The Arabic name el-Muzzawaka means ‘The Decorated Hill’, but this
area, which is really part of the Amheida cemeteries, consists of a
series of small soft stone hills or ridges in which over 300 tombs were
cut. Primarily Roman and dated to the first and second centuries AD, a
few of the tombs are decorated in a mixture of traditional Egyptian and
classical style. Although many of the tombs are still unexcavated, two
of the most interesting, belonging to Petubastis and Petosiris, are
outstanding for their exquisite colourful frescos.
The tomb of Petubastis consists of a single decorated chamber with
recessed shelves intended to house the mummies of the deceased. On the
eastern wall is a portrait of the tomb-owner, painted onto plaster. The
ceiling of the chapel is painted with a zodiac in the style of the first
century AD.
The second tomb, belonging to one Padiosir Petosiris, dates from the
early part of the second century AD and contains two chambers. The owner
is again portrayed on the northern wall of the outer chamber as a large
figure wearing a long pink Roman-style toga. Curiously he is surrounded
by representations of traditional ancient Egyptian religious symbols,
including a hieroglyphic text. The inner chamber depicts the weighing of
the deceased’s heart before Osiris while Isis provides a libation for
the spirit of Padiosir. Other scenes are reminiscent of the New Kingdom
funerary art. Here, a more complex zodiac than that in the tomb of
Petubastis, is painted with figures of birds and animals, a scarab and
the god Horus as well as the usual representations of the
constellations.
Archaeologists are not certain whether either of these two tombs
actually contained burials, but many mummified bodies have been found in
neighbouring undecorated tombs. Simple inscriptions have also been
found in some of the other tombs, providing information about the
spiritual beliefs and customs of the Roman inhabitants of Dakhla.
The tombs at el-Muzzawaka have been known of for many years and have
been well-plundered for any artefacts of value. The two major tombs were
photographed by Herbert Winlock in 1908, but only rediscovered by
Akhmed Fakhry as recently as 1972 after which time the badly damaged
frescos were restored. In 1998 the tombs of Petubastis and Padiosir
Petosiris were once again closed to the public as the ceilings were in a
state of collapse. Apparently restoration has now been completed but
when I visited in 2011 the tombs were still not open to the public. A
new visitor centre has also been built, but at the time of writing was
not open.
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