The well-preserved tomb of the official Userhat

In the heart of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, the tomb of the New Kingdom era rests - the burial place of the ancient Egyptian official Userhat. This official, holding honors such as 'Overseer and Scribe of the Cattle of Amun' and 'deputy Herald', shares the tomb with his wife, Mutnefret. This well-preserved tomb of Western Thebes in the New Kingdom depicts vivid scenes of the deceased Userhat and Mutnefret receiving gifts and presents in the afterlife, complete with musicians and monkeys hidden under the chairs of the participants.

Userhat offers bunches of flowers and fruit to the king under a kiosk while some soldiers bow to the two figures. In a short access corridor, the deceased and his wife are depicted adoring Osiris, proceeding through a transversal room. There, the deceased followed by his wife and mother with bunches of flowers are shown alongside scenes of the inspection of the livestock, the slaughter of some bulls, the harvest and the transport of wheat while some women proceed to collect the flax.

In a double scene on the short side, Userhat offers bunches of flowers to Iamunedjeh, the king's first herald, and his wife. On a stele further along, priests perform the Opening of the mouth ceremony on the deceased. The daughters present necklaces and cups, while the son offers bunches of flowers to Userhat and Mutnefret. In a subsequent room, escort soldiers are represented while the deceased is hunting in the desert on board a chariot. Scenes of fowling and fishing practiced by the deceased and his wife Mutnefret, as well as offerings of animals and products from the marshy lands of the Nile Delta, decorate the walls of TT56.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons