Mastaba tomb of Mereruka

The Tomb of Mereruka
Meruka was a minister during the reign of Kings Teti (2345-2323 BC) and Pepi I (2321-2287 BC). As a minister, in addition to being the husband of King Teti’s daughter, Meruka was very powerful and influential, and this is the period in which his influence began to increase.The class of senior statesmen during the end of the Sixth Dynasty.

The cemetery in the necropolis of Teti in Saqqara is situated northwest of the King's Pyramid. It belongs to the funerary group of Marruca, which is located on the first main street that stretches from east to west. Specifically, it is positioned at the northwestern end of this street, north of the wall surrounding the pyramid of Teti and west of the Kagameni cemetery. Mereruka, a prominent figure, was buried in a mastaba-shaped cemetery north of the The Teti pyramid is a pyramid with smooth sides located in the pyramid field at Saqqara, Egypt. It is the second pyramid known to have pyramid texts. Pyramid of Teti in Saqqara. This tomb is considered one of the largest and most magnificent of its time, adorned with beautiful views and decorations. Within the Mereruka cemetery, there are approximately thirty rooms, including five rooms for his wife and five for his son. These rooms were used for conducting rituals for the souls of the deceased.

This is a complex mastaba with 32 chambers. It is divided into three areas for the burials of Mereruka, his wife Seshseshet, and their son Meriteti. The entrance is on the southern side, which is unusual for tomb entrances at that time. It faces the entrance to Teti's pyramid. On the entrance jambs, there are two relief portrayals of Mereruka, with his titles and his wife in front of him. The first room belonging to Mereruka is on the right and leads to 21 chambers in this section of the tomb. Some of these chambers are storerooms and not all of them are decorated. The first chamber contains scenes of the hippopotamus hunt, hunting and fowling in the marshes. On the opposite wall, there are fishing scenes, including a fight between a hippo and a crocodile at the bottom, as well as gardening and overthrowing bulls.

In the next room, you can see the remnants of a desert hunt along with industrial scenes below. On the right-hand wall, there are various fascinating crafts and industries on display. You can find carpenters, sculptors, vase-makers, metal-workers, and jewellers. Among the jewellers, there are dwarfs who were traditionally goldsmiths. They are depicted using blowpipes at a furnace to heat up the molten metal. Additionally, there are full-size adults who are weighing, evaluating, and documenting the valuable metals.
In the adjacent room, Mereruka and his family oversee fishing and food preparation. Scribes are documenting records and reports from village leaders, while one person who failed to meet their obligations is being punished at a whipping post. Regrettably, the reliefs in this room have suffered significant damage.

To the left, there is a small room where scribes are seen recording cattle transactions and people are bringing in various animals, such as gazelles. Mereruka and his wife are depicted receiving the goods from their properties. On the opposite wall, there are traces of four sections showing poultry yards and the feeding of cranes. Additionally, there is a small opening leading to another chamber. On the right-hand side, there are scenes of offerings as well as remnants of fishing and butchering activities. At the back of this room, there is a doorway that opens into a sequence of chambers adorned with similar themes. On the left side, you will find Mereruka's fake door, with images of people bringing offerings on the walls on both sides. The remaining chambers in this area are plain store-rooms or mainly focus on offerings, although the scenes are frequently in poor condition.

Returning to the eastern side of Mereruka's tomb, there is a chamber on the left that leads to the burial shaft. It was in this shaft that the remains of his limestone sarcophagus were discovered. Unfortunately, the mummy had been destroyed long ago by tomb-robbers, who were likely searching for any valuable jewelry that may have been on the body.