Gain an Audience at the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra

Start your exploration of the Nasrid Palaces with the Mexuar, Patio del Cuarto Dorado, Comares Palace and Salón de Los Embajadores. 

The Islamic Nasrid Palaces are the most spectacular part of the Alhambra complex.

While we were in Spain, we found that most places, from neighborhood restaurants to international chains, didn’t follow any set schedule. They seemed to open and close on a whim. Los Palacios Nazaríes, or the Nasrid Palaces, are one of the only things in Spain that stick to a set schedule, so having a guide ensured that Wally and I didn’t miss our time of entry — if you do, you won’t be permitted to enter. 

And the Nasrid Palaces aren’t something you want to miss. The ornate interiors indicate that the structures were used as the private quarters of the sultan, his wives, his imperial harem and the rest of his family — unlike the Alcazaba, which served as a military fortress. 

A Court in the Alhambra in the Time of the Moors by Edwin Lord Weeks, 1876

The two main structures we’re covering in this post are:

• Mexuar

• Comares Palace

Altogether, there were 22 successive sultans between 1238-1492 BCE — that’s an average of roughly 10 years per sultan over a period of 254 years! 

“The walls are covered with brilliantly colored tilework, above which bands of sinuous kufic script are interwoven with floral ornament.”

There are courtyards, a magnificent throne room, private quarters and restful gardens within. And although no furniture remains in any of the rooms, it’s the ornate designs and geometric patterns covering the walls and ceilings that are the true stars of the show.

Wally likes to spend his birthdays touring memorable locales — and the Alhambra was something he had dreamed of for years.

Mexuar Audience Hall

Our tour of the palace complex began with the Mexuar. This earliest surviving structure of the Alhambra is believed to have been commissioned by Ismail I (who ruled from 1314-1325). It was modified and enlarged by Yusef I (1333-1354), and later altered and completed by his son Muhammad V (1362-1391). The Mexuar served as a council chamber and reception hall to receive and conduct business with the general public. 

The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V put his stamp on the Mexuar tilework, incorporating some of his heraldic iconography, including a two-headed eagle.

Be sure to look up at the decorative coffered cedarwood ceilings, referred to as artesonado in Spanish. Then look down a bit: The lower walls are completely covered with glazed ceramic mosaic tile panels arranged in a complex geometric pattern resembling interlocking stars in vivid shades of green, blue and yellow. A few bear evidence of the Catholic conquest, which ended Islamic rule in the region: Charles V’s heraldic emblem featuring a pair of pillars with a red ribbon draped between them as well as a double-headed eagle. A band of calligraphic ornamentation carved into the stucco panels encircling the room give the hall a formal air suitable for receiving dignitaries, with the declaration “There is no conqueror but Allah,” repeated multiple times in Islamic calligraphy.

The gloriously gilded ceiling of the Cuarto Dorado

Patio del Cuarto Dorado, the Patio of the Golden Room

From the Mexuar, our group entered the adjoining enclosed courtyard known as the Patio del Cuarto Dorado (Patio of the Golden, or Gilded, Room). The lotus-shaped marble fountain in the center of the patio was fabricated in 1943 and is a replica of the original, which is now located in Daraxa’s Garden, adjacent to the Palace of the Lions. 

Islamic tradition stated that depictions of people are blasphemous, so the builders of the Alhambra created complex geometric patterns and scrollwork.

The chamber beyond is referred to as the Cuarto Dorado. It functioned as an anteroom between the Alhambra’s public and private spaces and takes its name from the gilt-wood ceiling that was added after the Christian conquest. 

Looking out at the Patio de Arrayanes

Palacio de Comares and the Patio de Arrayanes: the Alhambra’s Money Shot

Immediately ahead is the Palacio de Comares (named for a nearby town that crafted the crystals used to make stained glass), the money shot of nearly every guidebook, as it’s here where the oft-photographed Patio de Arrayanes (Court of Myrtles) and its narrow glassy pool of water is located. This tranquil enclosed space was commissioned during the reign of Yusuf I and was named for the verdant clipped hedges that border the central pool. 

The two-story southern façade is the most highly embellished in the Alhambra and was renovated in 1369 by Muhammad V to celebrate his victory at Algeciras near Gibraltar in 1869. Behind its succession of arches is a geometrically patterned mosaic tiled wall and interwoven, lacy, carved stucco plasterwork, further embellished by the arabesque tree of life motif. A set of small windows with delicate fretwork mashrabiya screens for discreet viewing look down from the second floor into the courtyard. 

Pretty much every square inch of the Nasrid Palaces’ walls are covered with beautiful, ornate carvings.

The north façade has a similar design to the south, yet is a single level and serves as the entry point for the Torre de Comares. This structure rises majestically above the palace arcade and is the tallest external tower of the Alhambra, with a height of 147 feet.

The Hall of the Ambassadors is where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella met with Christopher Columbus to grant him permission to seek a new route to India (and we know how that turned out).

Salón de los Embajadores, the Hall of the Ambassadors

Inside the Torre de Comares is the grand reception hall known today as the Salón de los Embajadores, the Hall of the Ambassadors. Its vaulted wood ceiling is ornamented with a profusion of blue, white and gold inlay work in the shape of circles, crowns and stars, representative of the seven heavens of Islamic belief. The lower walls of the hall are covered with brilliantly colored tilework, above which horizontal bands of sinuous, vine-like kufic script are interwoven with floral ornament. One bears the inscription “Speak few words and you will leave in peace,” perhaps instructions for those requesting the audience of the sultan. I’m sure the sultan was busy, but that’s essentially like putting up a sign that says, “Keep it brief.”

The ceiling of the Hall of the Ambassadors resembles a starry sky.

The hall contains a total of nine alcoves, three per side, with windows known as cumarias, Spanish for stained glass, and incidentally where the palace gets its name from. Sadly, the windows are no longer there. A central niche opposite the entrance at the back of the hall was originally occupied by the sultan’s throne and contains the inscription “My lord, the victorious Yusuf, has decorated me with robes of glory and has made me the throne of his rule.”

You would cry, too, if it happened to you: King Boabdil Bids Farewell to Granada by Alfred Dehodencq, 1882

Legend has it that Muhammad XII, known as Boabdil, the 22nd and final sultan of the Nasrid dynasty, met with his council in the Salón de los Embajadores on November 25, 1491 and signed the Treaty of Granada, capitulating the last Muslim territory in the region to Christendom. As Boabdil left the city with his entourage, he looked back from the mountain pass at the beauty of what he had lost, and wept. –Duke

If you’re in the South of Spain, you can’t leave without a visit to the amazing Alhambra.

 

The Alcazaba, the Fierce Fortress of the Alhambra

Tour the towers of the defensive outpost perched above the charming city of Granada in the South of Spain.

Start your tour of the Alhambra with the Generalife gardens and the Alcazaba fortress.

With the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada as a backdrop, it’s easy to see why the monumental fortress palace of the Alhambra is one of the most visited monuments in Spain, second only to the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. 

The complex of buildings was fittingly recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, and served as residence to the Islamic sultanates of the Iberian Peninsula. Muslims ruled the region from the 11th to 15th century, until conquered by the Catholic monarchy in 1492. The Alhambra’s name comes from the Arabic al-Qal’at al-Hamra, or Red Fortress, owing to the reddish color of the clay-rich soil of the al-Sabika Hill ridge, where it rises from the terrain. That same ochre soil was used in the rammed, or compressed, earth brick walls of this impressive complex. 

“ A fortress doesn’t do any good if you simply open its doors to invaders.

But that’s exactly what King Boabdil did, after his fellow Muslims had ruled the region for nearly 700 years. ”

Touring the Alcazaba and the rest of the Alhambra made for a birthday Wally will never forget!

After literally taking time to stop and smell the roses in the gardens of the Generalife, we made our way to the Alcazaba, the fortress that once guarded the palace. We had booked our tickets for a guided tour (about 46€) months before, and a small group of ill-mannered and boisterous British tourists were part of our entourage. One of them was a doddering old man named Leslie, who frequently strayed from the group, and whose companions could be heard incessantly shouting, “Leslie! Leslie, come here!” to reel him back in. 

This is Leslie, wandering off again. “Leslie! Get back here!”

Plaza de los Aljibes, the Square of the Cisterns

Our group arrived at the Plaza de los Aljibes, the Square of the Cisterns, built after the Christian victory. The broad open space got its name from the underground cisterns built to collect rainwater below the square because the new occupants didn’t understand the complexities of the water channels the Arab engineers had created, leaving the aqueducts to fall into disrepair. Off to one side of the square lie the Nasrid Palaces, to the other, the Alcazaba.

The entrance to the Alcazaba, built by Muhammad I, the first sultan of the Nasrid dynasty

The Alcazaba Fortress

The austere military enclosure of the Alcazaba fortress is strategically positioned at the summit of the westernmost end of the monumental site, overlooking the city of Granada. Its construction is attributed to Muhammad I (who reigned from 1238-1273), the founder of the Nasrid dynasty. A stark contrast to the opulent and residential Nasrid Palaces, its primary function was to shield its inhabitants from external attacks. 

The separations in the defensive wall allowed archers to fire at invaders.

Of the whole set of structures within the Alhambra, the Alcazaba is the oldest. The north-facing walls were built atop the remains of a 9th century castle constructed for the Zirid dynasty, who were Berbers from Algeria, and incorporated into the foundation walls. Here, Muhammad I strengthened the enclosure walls and constructed three of its 30 imposing towers. Our group entered the fortress from the plaza through a doorway cut into the high east-facing wall. 

