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Mastaba of Mereruka

Monument at Saqqara · also called Tomb of Mereruka, Mastaba of Meri, Mereruka tomb Saqqara

The Mastaba of Mereruka is packed with captioned scenes and long titles carved in hieroglyphs, in more than thirty rooms. Mereruka was vizier of King Teti around 2340 BC, and this is the largest tomb of any Old Kingdom official at Saqqara.

As vizier, Mereruka was the king's chief official, and he married Teti's daughter Watetkhethor, also called Seshseshet. The mastaba beside Teti's pyramid has three parts: rooms for Mereruka, for his wife and for their son Meryteti. His name means "my ka loves me", a common kind of Old Kingdom name.

The reliefs are among the liveliest of the age. Dwarfs make jewellery, fishermen haul nets, hunters spear hippos and hyenas are fattened. Near the entrance Mereruka sits at an easel painting the seasons of the year. Every scene carries its captions, and his titles fill the door frames.

What to see and read

Statue at the false door

In the pillared hall, a life-size Mereruka steps out of a niche to meet his offerings.

Jewellers' workshop

Dwarfs and craftsmen making broad collars.

Marsh and river scenes

Fishing, fowling and a hippo hunt among the papyrus.

Mereruka at his easel

A rare scene of an official shown as a painter.

Names you can find here

Signs to look for

  1. Hoe U7mr The hoe writes mer, love, at the start of the name Mereruka beside his figures.
  2. Raised arms D28kꜣ The raised arms of the ka end his name, "my ka loves me".
  3. Bread on an offering mat R4ḥtp Hotep opens the offering formula on his false doors.
  4. Gold collar S12nbw The gold collar sign appears beside the jewellers making such collars.
  5. Conical loaf X8di The conical loaf writes di, give, in "an offering which the king gives".

Reading the hieroglyphs here

  • Count his name on the door frames: an easy way to learn its three signs.
  • Start at the statue in the pillared hall, then work outwards room by room.
  • Visit the Pyramid of Teti next door to compare royal and private writing.

Point your camera at a wall Hiero Lens boxes the signs and names them, on your phone; nothing is uploaded. On worn stone, trace a sign over the photo.

Questions

Who was Mereruka?

The vizier of King Teti of the Sixth Dynasty, around 2340 BC. He married the king's daughter Watetkhethor.

What is special about the tomb of Mereruka?

Its size and its scenes. The statue of Mereruka stepping out of a false door is one of the most striking sights at Saqqara.

Also at Saqqara

Monument

Step Pyramid of Djoser

The writing at the Step Pyramid is sparse but early. Here the king's own name, the Horus Netjerikhet, is carved inside a serekh on reliefs of his jubilee race, around 2650 BC; the name Djoser comes from much later visitors.

Monument

Serapeum of Saqqara

In the Serapeum the writing to find is on a few of its giant stone sarcophagi: columns of hieroglyphs and royal cartouches, among them the name of Amasis of the 26th Dynasty. The galleries were the burial place of the Apis bulls, living images of Ptah of Memphis.

Monument

Pyramid of Unas

The Pyramid of Unas holds the oldest Pyramid Texts, carved around 2350 BC: columns of hieroglyphs filled with blue paint that cover the king's burial rooms from floor to ceiling.

Monument

Pyramid of Teti

Inside the Pyramid of Teti, first king of the Sixth Dynasty (c. 2345 BC), the walls carry Pyramid Texts in columns of hieroglyphs under a gabled ceiling of stars. It is the second royal set of these spells, after Unas.

Monument

Mastaba of Ti

In the Mastaba of Ti every scene has its hieroglyph captions: you can read what the farmers, boat builders and herdsmen are doing, and sometimes what they say. The reliefs, from around 2400 BC, are some of the finest of the Old Kingdom.

Monument

Mastaba of Ptahhotep and Akhethotep

Ptahhotep's chapel keeps some of the best-preserved colour of any Old Kingdom relief, with crisp painted hieroglyphs and a long offering list you can read item by item. The tomb dates to the late Fifth Dynasty, around 2400 BC.

Monument

Tomb of Horemheb at Saqqara

The reliefs in Horemheb's Saqqara tomb show him as army commander under Tutankhamun, around 1320 BC, with captions spelling out his military titles. On some figures a royal cobra was added to his brow after he became king.

Museum

Imhotep Museum

The Imhotep Museum, at the entrance to Saqqara, is named after the man whose name is carved on a statue base of King Djoser, the one inscription from his lifetime known to name him. Its well-lit cases hold inscribed finds from the site, a good place to learn the signs before the worn tomb walls.

Where it is

Open in OpenStreetMap · Written from published sources and not yet checked on site by our team: displays and open tombs change.