Sarcophagus of Ashayet, a unique piece of ancient Egyptian art

CAIRO – 30 November 2022: The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir is one of the largest international museums, with over 50,000 artifacts on display.

The unique sarcophagus of Ashayet, the wife of King Mentuhotep II - social media

The unique sarcophagus of Ashayet, the wife of King Mentuhotep II - social media

Among the museum's unique pieces is the sarcophagus of Ashayet, the wife of King Mentuhotep II. The sarcophagus spans back to the Middle Kingdom [The Eleventh Dynasty 2050 BC]. It is made of colored limestone and is 97 cm in height with a length of 250 cm. It was initially discovered in Thebes in Deir el-Bahari through excavations of the Metropolitan Museum in 1920.

The unique sarcophagus of Ashayet, the wife of King Mentuhotep II - social media

Mentuhotep II is the founder of the Middle Kingdom. This Theban king was able to unify Egypt for the second time after King Narmer.