Torre del Homenaje, the Tribute Tower

Located at the northeast corner of the perimeter wall is the keep, known as the Torre del Homenaje, which could be translated as the Tribute Tower or the Tower of Homage. It’s one of the highest of the Alhambra and was strategically the most important, as it served both defensive and offensive purposes. The upright crenellated “teeth,” aka the battlements along the top of the tower, protected sentries from attacks and allowed them to fire arrows at intruders. Throughout its history, the tower served many functions, including as royal residence to Muhammad I and as a prison during the Christian occupation. 

The towers of the Alcazaba, the Torre de la Vela in particular, provide great views of the white city of Granada below.

Torre de la Vela, the Watchtower

The Torre de la Vela, the Watchtower, defiantly perches on the far west end of the hill, where the previously mentioned modest Zirid castle once stood. It served as a watchtower, and the interior consists of four floors plus the terrace and a subterranean dungeon—a kind of command center in the middle of the fortress. 

Wally and I climbed the narrow staircase to the top to take in the panoramic bird’s-eye view of the rolling Andalusian hills and Albaicín, Granada’s Moorish neighborhood. The terrace is crowned by a bell tower, added by the Christian kings in the 18th century, which was used to signal significant news to the general populace. 

There are many thoughts on the origin of its name. The literal translation of the word vela is “candle,” but one theory posits that the bell was brought from Castil de Vela, a municipality located in the province of Palencia. Then again, it could be connected to the verb desvelar, which means to keep awake, possibly referring to the sounding bell and its ability to awaken anyone below from slumber. In any event, the bell is rung every January 2 to celebrate the taking of Granada from the Muslim sultans.

The Alcazaba at the Alhambra is cool to tour — but just wait till you see the ornate Nasrid Palaces!

Torre Quebrada, the Broken Tower

This imposing monolithic tower stands within the shadow of the Torre de la Vela. I couldn’t find any specifics as to how it acquired its name, but one could presume that it suffered from seismic activity, or Napoleon's army, which decided to inflict damage by blowing up a few of the towers when they withdrew from the palace, petty and bitter at having lost the Peninsular War, which took place from 1808-1814. 

Visitors had to leave their weapons at the Puerta de las Armas.

Puerta de las Armas, the Gate of Arms

Originally, the Bab al-Silas, or Puerta de las Armas, the Gate of Arms, functioned as the populace’s primary entrance. The doorway probably got its name from its associated use: Visitors were stopped and required to leave their weapons behind before gaining access. 

Part of the Plaza de las Armas contains the ruins of the Barrio Castrense, the foundations of the residential dwellings for the royal guard and soldiers needed for the defense of the sultan. 

The foundations of the military quarters can still be seen in the Plaza de la Armas.

The Surrender of Granada by Francisco Pradilla y Ortiz, 1882, shows poor Baobdil turning over the keys to Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella.

Letting the Catholics In

A fortress doesn’t do you any good if you simply open its doors to invaders. But that’s exactly what King Boabdil did, after his fellow Muslims had ruled the region for nearly 700 years. 

On January 2, 1492, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile ceremoniously entered Granada, curiously in Muslim dress. They set up court in the Alhambra declaring it a Casa Real, or royal residence. One of their first orders of business? Declaring that all Jews and Muslims had to convert to Catholicism or leave the country. –Duke

 

Generalife: The Gorgeous Alhambra Gardens

The lush 13th-century garden complex offers a calm oasis overlooking Granada.

The Generalife gardens were created as a peaceful refuge for the Nasrid sultans

The Alhambra is one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips. When Wally and I learned that we could easily take a train from Sevilla to Granada, home to the historic medieval Moorish fortress of the Alhambra, we didn’t hesitate to add it to our itinerary. 

Duke and Wally love a good garden

Wally and I purchased our skip-the-line tickets for a small-group guided tour months in advance for around 46€. We recommend going this route, but if you decide you don’t want a guide, general admission costs 14€. Wanting to beat the crowds as well as the midday heat, we opted for the earliest time slot, arriving around 9 a.m., shortly after the Alhambra opens.

Be sure to bring your passport as you’ll need to present it at the entrance pavilion. If you’re thinking of trying to purchase tickets the day of, it’s not worth the risk: The number of daily admissions is limited, and sold in three-hour time slots on a first-come, first-served basis, a policy enforced to help preserve the monument. 

“Courtyard terraces exude tranquility, where fragrant flowering jasmine, roses, orange trees and myrtles scent the air.

Towering cypress trees form a dense evergreen screen, lining both sides of the garden path.”

Our tour of the Alhambra complex began with an exploration of the 13th-century gardens of the Generalife. 

A historic illustration of the garden complex

Paradise on Earth

Part of the Alhambra complex, the Generalife (pronounced Hay-nay-ral-lee-fay) served as a respite from palace life for the Nasrid sultans, the last of the Muslim dynasty that ruled Granada until 1492. It’s also a beautiful oasis for modern-day visitors. The name derives from the Arabic Jannat al-Arif, which typically gets translated to Garden of the Architect, though my research suggests Garden of Knowledge might be more accurate. 

The Generalife gardens are terraced, situated on a hill above the city of Granada

Muhammad II, the second sultan of the Nasrid dynasty (who reigned from 1273-1302), commissioned the original estate as a summer palace. His successor, Muhammad III (1302-1309), enlarged and refined the gardens. 

The Generalife is set on a slope of the Cerro del Sol hillside, adjacent to but higher in elevation than the al-Sabika Hill, where the Alhambra stands. Its series of gardens were based on the Zoroastrian division of the universe into four parts, rooted in the sacred elements of earth, air, fire and water. 

Both the upper and lower gardens have been modified over the years. The present plantings were added by the architect Leopoldo Torres Balbás in 1931 and completed by Francisco Prieto-Moreno in 1951. 

Narrow reflecting pools can be found throughout the complex

Water Wonders

The soothing sound of gently gurgling water is ever present at the Generalife — its engineers developed a sophisticated irrigation and hydraulic system by building a dam and aqueduct that diverts water from the River Darro to what would otherwise be a barren hillside. 

The highlight of the Generalife is the Court of the Long Pond

This channel or canal, the Acequia Real (Royal Aqueduct), distributed water to the gardens, fountains and baths of the Generalife and the Alhambra, solidifying its identity as a palace city. Water holds many meanings in the Islamic world and was essential in maintaining agriculture and providing drinking water, and was respected as a divine gift. 

Arches of roses create picturesque frames of the city of Granada

A Relaxing Respite

Courtyard terraces exude tranquility, where fragrant flowering jasmine, roses, orange trees and myrtles scent the air. Towering cypress trees form a dense evergreen screen, lining both sides of the garden path, which are embellished with smooth pebble mosaic patterns: white stones from the Darro and black ones from the Genil River. 

The amazingly intricate stonework is just a taste of what’s to come in the rest of the Alhambra complex

Try not to get lost in the hedge maze!

Wally and I climbed a flight of steps and ascended from the lower garden terrace to the semi-enclosed Patio de la Acequia, also known as the Court of the Long Pond. Jets of water, installed in the 19th century, arch over the center of the rectangular pool. The courtyard was originally divided into four quarters like the Court of the Lions inside the Alhambra. A pair of porticoed pavilions with overlapping glazed roof tiles stand at the north and south ends. The narrow open arcade along the south side was added in 1670 after the Reconquista, when Christians defeated the Islamic rulers of the Iberian Peninsula. 

The pleasant gurgling of fountains floats through the air

A pleasure for the senses, the Generalife is a great way to start or end your exploration of the Alhambra, pause for a while and take in the atmosphere. We lingered in the gardens for about 45 minutes before marveling at the wonders of the nearby palaces. –Duke

 

The Real Monsters of Harry Potter Wizards Unite

What magical creatures come from folklore — and did the augmented reality game get the details right? A glossary of famous monsters, including gnomes, hippogriffs, leprechauns, mandrakes, phoenixes and trolls.

Many of the creatures from the mobile game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite have their roots in actual folklore.

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite features some monsters we know well — vampires, werewolves, unicorns and the like — but there are some odd ones you’ll encounter as well. Some of these creatures spring entirely from the impressive imagination of J.K. Rowling, such as those naughty Nifflers and dreadful Dementors. 

But many of the monsters that appear in the addictive AR game have their origins in folklore and mythology from around the world. 

“Some kappa are pranksters, making fart noises and peeking under kimonos.

But others are dangerous, drowning livestock, eating children and raping women.”

The Abraxan winged horse from the Harry Potter universe is based on one of the flying steeds that pulled the Greek sun god Helios’ chariot across the sky.

Abraxan

I’m not sure who would want to drink a potion with horse hair in it, even if it does make you stronger in battle. But Abraxan hair is one of the ingredients in the Strong Exstimulo Potion in the Wizards Unite game.

A little digging reveals where Rowling got the inspiration for these winged steeds: Abraxas was one of four immortal horses that pulled the sun god Helios’ chariot across the sky each day in Greek myth.

A depiction of a boggart from The Spiderwick Chronicles. They can change their shapes at will.

Boggart

Many of the Foundables in the game must face their worst fears when a shapeshifting boggart emerges from its cabinet. Clever Ron is terrified of spiders (like me), but once he casts Riddikulus, roller skates suddenly appear on all eight legs of the arachnid-shaped boggart, causing the creature to slip and bumble in all directions and making it more comical than creepy.

“The world is full of fairies, and if anyone tells you it isn’t, don’t you believe them.” So begins this helpful tome, published in 1956.

Boggarts love to cause mischief, like taking a baby out of its crib.

In English folklore, boggarts are mischief-makers, pulling the covers off you when you sleep, moving furniture, turning milk sour or even taking a baby out of its crib and placing it on the floor. They typically don’t hurt humans, though the threat of throwing a child down a boggart-hole often worked wonders in getting them to behave. Because boggarts are described in such differing ways — human-sized, able to fit in your palm, resembling an animal, invisible — these monsters are believed to be shapeshifters.

The creepy Erkling from Wizards Unite looks like a demented cousin of Jack Frost.

Erkling

In the game, these hideous creatures, with their skeletal frame, large red eyes and nose like a misshapen carrot, attack you with blowdarts. 

Saying that you won’t dance with a erlking or join it in fairyland could be the last thing you ever do.

Erlkings are often shown as crowned, flying spirits following those on horseback.

Rowling transposed two letters, drawing inspiration from the erlking, a woodland spirit of Scandanavian and Germanic origin. Based on their depictions in illustrations and paintings, they appear as humans, wrapped in flowing robes and flying, ghostlike, above those on horseback. Sometimes an erlking wears a crown, in reference to the origin of the word, which means “elf king.” While similar creatures are mere tricksters, erlkings are willing to kill humans for doing something like refusing to dance with them or venture into fairyland. Others are said to prey on children. But it could also be that erlkings are merely omens of death, appearing to those doomed to soon die.

This cheeky Gnome Confoundable is waving a fart at us!

Gnome

Forget those statues in your garden of a small humanlike creature with a white beard and rosy cheeks, dressed in a blue tunic and pointy red cap. The gnomes of Wizards Unite have mottled green skin and horns atop their heads. They flounder around in a comical manner, and I can’t help but laugh no matter how many times I see that one gnome wafting its stinky fart in my direction to keep me from the Beater’s bat.

Wally stole — er, permanently borrowed — this book from his neighbors, knowing he’d appreciate it much more than they would.

Gnomes are diminutive creatures of the earth and mountains from European folklore. These shy supernatural folk avoid humans but befriend birds, rabbits, foxes, hedgehogs and squirrels (though they have a particular dislike of cats). They can move through stone as easily as we do through air. Some tales say they turn to stone in the sun, which could explain why it’s only during the nighttime that they sneak out to help with gardening. 

Hippogriffs, part eagle, part horse, can be dangerous!

Hippogriff

Many of us are familiar with Buckbuck, whom Harry and his friends save from execution and is one of the Foundables from the Forbidden Forest in the Wizards Unite game. 

In this 1824 painting by Louis-Édouard Rioult, a knight named Roger, riding his hippogriff mount, saves a woman, Angelica, from a sea monster.

A hippogriff is the offspring of a mare and a griffin, itself a magical creature. Because griffins typically hunt horses, hippogriffs are extremely rare and became symbols of something deemed impossible. When the two creatures do mate, the result is a mishmash, with the forefront of an eagle and the hind quarters of a horse. 

When Mare and Griffin meet and mate
Their offspring share a curious fate.
One half is Horse with hooves and tail,
The rest is Eagle, claws and nail.

As a Horse it likes to graze
In summer meadows doused in haze,
Yet as an Eagle it can fly
Above the clouds where dreams drift by.

With such a Beast I am enthralled,
The Hippogriff this beast is called.

–“The Hippogriff” by Arnold Sundgaard

They’re able to be tamed and make swift steeds, as many a knight and wizard has learned.

The Horned Serpent you must battle in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Horned Serpent

One of the Oddities that’s a bit more difficult to defeat, this monster is exactly what its name describes: a giant snake with — you guessed it! — horns. It’s also one of the four houses at Ilvermorny, the unfortunately named U.S. equivalent of Hogwarts. Horned Serpent students are smarties, most likely making them the equivalent of Ravenclaws.

Many Native American tribes had a version of the horned serpent in their folk tales.

These supernatural spirits were primarily water based and could perform powerful magic.

While these mythic creatures from Native American folklore sometimes travel on ground, they’re most often found in rivers and lakes. It seems that each indiginous tribe has its own version of the horned serpent, but they’re almost always powerful supernatural spirits, with powers ranging from shapeshifting and invisibility to hypnosis and healing. Many are also said to control the weather, causing rain, earthquakes and floods.

Watch out for kappa! They’re known to not only peek up kimonos but rape women as well.

Kappa

The kappa shows up in the Circus Calamitous special event in the game, with a head that seems to hold water like a bowl, barnacles stuck to its skin and a Fu Manchu mustache.

The creature derives from Japanese mythology, described as an amphibian humanoid with webbed feet and hands, a beak and a turtle shell upon its back, dwelling in rivers and ponds. 

Some kappa are mere pranksters, making fart noises and peeking under kimonos. But others are dangerous, drowning livestock, eating children (though they’re also fond of cucumbers) and raping women.

The turtle-like kappas’ weakness is the dents on top of their heads, which must always be filled with water.

They do indeed have a small bowl-like dent in their heads called a sara, the source of their magical powers, which must always be filled with water. If they’re on land and you refill its sara, a kappa will be indebted to you for life. 

James Browne’s leprechaun is a cobbler and has a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

Leprechaun

These little buggers throw clods of dirt at you in Wizards Unite, making it oh-so-satisfying when you cast a spell that sends one flying into the air. 

Leprechauns often have treasure — but they’ll do their best to trick you out of getting it.

The Harry Potter game loves its diminutive tricksters, so it’s no surprise leprechauns are featured. These creatures from Irish folklore are quite well known to Americans, thanks to St. Patrick’s Day — though the children’s cereal Lucky Charms has a part to play as well. You can easily picture a leprechaun: a small humanoid with a red beard and a green outfit, from its top hat to its buckled shoes. It wasn’t until the 20th century, though, that the color scheme turned to green — originally, leprechauns dressed in red.

This leprechaun on a vintage St. Patrick’s Day card is probably drunk.

These creatures haunt wine cellars and, playing to a stereotype about the Irish, are famous drunks. In many cases, they’re shoemakers, and you’ll find their pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. If you capture one, you can usually get him to hand over his treasure. Some tales say that those who catch a leprechaun will be granted three wishes. But beware: These naughty fairies will do everything they can to trick you out of your reward. 

A baby mandrake root as seen in the Hogwarts greenhouses.

Mandrake

Who can forget the scene where Harry and his Hogwarts classmates must pull screaming baby mandrakes out of a pot, being sure to wear earmuffs as protection from their horrific wails? 

Mandrakes were popular inclusions in medieval manuscripts.

It’s handy to have a dog you don’t like around when harvesting a mandrake.

These unusual plants actually exist — though it’s highly doubtful that they spring from the fat, blood and semen of a hanged man. Mandrakes are a member of the nightshade family and have hallucinogenic properties. Their roots often form humanlike shapes, leading to the belief that they held various powers over the body.

Dioscurides, a first century Greek physician, states that mandrake boiled in wine was used as an anesthetic in Ancient Rome. Too much, though, could be fatal. And the barren Rachel of Genesis seems to have finally gotten pregnant thanks to the magical properties of the mandrake.

This powerful plant could bring good fortune, riches or power. Slip one shaped like a baby under your pillow and you might conceive a child. Put one that resembles a woman into your pocket, and that gal you’ve got your eye on is sure to fall for you.

The humanlike mandrake root was said to emit a fatal screech when pulled out of the ground.

These ladies are using string to yank out mandrakes — I sure hope they have their ears plugged with wax!

Because the plant emits a fatal shriek when uprooted, harvesting it was a dangerous activity. The only way to safely go about this is to plug your ears with wax and tie one end of a rope around the mandrake and the other to a dog. Throw a treat, which the dog will chase after — yanking the mandrake root out of the ground. Of course, the mandrake will emit its lethal scream, killing the poor doggie instantly (though I’m not sure why you can’t try plugging the pooch’s ears with wax as well).

The adorable mooncalf from Wizards Unite

Mooncalf

No matter how many times I see that poor little guy, with its huge blue eyes, chained up in the game, my heart breaks a little. Sure he’s a misshapen beast with webbed feet, but he’s downright adorable in his way.

The moon could botch a pregnancy, resulting in a horrifically deformed creature called a mooncalf.

Mooncalves in folklore aren’t always bovine: Perhaps the first reference dates back to Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, where the deformed creature Caliban is said to be the offspring of a witch and a devil.

Poor Caliban, a mooncalf created by Shakespeare

Caliban and a couple of other characters from The Tempest

The beasts get their name from the belief that the moon can exert a sinister influence over a pregnancy, resulting in a child that’s monstrously deformed, pale and mentally deficient. 

A Mountain Troll Confoundable isn’t too fond of the Flesh-Eating Slugs (but really, who would be)?

Mountain Troll

In the mobile game, these dimwitted, lumbering giants guard numerous Foundables, including the Mirror of Erised, which reveals that their heart’s desire is…a female of the species. Trolls — they just want to be loved, too. 

Trolls from a 1915 illustration by the Swedish artist John Bauer

Trolls originated in Norway, where they’re a proud part of the national heritage — despite being hideous and cruel monsters (though the females are often said to be quite comely). Wizards Unite and the world of Harry Potter got one thing right about them: They’re great of strength and weak of brain. The good news is that because trolls are so stupid, if you’re caught by one, you just might be able to trick your way out of danger. If you’re not clever enough, though, you could get smashed by a tree used as a club or crushed by a stone hurled by a troll. Or, you might be the troll’s next meal. 

