Tomb of Queen Meresankh III (G 7530-7540)

View the Priest and Meresankh

Meresankh and Hetepheres

Queen Meresankh III and her mother, Queen Hetepheres II, appear with Meresankh's children as well as an image of her father (and Hetepheres's husband), Kawab, who is similarly depicted on the adverse wall.For more about Meresankh and images of her and her mother, visit [http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/ancientpeople/236/full/](http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/ancientpeople/236/full/)

Kawab, Meresankh's Father

Queen Meresankh's Father, Kawab, the kings eldest son of his body and chief lector priest is the largest painted figure in the tomb as is befitting a royal prince. He stand dressed in a priestly white sash. Learn more about Kawab on the Giza Project website at [http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/ancientpeople/1242/full/](http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/ancientpeople/1242/full/)

Burial chamber

Directly beneath the prominent false door in the western chamber of Meresankh's tomb is this burial shaft and chamber over 5 meters below the upper level. Meresankh's great granite sarcophagus remained here. This underground room would've been filled with the sorts of luxurious and costly items that appear painted on the walls of her chapel up above.

Sarcophagus

Meresankh's mother gifted her a black stone sarcophagus which she originally had made for herself and inscribed with her own name and titles. She then had Meresankh's name inscribed on it so that it would hold the wooden coffin in which Meresankh was buried to protect her body through the ages.

Meet the artist

While so many thousands of Egyptian craftsmen went nameless, Meresankh's tomb actually includes the names of two ancient Egyptian artists on the south and east walls. Here, the painter Rahay colors a standing female statue.

Window

This window shed light to the false door across Meresankh's tomb that you can see facing it. There would've been wooden doors in the threshold between the window and false door that worshippers could've opened for ceremonies or other purposes so that light would fall directly in the central column on the false door.

Photograph from the Reisner Excavations

Photograph from original Reisner Excavations

Meet the artists!

While so many thousands of Egyptian craftsmen went nameless, Meresankh's tomb actually includes the names of two ancient Egyptian artists on the south and east walls. To the left, the painter Rahay colors a standing female statue, while to the right, the sculptor Inkaef works on a seated one.

Go inside the Great Pyramid and more tombs at Giza

Visit our [Guided Tour inside of the Great Pyramid of Khufu](https://giza.mused.app/en/guided/266/inside-the-great-pyramid).Or also head to the [full list of virtual tours at Giza](https://giza.mused.app/en/tours).

Check out a brand new tour for Luxor Temple in Upper Egypt

You can now access a brand new tour for Luxor Temple! Click here: [Guided Tour of Luxor Temple](https://luxortemple.mused.app/en/guided/178/luxor-temple)Are you an educator teaching these spaces? We'd love to help your classroom! [Contact us here or at hello@mused.org](https://mused.typeform.com/to/BiCO5w6L) to make free scavenger hunts, quizzes, and guided tours from these spaces.

Preparations for the Afterlife

It was vital to Meresankh that her tomb be provided with all the different types of statuary, clothing, furniture, and other goods that she might need in the next world--all of these things are depicted on her chapel walls so that she (and her surviving family) could be certain that she was well supplied for forever.Learn more about the provisions found in Meresankh's tomb and its excavation at [http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/sites/1175/full/](http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/sites/1175/full/)

False Door

This is a false door carved into the stone wall of the tomb. It was intended that the soul of Meresankh could pass back to this world through the door so that she could enjoy the offerings placed for her here.

False Door

At certain times of the day, the sun would fall directly from the window in the east wall of the chapel onto the false door offering niche, above the burial shaft. This was most likely no accident.

Meresankh and her mother sailing on the Nile

This wall depicts Meresankh and her mother Queen Hetepheres II in a scene sailing along the Nile river and picking papyrus plants to offer to the great goddess, Hathor.

Follow Queen Meresankh III on a tour of her tomb

Rock-cut Statues

In the northern chamber of the offering chapel is a row of 10 statues cut into the living rock of the wall, an uncommon way of decorating tombs at Giza. All of these statues represent women, which is uncommon in the male-dominated society of Egypt. Although they are not labeled, they clearly serve to emphasize Meresankh's position among her queenly relatives.

View the Reconstruction

Offering bearers

Before Meresankh and her mother to the left, offering bearers carry baskets on their heads of bread, fruit, and meat while others trap birds and herd animals which will become part of the funerary feast and tomb offerings.

Watch Meresankh give a tour of her tomb

[Click here for Meresankh's tour, ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fog3etEbZ4M)and to see the bed, chair, and carrying chair on the wall. For comparison, actual Expedition photos of some of the walls appear in the video as well. These date to 1927 and later.

بالعربية

[انقر هنا للترجمة العربية](https://giza.mused.app/ar/guided/278/qbr-lmlk-mrys-nkh-lthlth-g-7530-7540)

Reconstruction with Polychromy

Meresankh's Steward, Khemetnu

Meresankh's Steward, Khemetnu, was an overseer of the priests like her father. He would have been in charge of the offerings placed in her tomb. Learn more about Khemetnu at [http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/ancientpeople/563/full/](http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/ancientpeople/563/full/)

Discovery and Reisner Excavations

After several centuries of worship and use, Queen Meresankh's tomb was lost to the sands of time to be discovered 4,000 years later by archaeologist George Andrew Reisner of the Harvard University and Museum of Fine Arts join excavation.

View the Reconstruction

View the Reconstruction

Who was Queen Meresankh III?

Queen Meresankh III was the granddaughter of King Khufu ( builder of the Great Pyramid) and wife of either Khafre or Menkaure. Her unique underground chapel (labeled G 7530-7540) preserves beautifully carved and painted scenes of the queen and her royal family, as well as servants, artisans, and funerary priests. The scenes also depict the sort of rich burial goods that would have been placed in Meresankh’s tomb: statues and fine furniture; boxes containing food, clothing, and jewelry; even a representation of the black granite sarcophagus that was actually found in situ in her burial chamber.Learn more at [http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/ancientpeople/236/full/](http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/ancientpeople/236/full/)

Western Chamber

The Western Chamber of Meresankh's tomb was the main area of Meresankh's funerary cult where select priests would come to present food and drink offerings to her spirit before yet another false door.

Pair of Rock-cut Statues

The emphasis of Meresankh's position among her female relatives continues from the northern chamber's rock-cut statues to the pair of female figures seen here carved into the rock of the western chamber. The statues are depicted embracing and holding hands to indicate maternal love and affection because the West is the land of the dead.