Tuna el-Gebel
Encyclopedia
Tuna el-Gebel was the necropolis
of Khmun (Hermopolis Magna). It is located in Al Minya Governorate in Middle Egypt
.
, up in the cliffs, protected by a glass 'booth'. This makes it quite difficult to see properly, but prevents further erosion.
s, baboon
s and ibis
es.
. This tomb is constructed to look like a temple (it looks rather like Dendera
). The outside is decorated in typical Late Period
style, whilst the outer court is decorated in a Greek
style. The tomb was constructed around the time of the conquest of Egypt
by Alexander the Great, and seems to have been decorated like this to curry favour with the new rulers of Egypt
.
during the time when the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius
(AD 138–161) ruled over Ægyptus. She fell in love with a young soldier from Antinopolis
(current Sheikh ‘Ibada), and they wanted to get married. However, her father refused, so the young couple decided to elope. Unfortunately, Isadora drowned while crossing the Nile. Her body was mummified
, and her father built an elaborate tomb for her, featuring an elegy
inscribed in Greek. At some time after her death, a cult developed around her tomb. Isadora's mummified remains are still present, encased in glass, in her mausoleum—a prominent building at Tuna el-Gebel.
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
of Khmun (Hermopolis Magna). It is located in Al Minya Governorate in Middle Egypt
Middle Egypt
Middle Egypt is the section of land between Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt, stretching upstream from Asyut in the south to Memphis in the north. At the time, Ancient Egypt was divided into Lower and Upper Egypt, though Middle Egypt was technically a subdivision of Upper Egypt. It was not until the...
.
Boundary Stelae
The oldest monument in the area is one of the Boundary Stelae of AkhenatenBoundary Stelae of Akhenaten
The Boundary Stelae at the city of Amarna were constructed between Year 5 and Year 8 in the reign of Akhenaten.-Naming:There have been fifteen stelae found at this site, each of which has been labeled with a letter. Of the fifteen, three are located on the western side of the Nile. These have been...
, up in the cliffs, protected by a glass 'booth'. This makes it quite difficult to see properly, but prevents further erosion.
Catacombs
Later catacombs were dug under the necropolis; these were used to store thousands of sacred mummies of falconFalcon
A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....
s, baboon
Baboon
Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. There are five species, which are some of the largest non-hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger...
s and ibis
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
es.
Tomb of Petosiris
Near to the modern entrance to the catacombs is the tomb of PetosirisPetosiris
Petosiris, called Ankhefenkhons, was the high priest of Thoth at Hermopolis and held various priestly degrees in the service of Sakhmet, Khnum, Amen-Re and Hathor. The son of Sishu and Nefer-renpet, he lived in the second half of the 4th century BCE under Persian rule...
. This tomb is constructed to look like a temple (it looks rather like Dendera
Dendera
Dendera is a small town in Egypt situated on the west bank of the Nile, about 5 km south of Qena, on the opposite side of the river.-History:...
). The outside is decorated in typical Late Period
Late Period of Ancient Egypt
The Late Period of Ancient Egypt refers to the last flowering of native Egyptian rulers after the Third Intermediate Period from the 26th Saite Dynasty into Persian conquests and ended with the death of Alexander the Great...
style, whilst the outer court is decorated in a Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
style. The tomb was constructed around the time of the conquest of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
by Alexander the Great, and seems to have been decorated like this to curry favour with the new rulers of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Tomb and Chapel of Isadora
Isadora was a wealthy and beautiful young woman living in HermopolisHermopolis
Hermopolis Magna or simply Hermopolis or Hermopolis Megale or Hermupolis is the site of ancient Khmun, and is located near the modern Egyptian town of El Ashmunein in Al Minya governorate.-Etymology:Khmun, the Ancient Egyptian name of the city, means "eight-town", after the Ogdoad, a group of...
during the time when the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
(AD 138–161) ruled over Ægyptus. She fell in love with a young soldier from Antinopolis
Antinopolis
Antinopolis was a city founded at an older Egyptian village by the Roman emperor Hadrian to commemorate his deified young beloved, Antinous, on the east bank of the Nile, not far from the site in Upper Egypt where Antinous drowned in 130 AD...
(current Sheikh ‘Ibada), and they wanted to get married. However, her father refused, so the young couple decided to elope. Unfortunately, Isadora drowned while crossing the Nile. Her body was mummified
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
, and her father built an elaborate tomb for her, featuring an elegy
Elegy
In literature, an elegy is a mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.-History:The Greek term elegeia originally referred to any verse written in elegiac couplets and covering a wide range of subject matter, including epitaphs for tombs...
inscribed in Greek. At some time after her death, a cult developed around her tomb. Isadora's mummified remains are still present, encased in glass, in her mausoleum—a prominent building at Tuna el-Gebel.