Duke and Wally got attacked by the trolls at the Morton Arboretum outside of Chicago, part of a fun exhibit by Thomas Dambo.

Their skin is gray and tough as stone, their hair wild and unkempt. Like the folklore concerning gnomes, trolls will turn to stone if caught in the sun’s rays. Some of the mountain outcroppings in Norway are the remains of unlucky trolls. 

Trolls that get caught out at sunrise turn instantly to stone.

In some tales, trolls have a particular dislike of Christians and never pass up a chance to wreak havoc on a church — perhaps because church bells are said to ward them off. (Incidentally, they also run in terror from thunder.)

The phoenix gets consumed in flames, only to be reborn from the ashes.

Phoenix

Dumbledore’s companion phoenix is named for Guy Fawkes Day, a strange British holiday with pagan origins that involves bonfires and the burning of an effigy.

That’s because the famous headmaster of Hogwarts’ phoenix shares a bizarre trait with the mythological creature: After living for 1,000 or so years, the gorgeous eagle-like bird grows old and frail before finally bursting into flames. But fear not — the phoenix will be reborn from its ashes, and the cycle will continue. That’s why phoenixes are associated with resurrection.

Phoenix tears are believed to have healing powers, and no one can tell a lie when this creature is nearby.

A page from a medieval bestiary shows a phoenix. Christians liked how the fabled bird symbolized resurrection.

The phoenix is said to have come from Paradise. Its fable began in Arabia and became popular in Ancient Greece and Rome. The majestic bird is covered in brilliant feathers of red, purple and gold. Its tears are said to have regenerative powers, and some say no one can tell a lie when the bird is near.

The pain-in-the-ass pixies you’ll find throughout the Wizards Unite game

Pixie

In the game, these little pests are hard to aim at, as they flit about during challenges — but they’re usually pretty easy to defeat once you land a shot.

Pixies, a variety of which is shown here, from The Spiderwick Chronicles, really just wanna have fun.

This source claims that pixies choose to look like hedgehogs, though most say they have wings like a butterfly or dragonfly.

While the pixies of Harry Potter are troublemakers, that’s not how they’re depicted in British folklore. The diminutive fairy-like creatures are giddy merrymakers who will give you a blessing if you recite a poem or present them with a pretty ribbon (they’re not good at making clothes, so they tend to dress in rags). Pixies sometimes have blue- or green-tinted skin, pointed ears, and wings like those of a butterfly or dragonfly.

One of Halbot K. Browne’s illustrations from the 1854 book A Peep at the Pixies by Anna Eliza Bray

Their magic can make a child smile, a maiden dance or a traveler lose their way (indeed, some disoriented voyagers would gripe about being “pixy-led”). Plants near them grow at an accelerated speed.

Whatever you do, don’t make fun of a pukwudgie. They’re not typically malevolent, but they could cause great harm if you don’t treat them with respect.

Pudwudgie

Rowling offers a variant spelling of the Native American creature known as a pukwudgie. These spirits of the forest are gray-skinned, about 3 feet tall and resemble humans, aside for their bulbous noses and enlarged ears. Like many other fey creatures, they’re sometimes mischievous, sometimes malicious — especially to those who don’t treat them with respect. Their magical powers include being able to turn invisible, confuse people, shapeshift into cougars or other dangerous animals and harm a person with a stare. A particularly vile pukwudgie might push you off a cliff, shoot a flaming arrow at you or kidnap your child. 

No one can seem to agree on exactly what a re’em looks like.

Re’em

If you want to brew an Exstimulo potion, you’ll have to scoop up little pools of re’em blood. Who knew this was an actual creature from Jewish folklore?

Like many of these monsters, there’s a debate about what a re’em actually looks like. One thing’s for certain: It’s massive. Some sources interchange it with a unicorn, but many describe it as an ox-like creature. 

One story about Noah’s Ark tells of a unicorn-like re’em being towed behind it because the giant beast wouldn’t fit on the boat.

A Jewish tale says that there are only two re’em at any given time: one male and one female. For 70 years, they exist on opposite sides of the Earth, but then come together to mate — after which the female slays the male with a single bite. When she finally gives birth, her stomach bursts open, killing her instantly. But she always gives birth to twins: one male, one female. They head off in different directions for 70 years, until…well, you know the drill.

Evidence points to the re’em being a giant aurochs, like those painted at the Lascaux caves.

Another story tells of King David, back when he was a shepherd. He climbed upon a re’em, thinking it was a mountain. He told God that he would build Him a temple as high as the re’em itself if he could get down safely. God sent a lion, the king of the beasts, and when the re’em bowed down in submission, David hopped off. 

An alert for Fluffy, the Three-Headed Dog once cared for by Hagrid

Three-Headed Dog

Hagrid never met a monster he didn’t love, and that includes the vicious three-headed hound to whom he gave the ridiculous name of Fluffy. 

Cerberus, the original three-headed dog, shown in this William Blake illustration, guards the gates of Hades in Greek mythology.

The original three-headed hell hound was called Cerberus. It guarded the entrance to Hades, devouring anyone who tried to leave the underworld. The only person to sneak past this monstrous watchdog was Orpheus, who played music so sweet it soothed the savage beast and lulled him to sleep.

Hercules and Cerberus by Peter Paul Rubens, 1636

The Greek hero Herakles, aka Hercules, had to capture Cerberus as the last of his 12 labors. Despite being bitten by the creature’s snakelike tail, Herakles managed to choke Cerberus until he passed out.

The Wizards Unite version of a zouwu

Zouwu

The zouwu appears in the Circus Calamitous event and was so strange, I had to wonder if it sprung from Rowling’s imagination. 

The mythic Chinese zouwu is actually a docile, lucky creature.

But no — it’s a legendary Chinese monster. Despite resembling a fierce big cat (sometimes described as a lion, sometimes a tiger), the zouwu is a gentle, vegetarian beast that’s seen as a good omen. The Harry Potter version has a strange pink tail like a ruffled dress, but in Chinese mythology, it’s only said that the tail is longer than its body. If you ride upon one, you can cover 1,000 miles in a day. 

The AR game is even more fun when you know the origins of the creatures that populate its world.

As you battle or rescue various creatures in the Harry Potter: Wizards Unite game, don’t get too caught up staring at your phone. You’ll want to be prepared if you happen to encounter one of these monsters in real life! –Wally

A Visual Tour of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Take a virtual tour to see our favorite statues of famous pharaohs and tomb relics.

If you can’t actually visit the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, do the next best thing: Virtually tour some of the exhibits below

It’s bad enough that I’ve been self-quarantined inside our home for a week and a half now, with no end to this isolation in sight. On top of that, I seem to have contracted the dreaded coronavirus, with lingering symptoms of COVID-19. 

To make matters worse, I’ve had to cancel a mini-sabbatical to Spain, where I had planned to visit my good friends Jo and José in Málaga, fulfilling my dream of experiencing Semana Santa and touring the colorful towns of the South of Spain, with their charming Moorish influence. 

Plus, it’s looking as if Duke and I will also have to forgo our trip to Athens and the Greek Isles this spring as well. 

“Most of us find ourselves looking for ways to live vicariously, to continue to explore the world — even if that means virtually. ”

Like many of you, travel is what we look forward to. In many ways, it’s what makes life worth living. Planning a trip abroad gives Duke and me something to dream about. In a time when the world wasn’t so chaotic, our future travels would be what got us through tough times. Now we have no idea when we’ll be able to take a vacation again. The world is on lock-down, frozen in place. It’s not a comfortable feeling, and the real extent of the crisis might not be apparent for weeks or even months.

With so much time on our hands, most of us find ourselves looking for ways to live vicariously, to continue to explore the world — even if that means virtually. 

Here’s a photographic tour of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, showcasing some of our favorites statues, sarcophagi and other works of art. (To get a feel for the delightfully dilapidated museum, read Duke’s write-up.)

A gray granite statue of Ramesses II as a child protected by the god Horus, depicted as a falcon.

The fragmented sculpture of the goddess Mut and her husband, the chief god Amun, is composed of 79 pieces. The head of the goddess was discovered by French Egyptologist August Mariette in 1873. Other parts were unearthed during additional excavations in the Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak and sent to the museum, where they were reassembled.

The colossal figures of Amenhotep III, who ruled around 1386-1353 BCE, and his wife Tiye survey the great hall of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. The statue was discovered at Medinet Habu. Tiye, whose arm wraps around her husband's waist, is the same size as the king, demonstrating her equal status as a powerful and influential queen.

This statue, carved in a variety of sandstone known as graywacke, shows the Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh Menkaure wearing the crown of Upper Egypt. The king, who was born in 2532 BCE, is flanked by the goddess Hathor (left), crowned with a solar disc between cows horns, and Anput (right), the personification of the 17th nome, or district, of Upper Egypt. Note the jackal above her, referring to her husband, the god Anubis.

A realistic-looking sycamore wood figure with white quartz and resin eyes from the Fifth Dynasty, depicting a khry-heb, or lector priest, named Ka-aper. He was responsible for transcribing religious texts and reciting hymns in the temple and at ritual festivals.

Skeleton of a dog. Ancient Egyptians were known to sacrifice and mummify a variety of animals.

An alabaster statue of the high priestess Amenirdis, who held the title of God’s Wife of Amun during the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty. She’s wearing a diadem of cobras and holding a small whip, or flagellum, bent to resemble a lily.

A row of small stone sarcophagi stand in front of a chipped wall typical at the Egyptian Museum

A statue of Meryre and his wife Iniuia. Meryre began his career under the reign of Akhenaten, the so-called Heretic King who ruled from 1353-1336 BCE in the Eighteenth Dynasty, as steward and scribe of the Great Temple of the Aten in Armana, Akhenaten’s capital city, and later as high priest at the temple of Aten at Memphis.

Dwarves commanded respect in Ancient Egypt, thought to possess divine gifts. One of the much-loved gods of the time, Bes (right), was depicted as a dwarf.

A granite sarcophagus lid of a dwarf named Djeho from the Thirtieth Dynasty. Inscriptions on the lid indicate that he was employed to dance at burial ceremonies connected to the sacred Apis bull.

This painted limestone head of Hatshepsut originally belonged to one of Osiride statues resembling the god of the underworld, Osiris, at Deir el-Bahari, the female pharaoh’s mortuary temple.

This granite sphinx was one of several that once stood at Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple. This remarkable woman ruled Egypt, first as co-regent for her nephew/stepson Thutmose III and subsequently as pharaoh.

Another sphinx of Hatshepsut, this one painted limestone. It’s believed to have originally stood at her mortuary temple. Unusual for Ancient Egypt, her face is surrounded by a leonine mane.

A detail of the outermost shrine that enclosed the sarcophagus of Tutankhamun. Composed of gilt plaster over wood with a faience inlay, it bears protective symbols: the djed, or spine of Osiris, and the tjet, or Isis knot.

A diorite statue of the Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh Khefren, who may have ruled around 2558-2532 BCE, seated on a throne, protected by the outstretched wings of a falcon, a symbol of the god Horus. The eagle is on the back, so you unfortunately can’t see it from this angle.

A statue of the lion-headed goddess of war, Sekhmet. Don’t let her calm expression fool you: She could be violent and was given various titles, including Mistress of Dread, Lady of Slaughter and She Who Mauls.

This compact granite block statue depicts Senenmut, the favored official and director of building works under Hatshepsut, who reigned from 1479-1458 BCE, during the Eighteenth Dynasty. Senenmut held many roles, one of which was tutor to Hatshepsut’s daughter, Princess Neferure. The strange style of statuary was common for tutors. The head of the young royal emerges from Senenmut’s cloaked, protective form.

Model soldiers carrying shields and spears from the tomb of a pharaoh. Fun fact: The bravest soldiers were given amulets shaped like flies, to show that they had stung the enemy.

Funerary models carved of wood show scenes from everyday life. Placed in a pharaoh’s tomb, they assured that he would have all he desired, including food and drink, in the afterlife.

A gray granite statue of Tutankhamun depicted as Khonsu, a moon god whose name means Wanderer, son of Amun and Mut. The Boy King wears the sidelock braid of youth and is holding a crook, flail and djed pillar.

A 2nd millennium BCE funerary stele found at Abydos that may or may not depict a ruler named Sobekhotep and his wife.

This red granite statue depicts Ramesses II (left) and the creator god, Ptah (right). Ptah held a close relationship to the primeval god Tatenen, whose name means Risen Earth, referring to the primordial mound that emerged from the watery chaos at the beginning of the world. –Wally

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10 More Museums You Can Virtually Tour

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The Egyptian Museum
Tahrir Square Rd.
Cairo, Egypt

The Charmingly Cluttered Egyptian Museum in Cairo

The decidedly old-school Museum of Egyptian Antiquities houses impressive collections from Ancient Egypt, including the mummies of numerous pharaohs, Amarna Period relics and the treasures of King Tut’s tomb (for now). 

Be sure to explore the peaceful park in front of the salmon-colored museum, which opened in this spot in 1902

There was simply no way I was going to miss the treasures of Tutankhamun, much less the mummies of the pharaohs. So I knew our trip to Cairo wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the landmark Egyptian Museum.

It was a dry, hot morning when Wally and I left the Kempinski Nile Hotel and walked along the Corniche — the grand boulevard that runs parallel to the Nile River. The thoroughfare was not yet car-choked, and we had to walk past armed military police as we approached the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, more commonly known as the Egyptian Museum. 

“The Egyptian Museum felt trapped in time, a bit like the decaying mansion of Miss Havisham, the jilted spinster from Charles Dickens’ novel “Great Expectations.””

The colossi of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye tower above Wally (a queen shown actual size)

The Egyptian Museum’s Rough Start

The museum’s first home was established in 1863 by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette on the banks of the Nile, in Cairo’s Bulaq district. Over time, its extensive collection continued to grow, but in 1878, one of the worst floods in Egypt’s history completely destroyed much of the building, as well as some of Mariette’s drawings and excavation documents. The artifacts were temporarily relocated to the royal palace of Ismail Pasha at Giza after the catastrophe. 

Construction on a new museum began in 1897 at its present location in Tahrir Square, an address that’s now known as the site of protests during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, part of the Arab Spring. It officially opened its doors to the public on November 15, 1902. 

A pair of larger-than-life figures personifying the goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt adorn the museum’s façade on either side of the entry arch

The main façade of the salmon-colored Beaux-Arts style structure features a pair of Art Nouveau female figures personifying the goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt. The museum’s collection consists of approximately 120,000 objects — the largest assemblage of pharaonic antiquities dating from the Old Kingdom (circa 2613-2181 BCE) to the Greco-Roman Period (332 BCE-395 CE). 

We purchased our tickets, which included general admission and the two rooms of royal mummies for 300 Egyptian pounds (just under 20 bucks when we visited), plus an additional ticket for photography for 50 L.E. (about $3). 

Looking down upon the entrance, with its metal detectors

Exploring the Egyptian Museum

We made our way through the courtyard, which contains a reflecting pool with papyrus, additional stone artifacts and a monument dedicated to Mariette. Passing through the museum’s arched entrance, we paused at a security checkpoint, where we showed our tickets and placed our phones in plastic bins before entering. Make sure to look up at the sculpted keystone of the central arch with its Art Nouveau depiction of the goddess Isis, wearing the headdress of Hathor: a solar disc cradled between the horns of a cow. 

Peek behind a wall partition and you’ll see just how disorganized the Egyptian Museum is

Lose Yourself in the Cluttered Collections

The museum has two floors, each of which is arranged in roughly chronological order. Objects are displayed amongst wooden crates and errant forklifts, giving the space a transitory feel. The sprawling second floor halls are filled row upon row of glass cases haphazardly combined with cabinets of curiosities. The Egyptian Museum felt trapped in time, a bit like the decaying mansion of Miss Havisham, the jilted spinster from Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations. 

The section on the Amarna Period, with Akenhaten’s defaced sarcophagus in the foreground

The Good: The Androgynous Amarna Period

One of our favorite parts of the museum was the section on the Amarna Period. At the center of this collection are Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti. Akhenaten is remembered as the “Heretic King” who abandoned traditional Egyptian polytheism in favor of the monotheistic worship of a single god, the Aten. His reign and art are referred to as Amarna because of the Beni Amran, a Bedouin tribe living in the area when his short-lived capital city was discovered by archaeologists.

The royal family shown worshipping the Aten (aka the sun) and its life-giving rays — check out those thunder thighs!

The Aten was depicted as the disc of the sun, whose rays ended in hands reaching out to touch the royal family. What we like best about the Amarna style is its sculpture, which differs radically from the rest of Ancient Egyptian art, which remained largely static for millennia. Perhaps the androgynous elongation and curved form of the colossal statues of Akhenaten and Nefertiti were meant to illustrate the transformative power of the Aten’s rays?

The unfinished yet still stunning bust of Nefertiti

Don’t miss the unfinished quartzite head of Nefertiti with the sculptor’s ink marks still intact, and take a moment to gaze upon the coffin of Akhenaten, which was defaced after his death. His cartouche (the hieroglyphic symbol with a pharaoh’s name) on the lid of the coffin was obliterated so that his spirit would be unable to return in the afterlife.

Catch the treasures of King Tut before they’re moved to the new Grand Egyptian Museum

King Tut…at Last!

The incredible Tutankhamun galleries are located on the second floor — a collection I have wanted to see ever since I was a little boy. It contains hundreds of funerary objects from Tutankhamun’s tomb, including the black jackal-topped Anubis shrine and gilded canopic shrine surrounded by the divinities of Isis, Nephthys, Neith and Selket.

A shrine to the jackal-headed god of mummification, Anubis, found in King Tut’s treasury

A gilded shrine shows a lesser-known deity, Selket, the goddess of magic, who wore a scorpion atop her head

King Tut’s iconic, dazzling golden death mask, inlaid with colored glass and semi-precious stones, is displayed in a case in a separate room, where photography isn’t permitted. You probably already know what it looks like, anyway.

Sarcophagi line the hall leading to the Mummy Rooms, where you can see the dried-up corpses of legendary kings and queens of Ancient Egypt

Mummies Dearest

The shrunken, desiccated bodies of the royal mummies, the kings and queens who ruled Egypt over 3,500 years ago, are located on the second floor and displayed in dimly lit, climate-controlled rooms, within hermetically sealed nitrogen-filled glass cases.

Despite the entrance ticket referring to “the Mummy Room,” note that there are actually two, on either side of what I’m calling the Mummy Hall — the walls are lined with what I’m assuming are original display cases stacked nearly floor to ceiling with coffins and wooden sarcophagi.

Ancient Egyptians painted coffins with the image of the person inside, so their spirit would know where to return after wandering at night

An attendant will ask for your ticket and will punch a hole in it before you enter. Patrons are not allowed to take photos inside either of these rooms. I would suggest adhering to this policy as you probably don’t want your camera or device confiscated — or worse, be asked to leave. 

Rows of figurines of gods and goddesses sit tucked away in vitrines — some labeled, some not

The Bad: Put a Label on It

The Egyptian Museum’s succession of rooms and dusty display cases preserve a Colonial Era charm, but make it difficult to guess the history and chronology of many unmarked artifacts. Signage is often dated, has indecipherable handwritten captions or is nonexistent. Perhaps with the transfer of Tutankhamun’s treasures to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), the Egyptian Museum can take the opportunity to reorganize and refine its collection — though the GEM project, as of this writing, is significantly behind schedule. 

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have — the Egyptian Museum. But the somewhat run-down state makes you feel like you’re stepping back in time

I’ve been fascinated by Ancient Egypt since I was a child, and the Egyptian Museum remains a singular experience for me — definitely one highlight among many and a must-visit for those in Cairo. –Duke

 

The Egyptian Museum can be a bit of a mess inside — but that’s part of its charm

The Egyptian Museum
Tahrir Square Rd.
Cairo, Egypt

Atenism: Akhenaten’s Experiment in Monotheism

The world’s first monotheistic religion wasn’t Judaism — it happened in Ancient Egypt during what’s known as the “Amarna heresy.”

Oh my gods! Everyone knows that Ancient Egypt was polytheistic, with a troupe of animal-headed gods that were worshiped for thousands of years. And it’s true. Ancient Egypt was polytheistic — except, of course, for those 20 years or so when it wasn’t.

Many of us thought that the Jews were the first monotheists in history. But sometime early in his reign, from 1353-1336 BCE, the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten upended centuries of polytheistic practices and decreed that there was only one god: the sun itself.

“Ancient Egypt was polytheistic — except, of course, for those 20 years or so when it wasn’t.”

Sun worship started with his father, Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who identified himself with a minor god, the Aten, elevating it to the status of a favored god and personal deity.

Amenhotep III might have initiated the intense worship of the Aten that took over his son, the pharaoh who became Akhenaten

Like Father, Like Sun

After Amenhotep III died, his son ascended the throne under the name Amenhotep IV, which meant The God Amun Is Content. But the pharaoh, in the fifth year of his reign, changed his name to Akhenaten, He Who Is Effective on the Aten’s Behalf, when he became convinced that the Aten was the one true god. 

Egyptologists never fail to point out that the Aten is the “solar disc,” though I’m not sure how that differs from just saying that they worshipped the sun.

Gerhard Fecht, who taught Egyptology at the Free University of Berlin and who died in 2006, noted the similarity of the pronunciation in ancient times of Aten (“yati”) and father or forefather (“yata”), which he believed was far from a coincidence. Akhenaten styled himself as the son of the sun and the father of his people, and he believed that he would merge with the sun in death. 

Wally and Duke are particularly partial to the Amarna style of art, as shown in this statue of Akhenaten

The Upsides of the So-Called Amarna Heresy

History hasn’t looked favorably upon Akhenaten, deeming him “the Heretic King” for having the gall to shift Ancient Egypt from polytheism to monotheism for a short period and for moving the capital from Thebes to a new city, Akhentaten, now referred to as Amarna.

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THE RISE AND FALL OF AMARNA, Ancient Egypt’s short-lived new capital

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There’s much to admire about this fascinating ruler, though. For one thing, he created a new style of art — strangely captivating genderbending statuary on the one hand and paintings that convey an intimate realism on the other — when the rest of the three millennia of Ancient Egypt had a remarkably stagnant style. If we can believe the artwork (and we have every reason to be skeptical, since imagery was used for propagandist purposes throughout the ancient kingdom), Akhenaten was utterly devoted to his queen Nefertiti.

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THE AMARNA STYLE OF ART REVEALS THAT AKHENATEN HAD MARFAN SYNDROME…and other conspiracy theories

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We’re also led to believe that Akhenaten doted on the six — count ’em, six — daughters he had with Nefertiti. Most pharaohs would have been disappointed by not having at least one son who could become heir to the throne, but Akhenaten was so enamored of his daughters, he included depictions of them in the artwork he commissioned — an uncommon practice for the time. 

There’s evidence that The Hymn to the Aten influenced one of the Psalms in the Bible

The Great Hymn to the Aten

This controversial pharaoh was a man who loved nature, waxing poetic in the Great Hymn to the Aten, which it’s believed he wrote himself. This poem begins:

For you are risen from the eastern horizon and have filled every land with your beauty;
For you are fair, great, dazzling and high over every land,
And your rays enclose the lands to the limit of all you have made;
For you are Re, having reached their limit and subdued them for your beloved son;
For although you are far away, your rays are upon the earth and you are perceived.

When your movements vanish and you set in the western horizon, 
The land is in darkness, in the manner of death. 
People, they lie in bedchambers, heads covered up, and one eye does not see its fellow.
All their property might be robbed, although it is under their heads, and they do not realize it.
Every lion is out of its den, all creeping things bite. 
Darkness gathers, the land is silent. The one who made them is set in his horizon.

Scholars delight in pointing out how similar the Bible’s Psalm 104 is to the second stanza. It’s not too far-fetched to accuse the Psalm author, who wrote hundreds of years after the Aten hymn, of plagiarism.

Akhenaten and Nefertiti, with three of their daughters, basking in the holy rays of the sun, known as the Aten in Ancient Egypt

Who’s Worshipping Whom?

In his book Akhenaten: Egypt’s False Prophet, Nicholas Reeves argues that Akhenaten worshipped the sun, while the populace of Egypt worshiped Akhenaten. He sees the move to monotheism as a political ploy to strengthen the pharaoh’s power. This point is strengthened by the carvings found in the few tombs used outside of Akhentaten: Instead of gods and goddesses, they feature the royal family prominently.

Atenism created a new trinity. Instead of Amun, the father who jerked off to create the twin siblings, his son Shu and daughter Tefnut, you had the Aten, Akhenaten and Nefertiti. In fact, their six daughters rounded out the royal family, providing a new version of the Ennead, the nine gods of creation.

Aten’s temples were open to the air, a striking contrast to previous Egyptian places of worship, notably the dark and mysterious confines of the temples to Amun, known as the Hidden One. Other temples held a small chamber at the back, the sanctuary, or holy of holies, which housed the cult image of the deity. But with the Aten there was no need for a statue — the god could be seen blazing up in the sky, its warmth felt upon the skin during daylight.

A relief from the Karnak Temple shows Akhenaten worshipping the sun. The new religion was probably appealing at first, with its focus on life and beauty instead of death

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Atenism’s popularity was short-lived, perhaps even beginning to wane while Akhenaten was still alive. But its initial appeal is easy to imagine. 

For centuries, Ancient Egyptians were obsessed with death; their great monuments, elaborate spells and mummification rituals were meant to assure a pleasant afterlife. But Atenism focused instead on the here and now, on life on this Earth. 

In the past, Egyptian tombs were located on the West Bank of the Nile, most notably the Valley of the Kings. But Akhenaten broke with tradition, designating the eastern hills as the site of the royal tombs and lesser cemeteries. No longer would death be associated with the west and the god Osiris, evoking the sunset and a bleak finality. Instead, death was now connected to the sun that rose from the eastern cliffside, offering light and hope each day.

The Militaristic Move to Monotheism

Most likely in the 10th year of his reign, Pharaoh Akhenaten ceased to tolerate any mention of other gods aside from the Aten, and launched an all-out war against the old deities, Amun and his consort Mut in particular. 

“An order went out from the palace to smash up the divine statues and hack out the names and images of these gods wherever they occurred — on temple walls, on obelisks, on shrines, on the accessible portions of tombs,” Reeves writes. 

The priesthood of the chief god, Amun, in particular, didn’t fare well under Akhenaten’s decree to worship only one deity: the Aten

The persecution spread to the common people as well. Eye makeup containers and commemorative scarabs from this time have been found with the hieroglyphs for other gods gouged or scratched out. 

We don’t just have to take Reeves’ word for how bad things got. Here’s what Manetho, a priest and historian from the Ptolemaic Kingdom in the early third century BCE, wrote about Akhenaten’s monomania:

…not only did they [pharaoh’s men] set towns and villages on fire, pillaging the temples and mutilating images of the gods without restraint, but they also made a practice of using the sanctuaries as kitchens to roast the sacred animals which the people worshipped; and they would compel the priests and prophets to sacrifice and butcher the beasts, afterwards casting the men forth naked.

Upon Akhenaten’s death, his son and successor, King Tut, returned Egypt to polytheism

King Tut Restores the Old Gods

After Akhenaten’s death, his son Tutankhamun’s reign didn’t last long — but did effect major change. Tut brought Ancient Egypt back to polytheism, after his father’s failed experiment. His Restoration Stela paints a bleak picture of how badly things had gotten in such a short time: 

…the temples and the cities of the gods and goddesses, starting from Elephantine as far as the Delta marshes … were fallen into decay and their shrines were fallen into ruin, having become mere mounds overgrown with grass. Their sanctuaries were like something which had not yet come into being and their buildings were a footpath [i.e., public] — for the land was in rack and ruin. The gods were ignoring this land. … if one prayed to a god, to ask something from him, he did not come at all; and if one beseeched any goddess in the same way, she did not come at all.

Akhenaten undeniably wreaked havoc upon the social order. His persecution of the gods that had been worshipped for millennia must have greatly unnerved the populace. He created countless enemies by stripping the priests of Amun of their power and stealing their great wealth to build his new capital city. He didn’t concern himself with the military or economics. For all his focus on hope, he left Ancient Egypt in worse shape than when he took the throne. 

But his revolutionary religious vision, even if it was self-centered, very well could have planted the seeds of the monotheistic religions that dominate the world today. –Wally

Controversial Theories About Akhenaten, Ancient Egypt’s “Heretic King”

The monotheistic pharaoh has spawned numerous crackpot theories, including his having Marfan syndrome and Nefertiti becoming king. 

Pharaoh Akhenaten: the face that launched a thousand conspiracy theories

Everything we think we know about Ancient Egypt can be completely upended with a new discovery of something as seemingly innocuous as a single stone carving. That being said, this article focuses on the research and theories of Nicholas Reeves, in his book, Akhenaten: Egypt’s False Prophet, republished in 2019.

Reeves poses some controversial speculations about the brief but mysterious Amarna Period, jumping to sensationalist conclusions with only the scantest of evidence. I want to believe him, though, especially since he served as the director of the Amarna Royal Tombs Project from 1998 to 2002.

Does the Amarna style of art reveal a hereditary disease?

It Runs in the Family? The Marfan Syndrome Theory

Egyptian art remained remarkably static for millennia. You can picture it in your head: The side-profile carvings and paintings with their legs bent and posed one in front of the other, inspiring the Bangles’ song “Walk Like an Egyptian.” But, much like the move from polytheism to monotheism, the Amarna Period also resulted in an intriguing new art aesthetic.

The unusual Amarna style, especially the statuary, has been a major reason some Egyptologists entertain the theory put forth by Alwyn L. Burridge that Akhenaten suffered from Marfan syndrome. The illness’ symptoms do include features found on the depictions of the pharaoh and his family: slender bones, a long face, an elongated skull, spidery fingers and a wide pelvis, among others.

This depiction of Akhenaten most likely was carved early in his reign and probably reveals what he actually looked like.

If this is indeed the case, the repercussions would have been severe: Akhenaten and his offspring would have been susceptible to sudden death due to a weakened cardiovascular system and would have likely gone blind in adulthood.

It would explain a lot, argues Reeves. A report that Akhenaten wanted “to see the gods” could have meant that he could only dimly discern the rays of the sun. He was skilled in music (“traditionally a vocation for the blind,” according to Reeves). Amarna art emphasizes the sense of touch and often depicted the pharaoh with a crutch or walking stick. And at least one of the fetuses mummified in the tomb of his probable son Tutankhamun, revealed skeletal deformities.

The desecrated sarcophagus in Tomb 55 in the Valley of the Kings

The Mummy in Tomb 55

In 1907, the archeologist Theodore M. Davis uncovered what he referred to as the Tomb of Queen Tiye, or Tomb 55. He found evidence that the tomb had been discovered before, a few millennia ago: 200 years after the remains were initially interred, Ancient Egyptian workers stumbled upon the sepulcher while digging away to build the tomb of Ramesses IX. Queen Tiye, the Great Royal Wife of Amenhotep III, was moved out of the tomb, perhaps to separate her from her “heretic” son, Akhenaten.

The mummy cache found in KV55

Queen Tiye, the mother of Akhenaten

Reeves thinks there’s a good chance the remaining coffin and mummy in Tomb 55 is that of Pharaoh Akhenaten, who ruled from 1353-1336 BCE, especially given the violence of its desecration: “The names were systematically cut out, and the identifying face torn away to destroy the eyes, nose and mouth and effectively deny the king’s spirit sight, air and sustenance; for good measure a stone was hurled at the coffin’s head just before the party left,” Reeves explains. 

Kiya, who shared wifely duties with Nefertiti, was a scapegoat for Akhenaten’s questionable decisions

The Other Wife: The Mysterious and Maligned Kiya

While Nefertiti was the pharaoh’s chief wife, Akhenaten had a secondary spouse, Kiya, whom he also greatly loved, if we can infer that from the fact that she had a lavish estate of her own at Amarna. While Nefertiti gave birth to one daughter after another, Kiya is believed to have borne Akhenaten a son: the famous Boy King, Tutankhamun. 

Reeves posits that Kiya might well have been a princess of the Mitanni people. Her name essentially meant Monkey, Reeves informs us. But behind her playful façade, he says that she was “cruel and self-seeking” and “may even have been regarded, by posterity, as the evil genius behind many of Akhenaten’s excesses.”

A canopic jar with Kiya’s head upon it — other artifacts depicting her were viciously vandalized.

Her inscriptions have been scratched out, and her statues have had their eyes gouged out. References to Kiya were superimposed with figures and texts of Akhenaten’s daughters, and her coffin and canopic jars were repurposed for the pharaoh’s reburial. 

Did Princess Meritaten simultaneously give birth to her daughter and granddaughter?!

Who Says Incest Is Best?

As I’ve mentioned, Reeves loves a good conspiracy theory, and another one rears its head when discussing the historical record of Akhenaten’s progeny. Two additional daughters get mentioned: Meritaten-tasherit and Ankhesenpaaten-tasherit. The -tasherit ending equates to “Jr.,” and the first part of the names are the same as two of the pharaoh’s daughters by Nefertiti. 

Was Akhenaten a bit too fond of his daughters by Nefertiti?

“The implications of this are serious, however,” Reeves writes, “since the father of these children can have been none other than Akhenaten himself.”

Case closed?

Is this a carving of Akhenaten’s gay lover — or a woman who became his co-pharaoh?

Smenkhkare: The Unknown Pharaoh — and Akhenaten’s Gay Lover?

Confusing matters even more, a new pharaoh emerges on the scene while Akhenaten still sat upon the throne. Who was this co-regent? 

A small stele, or stone monument, from this time, made for a military officer named Pase, depicts two kings sitting side by side. One has his arm around his co-pharaoh, who is turning to affectionately touch the other’s chin. Because they’re both styled as kings, Egyptologists in the 1920s and beyond were convinced that this single stone revealed that Akhenaten was gay — never mind all the children he had. 

More recent discoveries have revealed that there’s a likely suspect right under our noses: Pharaoh Smenkhkare was probably none other than his famous wife, Nefertiti. –Wally

The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt’s Amarna

Akhenaten moved the capital from Thebes to an undeveloped stretch of land in the middle of the country. It didn’t last long.

Unlike the other monuments of Ancient Egypt that are well preserved, little remains of the short-lived capital of Amarna

Pharaoh Akhenaten, now disparaged as a heretic, made some bold decisions that completely uprooted thousands of years of Ancient Egyptian tradition, including the move to the worship of a single god. This brief era, lasting less than two decades, is known as the Amarna Period and took place in the 1300s BCE. Not surprisingly, all that remains of Akhenaten’s legacy are fragments here and there, some of which had been buried for thousands of years in the sand, some of which were torn apart and repurposed in construction projects elsewhere in the country — and some of which surely have yet to be discovered.

A map of Amarna, with a large temple to the Aten at the top

The Move to Amarna: The New Capital of Akhenaten

At this time, the cult of the chief deity, Amun, held great power, particularly in Thebes, modern-day Luxor, which had become the religious and political center of Egypt. Perhaps as an attempt to reduce the power of the Amun priesthood, Akhenaten (the name he adopted, as he was previously known as Amenhotep IV) decided to decree that all worship be shifted away from Amun and the rest of the pantheon to a minor sun god, the Aten. On top of that, he moved the capital to an unoccupied stretch of desert along the Nile, bordered to the east by cliff walls that would house the royal tombs. He named the new city Akhentaten (Horizon of the Aten), confusingly similar to his new name. The city is now referred to as Amarna. The site was located on a barren stretch of the desert that lay between Lower Egypt’s capital, Memphis (200 miles to the north), and Upper Egypt’s capital, Thebes (250 miles to the south), making it a good spot to administer both lands.

Why did Akhenaten make this drastic move? Despite the fact that many Egyptologists delight in thinking it was the doing of a religious maniac who decreed that the old gods were false and that only one deity, the sun, deservered reverence, it was “dictated less by theological insanity than by court intrigue and politics,” writes Nicholas Reeves in his book Akhenaten: Egypt’s False Prophet, republished in 2019.

When you declare that all of the old gods are forbidden but one, as Pharaoh Akhenaten did, you’re going to piss off a lot of people — especially the wealthy and powerful priesthood of Amun, the former chief deity

An Assassination Attempt?

Reeves, always one to lend credence to a conspiracy theory, hints that a brush with death could have led to the move. “If Akhenaten had narrowly escaped assassination — and his subsequent persecution of the Theban god does indeed suggest a grudge of considerable magnitude — then he was now moving cleverly and decisively to outflank the opposition.”

While the Amun priesthood certainly had their gripes with a sudden loss of power and wealth, Reeves suggests that the population, the younger ones in particular, viewed the move to a new capital as an exciting adventure, “a contrast to the staid and perhaps stale atmosphere of conservative Thebes,” he writes. “For the new generation, pharaoh was the hero of the hour, the man who had re-established true order on the Egyptian world. There was energy in the air; the people believed.”

All that remains of the once-impressive north palace of Amarna

Akhentaten: Nearly a Decade in the Making

It was nine years before Akhentaten celebrated its official inauguration — “and to judge from the number of wine-jar dockets of this date recovered from the site, it must have been quite a party,” Reeves writes.

Although Akhenaten wasn’t known for his economic aptitude, he started out with overflowing coffers. Much of the wealth of his new capital came from the pilfered stockpiles of the old gods, Amun in particular.

