavy nature and are augmented with a garland design, on top of which is a perfume cone.
Large collars are worn by all, Nefersekheru also wears a pectoral over his colourful collar, which is inscribed in yellow with a red pillar djed surrounded by two Isis-knots (see ).
Each wife has her nearest arm around the waist of the deceased. The deceased and the wives are named on the text extending down the front of the legs, on the ochre band. Although that of the wife on the left is greatly damaged, she is almost certainly Nefertiri.

South wall, entrance to chamber B

This wall contains the entrance to the second chamber, the doorway framing (lintel and doorposts) stand forward slightly from the actual east and west wall edges. The framing of the entrance doorway is very badly damaged, with nothing surviving on the right-hand (west) doorpost.

Far right and left of the door frame

The outer two edges of the south wall, recessed from the actual doorframe to chamber B, are of a single design. In both cases, a single column of hieroglyphic text on a yellow background edged in red is bordered on both sides by a ribbon design of red, white and blue lines. The text is of the usual offering formula to various gods, requesting in return various gifts for the deceased. These two areas have survived virtually intact, being set back slightly from the door framing.

The door frame

The doorway framing itself has been greatly repaired in modern times (see ). At the time of its first photographic records (1919-1931), the supporting beam for the decorated lintel was missing, thus taking with it the lower portion of the upper decoration. What remained of the left-hand figures of the deceased couple have also vanished since those early photographs (see ).

The lintel area

This extended from the bottom of the inserted supporting piece up to the ceiling, was as usual for a doorway, decorated with two back-to-back scenes of adoration. These are to Osiris (accompanied by Hathor) on the left and Anubis (accompanied by Isis) on the right. A black line separates the two image fields.

The adoration of Osiris and Hathor

Originally, on this left-hand half of the lintel (see ), stood the deceased and his wife, at the left outer end. Her name is missing from the text above them, but as the wife on the right-hand side is name as Nedjmaat-Mut, it is reasonable to assume that this one is Nefertiri. From the old photograph, Nefersekheru held a fumigation bowl in his raised left hand and a libation vessel in his right, his wife raised her right hand behind him in worship and in her left she grasped a papyrus stem. An offering table stands between the couple and the throned Orisis (with a green face and white crown edged with blue feathers), with Hathor (with the sign of the West on her head) standing behind him with her hands raised in protection.

The adoration of Anubis and Isis

On the right-hand half of the lintel (see ), the deceased and his wife, the upper portions of which have survived, face Anubis and Isis. The green jackal-headed Anubis sits on his throne with his back to Osiris. Anubis appears to be holding a blossom and a sceptre in his left hand. Behind him stands Isis with the crown with the red sun-disk between the black cow-horns, normally worn by Hathor. In front of Anubis is a offering construction presented by the deceased and his wife, who is named in the text as Nedjmaat-Mut. With his arms raised, the deceased stands in front of it. Following him, his wife plays the sistrum with her raised left hand and in her right hand she holds a blossom (see ).

The uprights
Both os these originally carried three columns of hieroglyphic text on a yellow background edged in red (see ), at the base of which the deceased sits before a small offering-table with his left hand raised in adoration and holding a piece of cloth in his right (see ). Only portions of the text of the left-hand doorpost remain (see ) and are damaged at the beginning and in the middle. These are of the usual offering formula, to the gods (left to right) Re-Harakhte, Osiris and Isis.

Ceiling of chamber A

Patterned fields

Two wide patterned fields run from the entrance to the Osiris-niche. They are flanked and separated from each other by lines of inscription. Ladder bands which edge the central text band, also forms a border to the fields from the entrance and Osiris-niche. The pattern of the two fields consists of yellow spiral ribbons with almost square designs having blue-green lotus blossoms at each corner which are arranged so that their opened cups point inwards and form squares with concave sides. The open blooms surround nested squares; pink about dark-blue alternating with dark-blue about pink.

Each end of the chamber ceiling is decorated with two pairs of two fields. A text band subdivides the ceiling length-wise and further text bands, with elaborate edgings, further separates the fields. Ladder bands surround the field pairs (east and west) and each end (north and south) is flanked by a ribbon of blue-white-red-white-blue lines.

The pattern in the inner fields are formed from a checkerboard of white and yellow squares with an inner red line square. The white ones contain rosettes formed by black spots between four red leaves, the yellow ones contain rosettes formed by red spots between four black leaves.

