Hawawish Cemeteries
Located in Akhmim in the Sohag Governorate, the Hawawish Cemeteries are a group of pharaonic tombs carved into the rock on the east bank of the Nile. These tombs were cut into a high cliff and belong to high and middle-ranking officials who governed this province during the Old Kingdom, around 2400 BC, including rulers and elders.
The tombs were used by servants and priests from the middle of the Fifth Dynasty to the Eighth Dynasty. The site contains more than 844 rock-cut tombs, including 59 engraved and decorated tombs as well as many smaller tombs consisting of only one chamber. Naguib Kanawati documented and recorded all these tombs between 1979 and 1992. The enclosures are the tombs, with the most important located in Akhmim.
To visit the area, one must climb a steep staircase with about 800 steps. After reaching the first flat area, paved with stone slabs, many rock-cut tombs become visible, with the tomb of Hamnu being the most significant.
Many scenes are engraved on the walls, including a fishing scene with spears in marshes full of birds and reeds, as well as the tomb of Hassi Mano. It contains carvings of an imaginary door and scenes showing the tomb owner with his wife before an offering table. Traces of paint still appear on the carvings, including scenes of a boat on the Nile with sailors.
The tomb H26 of Hotep-Titiqar shows the usual scene of fishing from the river, views of priests behind the tomb owner, scenes of work in fields and orchards, harvest scenes, slaughtering livestock, fishing with nets, and rhythmic dances.
The site was opened to visitors after being developed as part of a project that began in 2018. These tombs serve as a documentary record of the leading officials and their way of life and family during that era.