Akhenaten and his family can be seen worshipping the Aten (aka the sun) in a tomb carved into the cliffs outside of Amarna in this photo from 1903

Amarna art focused on nature, reflecting the lush oasis Akhenaten created

Today Amarna is a desert wasteland, so it’s difficult to imagine that it once was a lush, green oasis, filled with trees and bushes, as depicted in the reliefs of the time. One of the highlights of the city were its gorgeously painted pavements showing scenes of nature. They were uncovered by the archeologist Flinders Petrie (amusingly described by Reeves as “legendary but dour”) in 1891. Petrie took great pains to preserve these works of art — but a local farmer destroyed most of them in a fit.

Even Hitler fell under the spell of the beautiful Nefertiti, as depicted in her famous bust

Hitler and the Famous Bust of Nefertiti

The palace and major temple were located in the north, so it’s interesting that many of the higher-end villas, like that of the vizier (a role we might now call prime minister), were built in the south — as far as possible from the pharaoh to still be within the boundaries of Akhentaten.

It was in one of these villas, owned by the artist Thutmose, whose house doubled as his studio, that the famed one-eyed bust of Nefertiti was found. If you want to see it in real life, you’ll have to visit the Berlin Museum. There was talk that the sculpture would be returned to Egypt during World War II, but Hitler liked Nefertiti’s “Aryan” appearance, declaring, “What the German people have, they keep!”

If you want to see the bust of Nefertiti, you’ll have to go to Berlin, as these visitors from 1963 did

A political cartoon in an Egyptian newsweekly from 1940: The woman, who represents Europe, is shouting, “Oh, no! Hitler, is this the new order you preached about?!”

This statue of Nefertiti was a particular favorite of Adolf Hitler’s, and for four years had been kept inside a fortified anti-aircraft gun tower next to the Berlin Zoo. 

Napoleon During His Campaign in Egypt by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1863

Napoleon and Amarna

Amarna remained undiscovered for so long in great part because the local population, “whose habit of shooting first and greeting later deterred the curious from taking an interest in the area,” according to Reeves.

The first Westerners to lay eyes on Amarna were members of Napoleon Bonaparte’s expedition of 1789-1799. The French had come in search of a new passage to India. On all French ventures at the time, scholars were brought along to study and record the culture and history of the lands they passed through, and this was no exception. In fact, Napoleon had 139 of these “savants” in his party.

Very little remains of Amarna today — most buildings were used in other construction projects or simply abandoned

All’s Well That Ends Poorly

The new capital was, ultimately, a failed experiment. It only lasted 17 years. There’s no record of how or when Akhenaten died, but Reeves, of course, wouldn’t be surprised if he was the victim of foul play.

Whatever the cause, the Egyptian people weren’t too bummed at the city’s (or pharaoh’s) demise. As Reeves writes:

For ordinary folk, there is little doubt that Akhenaten’s actions as king over time inflicted the greatest misery: the people were confused by the man’s religious vision, frightened by the ruthless manner in which it was imposed, and quite likely appalled by his personal behaviour. Denied the celebration of the traditional religious festivals which gave form to their year, and brought to the very verge of bankruptcy by their king’s over-ambitious schemes and administrative incompetence, disillusionment was clearly widespread.

Akhenaten’s successor, none other than Tutankhamun, moved the capital back to Thebes, and reverted to polytheism — changing the end of his name from -aten to -amun to signify an allegiance with the previous chief deity, Amun. 

History hasn’t looked favorably upon Akhenaten, a pharaoh whose drastic actions and lack of acumen in ruling nearly ran the legendary empire into the ground. –Wally

The Tomb of Mereruka: An Entrancing Vision of the Afterlife

Get the additional ticket at Saqqara to see the finely preserved Ancient Egyptian mastaba of Pharaoh Teti’s vizier.

It should come as no surprise that Wally and I love exploring old cemeteries, especially ones that have monuments and mausoleums dedicated to famous people — from the park-like Père Lachaise in Paris, France to Graceland Cemetery, the final resting spot for Chicago’s version of nobility, not far from where we live. 

Before our trip to Egypt, the allure of exploring the culturally rich and diverse monuments of antiquity were obviously a large part of our ambitious itinerary. We had a brief window of only two days in Cairo — one of which was to see the Egyptian Museum, the other the Pyramids of Giza. 

But when our friend Margaret suggested we add on the less touristy (yet, some would argue, equally important) sprawling ancient burial ground of Saqqara — home of the oldest known pyramid in Egypt and necropolis to kings and nobles dating back 3,500 years or more — we thought, sign us up!                                           

A bas-relief on the wall leading to the suite of Mereruka’s son Meryteti shows nude male figures. The side-lock braids was a hairstyle worn by youths

Misguided at Saqqara

We had just finished exploring the parchment-hued limestone mastaba tombs of the Unas complex and had become increasingly frustrated with our guide, Ahmed. Earlier in the day, we had visited Giza and missed seeing the Solar Boat Museum as he apparently hadn’t included it as part of our pre-arranged itinerary. How unreasonable of us to assume we’d have a guide who would provide us options instead of rushing us through the sites so he could end his day early. 

“And that’s Saqqara,” Ahmed told us. 

“But what about that tomb with the cool statue?” Wally asked. 

Ahmed stared blankly at us as if he didn’t have the faintest notion of what we were talking about.

“Hold on,” Wally said, flipping through his notebook. “Here it is! Mereruka’s tomb.” 

“That costs extra,” Ahmed said.

“What part of of ‘we are only here once and want to see everything and are happy to pay extra’ don’t you understand?” a frazzled Wally exclaimed.

Ahmed acted like a petulant child as he led us back to the car to reluctantly return to the kiosk to purchase the additional tickets. (They cost a mere 80 Egyptian pounds, or about 5 bucks, by the way.)

The renowned gay photographer Duane Michals takes an interesting self-portrait at the Tomb of Mereruka — surely one that our guide Ahmed would not have approved of

During the Old Kingdom, from around 2686-2181 BCE, the wealthiest and most important non-royal members of Egyptian society were interred in monolithic bench-like burial structures referred to as mastabas. Mereruka served as the vizier, chief justice and son-in-law under the rule of the Sixth Dynasty Pharaoh Teti. As befitted his influential political position, he was buried in the largest of the non-royal tombs in Saqqara. 

On either side of the tomb entrance, the vizier Mereruka can be seen with his wife shown in a diminutive size in front of him

Little Women

Outside the entrance to the mastaba, relief portraits on the jambs on either side of the unassuming doorway depict Mereruka with a diminutive figure of his wife Sesheshet Watethathor standing at his feet and only coming up to about his knee. This symbolic device was employed in Egyptian art to show an individual’s importance or authority. The larger the scale, the more powerful; by extension, the lesser the scale, the more passive the role. Such was the lot of most women in Ancient Egypt (though there are exceptions to every rule, as King Hatshepsut proves).

In this historic photo from 1934, an artist copies the inscriptions and sketches the tomb

A Marvelous Mastaba

The mastaba was first excavated in 1892 by French archaeologist Jacques de Morgan and actually contains three tombs in total, divided into 31 interior chambers. Of these suites, 21 are dedicated to Mereruka, five to his wife and five for his son Meryteti. 

Inside the well-preserved tomb are finely detailed two-dimensional reliefs depicting scenes of everyday life — including activities the deceased vizier and his family wished to continue in the afterlife. Amongst the birds and beasts, hieroglyphic inscriptions on the walls and corridors of Mereruka’s suites bear his various titles. 

Although their heads are missing, we admired a relief depicting the vizier and his wife. It’s a timeless image of two entwined hands preserved in stone: Mereruka leading his beloved through the afterlife. 

Ancient Egyptian tombs had false doors, through which the spirit could come and go

If you carve it, it becomes real: Depictions of offerings were as good as the real thing to Ancient Egyptians

Farther into the tomb was the requisite false door, an architectural feature allowing the deceased to pass between the world of the living and the dead. Recessed rectangular panels are inscribed with a hieroglyphic list of provisions and facing inward at the bottom are six standing figures of Mereruka. Centered above the door the deceased is depicted seated on a stool with the fore and hind legs of a lion before a table of ritual offerings. Below this is a raised slab where food and drink could be placed by the living for the benefit of the dead. 

The famous statue of Mereruka is a large part of the appeal of this tomb complex

The Statue of Mereruka: A Step in the Right Direction 

The largest room, and the one photographed in our guidebook, is the mortuary chapel, an impressive six-pillared ceremonial chamber, where Mereruka’s priests and family would come to pay homage to the deceased vizier. Quietly presiding over the hall is a life-size statue of Mereruka stepping out from a recessed doorway. 

On the floor of the room is a stone ring. 

“What was that for?“ Wally asked Ahmed, who said he had no idea.

In my research, I learned that it was used for tethering sacrificial animals, including the sacred Apis bulls. Hopefully Ahmed reads this post and learns something — besides how to properly behave as a guide. 

We hope this hedgehog was going to be a pet — and not a sacrifice

Mereruka holds hands with his son

A scene depicting sculptors and metal workers — note that some of the artisans are dwarfs

As Wally and I wandered about, Ahmed caught a small group of American tourists touching the reliefs on the walls. For a brief moment, he became passionate and shouted, “Don’t touch! You’re breaking my heart!” Then, he muttered to us, “Why would they think it’s OK to touch the walls? You wouldn’t touch the paintings in the Louvre!” 

Then, in a moment, he was back to his sullen self, annoyed that we still wanted to explore. He told us he’d be waiting for us outside — but not before informing us that no photography was allowed. We obviously didn’t take heed. –Duke