The pattern in the end fields are formed overlapping white circles forming rosettes, joined by black bordered yellow discs. Dark blue, red and yellow fields are created inside the rosettes (the blue and red fields have faded on the north side of the ceiling). The blue ones contain a red disc at the centre bordered in white, the red ones contain rectangular white line surrounding a blue centre and the yellow fields have rosettes formed by red spots between four black leaves.

Inscriptions and their decoration

In the central area, from entrance to Osiris niche, are three hieroglyphic text bands, one dividing the geometric designs and one at each end. These are of the usual offering formula and are to Amun-Re (middle), Osiris (south) and Wennefer (north). They are all, either directly or indirectly) edged by ladder bands.

The two centrally dividing bands of text, which read outwards to south and north, are again bordered by ladder bands and are also of the usual offering formula. They are to Osiris and Wennefer (south) and Re, Atum, Wennefer and Isis (north).

There are three pairs of short inscriptions on the south side of the ceiling.
They each give the name and titles of Nefersekheru and include (on the band closest to the Osiris niche), for only the second time, "director of slaves". The first two pairs of text are edged with ladder bands and garlands attached to decorative red ribbons with two-tone blue rectangles and white dotted lines (see ). The pair closest to chamber B are inserted between the outer ladder band and the southern decorative band of the neighbouring texts.

On the north side of the ceiling, there are two short pairs of inscription. These are all edged with ladder bands and garlands attached to decorative red ribbons (see for example). The text in each case is of the form "Justified by" followed by the name of one of the four sons of Horus (Hapy, Amseti, Duamutef and Qebehsenuef), then a title and the name of the deceased.

Chamber B

The entrance passageway

The facade of the entrance passageway to this chamber has already been described along with the south wall of chamber A. The entrance doorway is just over 1m wide and about 1.7m in height. The doorposts stand proud of the actual passageway, which is approximately 1.5m deep. The west wall has been smoothed, whilst the east wall is roughly hewn. No decorated now exists on the inner walls of this passage and it is almost certain that none ever did.

The chamber

The walls and ceiling of the chamber are only rough hewn and unfinished. It is a very irregular in shape: its width varies between 3.9m and 3.5m, its length is approx. 3.75m and its height between 1.8m at the entrance and 2m at the rear. The floor level is slightly lower than that of the entrance passageway. In the south-west corner of the chamber, a descent begins towards a second subterranean complex.

Underground burial complexes

Two separate subterranean complexes exist in the tomb.
The accessed to the first is by means of a shaft located in front of the Osiris niche, in the floor of the first chamber. This is now covered with wooden flooring, as it extends almost the full width of the chamber, in front of the entrance.
The second, more extensive complex, is accessed by a descent located in the floor at the rear (south) of the second chamber.

Chamber A shaft and sub-chamber I

Directly in front of the Osiris niche is located a deep shaft leading to a burial chamber. It measures over a metre across in the east-west direction and just less than a metre in the north-south direction. Foot/hand recesses were dug into the north and south sides of the shaft, to assist in climbing up and down. At a depth of just over 5 metres depth, it connects at its west side with a small irregularly excavated coffin chamber. This extends between 1.80-2.15m in an east-west direction and 2.25-2.65m in the north-south direction. The ceiling has an average height of 1.15m.

Chamber B descent and sub-chambers / passages II-VII

In the south-west corner of chamber B, a descent begins towards a passage of over a metre in width and a height varying from 1.25 to 1.65m. The first roughly cut step leads in a southerly direction followed by two more leading east, towards a downward sloping passage (also heading east). After nearly 7m and at a depth of 2.5m below the floor of chamber B, it changes direction northwards, from where it increases in size. This northerly passage (II) measures about 7.5m in length and descends even lower. This then widens to over 2 metres, into a chamber-like area (III), with a lower floor level.
In this chamber's east wall is an entrance, half walled up with mud bricks and covered in a light stucco. Beyond its raised threshold is a short passage (IV) heading eastwards for 2.5m, with an approx. width of 1.5m and a height reducing from 1.5m to less than a metre. At its easterly end (and through an access in the north half of the wall) it continues into another area (V) for a further 1.8m at the same height, but only half the width.
In the north-west corner of the small chamber (III), is the entrance (half walled up, again with mud brick and stucco) to another passage (VI) of about 3.5m in length. This passage, which is both narrow and has a reduced height, travels in a westerly direction, where it turns north again, to finally finish below the entrance to the tomb. The final section (VII) is just over 2m in length, of the same height and width as the previous section.

Reference has been made to the other two tombs accessible from the same courtyard as that of Nefersekheru, and as already mentioned on page 1, these are also available on OsirisNet: and ; plus which is accessible from inside that of Nefersekheru.