Close to the pyramid of Unas, there is a large complex of private mastabas, four of which are very well preserved, the excavations directed by the Egyptian Ahmed Moussa. Their decorations deserve to be admired, offering and hunting scenes in the Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep mastaba, very expressive statues of young men from the tomb of Irukaptah and beautiful cave scenes of papyrus collections in the tomb of Nefer.
Saqqara complex is one of the most important archeological sites in Egypt. It is the burial area of the first dynasties of the old kingdom.
The ancient state or the era of the pyramids was a period of prosperity and development, which appears in the structures built during this period. Pyramids, such as the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which is the oldest rock structure in history as one of the oldest monuments things to do in Cairo, the Jonas Pyramid, and tombs such as the Tomb of Irokapita and Miho, and the tombs of Mastaba such as the tomb of Liberation of Meruka, Khnumpit, and Nyanangum are among the most important tourist attractions in Egypt.
Here we can shed some light on the most important tombs at Saqqara. which is visited often during Cairo Day Tours.
Mastaba Tomb of Kagemni:
The “Kagemini ” mastaba is located close to the “Mary Rocca” terrace, which is one of the most important tombs of Saqqara. Kagemni was a minister during the reign of three successive kings of the sixth dynasty, as well as the husband of her wife Nebtynubkhet Sesheshet, King Teti, who is “Nabuchi Nabti”, and she appeared in a cabin Kagemini in a very small size!
The Tomb Of Irukaptah:
This tomb is nicknamed the butcher’s tomb. This is because it belongs to Irukaptah, the Butcher of a king that belonged to the 5th dynasty. His title was “Head of the Butchers of the Great House”
The tomb of Irukaptah in Saqqara has special significance for two reasons, The first reason is that its design is unusual than any other tomb in Saqqara, The second reason is that it is the finest conserved example of the old kingdom’s art and architecture.
This tomb of Irukaptah is the most famous tomb in Saqqara and it is located just to the north of the passageway heading to the pyramid of Unas. It is completely cut out of the rock. The availability of the tomb almost faces the north and then it leads to a semi-rectangular offering room.
The most remarkable characteristic of the tomb of Irukaptah is the set of statues that were carved out of a rock. Some of these statues are completed while others were left in different stages of formation; therefore this tomb represents an important demonstration of the rock construction of the old kingdom. These rock-cut statues are not found anywhere else in Saqqara. They are only found in some tombs of the old kingdom in Giza. These statues belong to the family of Irukaptah and some of them belong to him.
These statues give a reliable example of the clothes that the servants of the royal family used to wear in the old kingdom. While the skin was painted dark red, it seems like the servants at that time used to wear skirts painted yellow with bright colored belts around them and a short black wig on the head, which is a common feature of the costumes of the old kingdom.
The amazing Mastaba tombs of the Nobility in Saqqara can be explored through a lot of Egypt Tours, Private Cairo Day Tours from the Airport, longer Egypt Travel Packages or within few ours within Egypt Day Tours.
Would you like to live a journey through ancient Egyptian culture and mythology? you can make it happen and spend a day to visit Abydos, Giza, Luxor, Aswan to see the tombs of the Pharaohs adorned with very clear, detailed and beautifully painted scenes of the various deities of ancient Egypt as well as many other sites, cities, adventures and things to do in Cairo, you can try and book one of our range of Egypt tours and Egypt Travel Packages many privately guided groups of Cairo day tours from airport and Egypt day tours to explore the capital city of Egypt, Cairo you can check a lot of Egypt itineraries or go on one of our full Cairo day tours like: