Artisan Temple: Part I and other Luxor, Egypt Things to Do Tips

At the far end of the little valley, just beyond the ruins of the worker homes, there is the Temple for the Artisans. At the time we visited in 1997, it was still being restored. The mud brick ruins shown in places around it are additions by those who inhabited the place in the centuries afterward, but basically, the rectangular structure sits on the edge of a hill. There's an internal stairway the passes various dark rooms, and on the roof there is a nice view across the agricultural plain of the West Bank. The workmanship of the reliefs inside is considerable, which is not surprising since this was the place of worship for the craftsman who lived in Deir al Medina. The artwork reflects the realism of the Ptolemaic period when it was built. Built by Philopator, Philometor, and Euergetes between 221 and 116 BC, it is dedicated to the Gods Hathor and Maat, which are frequently depicted inside. Deir al-Medina, or "monastery of the town" refers to the occupation of the building by early Christian monks.

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The relief artwork content and style inside the Artisan Temple emphasizes more mystical themes, and less formality than is found in either the Tombs of the Nobles or Royal Tombs. Smoke damage provides evidence that this place was inhabited for a long time after the fall of the Egyptian civilization. In any case, these photos provide additional guidance as to what once will see. The photos were shoot using ASA 50 Velvia without flash, so I had to use the computer to enhance the brightness and sharpness, but basically this is what will be seen. I recommend bringing a camera that can handle lower light conditions. Flash is not a good idea.

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Sennedjen's one room tomb represents a high point in terms of color not only for Dier al Medina, but for all the West Bank, and for that matter all Egypt. The tombs of the servants and respected overseers of the tomb construction were not filled with so much gold and nobility, and so were for the most part ignored by looters and early archeologists. The inner tomb walls appear to be frescoes of sort, or maybe painted, but in any case these are not basreliefs. The artwork emphasizes themes from the Book of the Dead from the perspective of a commoner rather than royalty, and so vivid color landscapes of workers plowing fields and of families are important content here. Photography of these tombs is difficult due to the dirty plexiglass put up to protect the works from tourist hands. Also, flourscent lighting turns my images a greenish hue, as I didn't have a color correction filter on my roll film camera at the time. Note the curved ceiling of the inner tomb and the rough cut entrance stairwell. Sennedjem was a 19th dynasty servant.

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Like Sennedjen's tomb, Inherka's tomb is filled with colorful life-like scenes. The emphasis here seems more on family and entertainment. The touching family portrait with Inherka's daughters is particularly inspiring in this respect. The artisans had wealth--finely woven linen fabric clothes, wigs, and private musical entertainment. Inherka and his wife were not only affected by the gods, but also by the natural world that surrounded them. Birds and animals are part of the artwork in this tomb.

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These images are ofcourse affected by the flourescent light required to see them. I shot with roll film in those days, and I didn't have a color correcting filter. Oh well, those viewing these images will have to see them for themselves. Television documentaries and this virtualtourist.com site are no substitute for seeing these images for real. Note in this collection the image of the fellow with the jaguar pelt and trained doves. Inherka's tomb was fully finished from wall to ceiling before he died, and it seems that his wife was very powerful. She is frequently pictured in same size as him. No word on whether or not she was also an artist, but the delicate nature of the work suggests that she influenced his outlook on life very much. There's no battle scenes or Ramses punishing his enemies scenes down here.

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Like Tombs of the Artisan's the Nobles tombs provide more of a view of real life in Egyptian times. This was the life of a poor agricultural worker, but rather of the work and family of a wealthy bureacrat. Khaemhet's tomb is marked as tomb #57 and is locked at night. The tomb has some wonderful reliefs, but the tomb was heavily damaged, perhaps by someone who lived there, because much of the art is heavily restored. Khaemhet was a court scribe and the walls of his tomb are richly decorated in heiroglyphics. He was also an inspector of granaries, under Amenophis III, and so the walls also depict in places agricultural life. At the far end of the tomb is a statue to two seated figures. The left one is greatly defaced, and is either Khaemhet's wife or the god of darkness. Khaemhet himself receives even at the corner some light shining on his face.

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Lonely Planet writes that Prince Sennofer of Thebes, supervisor of the gardens at the Temple of Amun in Karnak under Amenophis II, is frequently depicted with his sister. Interestingly though, the relationship appears more romantic, and since Sennofer is clearly a black Nubian and the woman, whether his sister or wife, is a white Egyptian. In any case, the paintings of grapes and vines on the ceiling,

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Lonely Planet points out that the tombs of the Nobles, situated as they are among buildings of rather poor neighborhood in the village of Qurna, are some of the least visited tombs in the West Bank. Walking through town, we were surrounded by charming children whose limited English vocabulary was surprisingly well pronounced. The children begged us to buy these pitiful little charm dolls. I recall one girl about age 10, whose portrait I regrettfully failed to take, with dark brown skin and blond hair. I believe that she probably typifies the appearance of an ancient Egyptian child. At the tomb of Userhet, the thob wearing guard offered to reflect light into the tomb with a shiny piece of copper. So these photos of winemaking, daily life, and Userhet hunting gazelles from a chariot are partly a reflection of the guards efforts. Userhet was a royal scribe to Amenophis II.

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The unfinished tomb of Ramose is the perhaps the most interesting of the tombs here. Governor of Thebes during reigns of Amenophis III and Akhenaten, the tomb was apparently abandoned during construction when the monotheistic worship of Aten by Akhenaten decided to move the capitol to a new city at Tell al-Amarna. Thus, the artwork, extraordinary in it's refined workmanship shows various stages of production. There is a unfinished charcoal sketch and unpainted basreliefs. One work is the beautiful representation of a funeral procession, showing women weeping. The equality of status of men and women are shown in masterful detail of Ramose his wife and other relatives. The tomb is well lit, but photography of such clean and unfinished basreliefs is particularly difficult. The images here though are only slightly enhanced by computer.

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The Valley of the Queens actually appears to have more tombs dedicated to princes than queens. The Valley is somewhat less impressive than Valley of the Kings, but still has a surround of the rugged outcrop from which the tombs are carved. My notes for these images say that we visited tomb #44, Prince Khaemwaset, but the description by Lonely Planet for tomb #55 of Ramses III's son Amunherkhepshep bears a strong resemblance to the images provided here. If anyone can provide confirmation or correction for these images, please do so, otherwise enjoy. All the tombs are relatively close, but I recommend taking good notes. In these images of the prince, his father, and the gods to which he is introduced, notice the royal clothing. The see-through fabric indicates quite a highly refined skill in weaving for sure.

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