| Tuna el-Gebel | |
|---|---|
|
Tuna el-Gebel
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Egypt |
| Governorate | Minya Governorate |
| Time zone | EST (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 (UTC) |
Tuna el-Gebel was the necropolis of Khmun (Hermopolis Magna). It is located in Al Minya Governorate in Middle Egypt.
Contents |
The oldest monument in the area is one of the Boundary Stelae of Akhenaten, up in the cliffs, protected by a glass 'booth'. This makes it quite difficult to see properly, but prevents further erosion.
Later catacombs were dug under the necropolis; these were used to store thousands of sacred mummies of falcons, baboons and ibises.
Near to the modern entrance to the catacombs is the tomb of Petosiris. 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.
Isadora was a wealthy and beautiful young woman living in Hermopolis 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.