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Tomb of Meresankh III
Monument at Giza Pyramids · also called Mastaba of Meresankh III, G 7530, G 7530-7540, Meresankh tomb
The rock-cut chapel of Queen Meresankh III, granddaughter of Khufu and wife of Khafre, has the best-kept painted hieroglyphs at Giza. Her names and titles fill the walls, and a text at the door records when she died and when she was buried.
Meresankh III was the daughter of Prince Kawab and Queen Hetepheres II. George Reisner found her tomb in 1927 in the Eastern Cemetery, cut into the rock below a stone mastaba. Its painted reliefs keep unusually fresh colours, with yellow, red and blue still bright on the signs.
The doorway text is a rare dated record. It gives the day she died and the day of her burial, about nine months later, the time that her body, tomb and goods took to prepare. Inside, a row of ten women is cut from the rock, probably Meresankh with her mother and daughters.
What to see and read
Entrance jambs
Neat carved columns give her titles, such as king's daughter and king's wife. They are the easiest texts in the tomb to photograph.
Meresankh and her mother in a boat
A relief shows Meresankh and Hetepheres II pulling papyrus from a boat, each named by a short caption.
Row of statues
Ten rock-cut women stand in a niche, a home for the family's kas.
Names you can find here
Signs to look for
- Hoe U7mr The hoe (mer, 'beloved') begins Meresankh's name, 'she loves life'.
- Ankh S34ꜥnḫ The ankh ends her name, written on every wall of the chapel.
- Seated woman B1 The seated woman closes the names of Meresankh and the women of her family.
- Bread on an offering mat R4ḥtp Bread on a mat begins the offering formula carved for her.
Reading the hieroglyphs here
- The chapel is dim: brace your phone and avoid the flash so the paint stays true.
- The painted signs are clear enough for the live camera, which boxes and names them as you scan.
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
What does the name Meresankh mean?
It means 'she loves life'. It is written with the hoe for mer, the folded cloth for s and the ankh, followed by a seated woman.
Is the Tomb of Meresankh III open?
It opens in rotation with other Giza tombs and may need a separate ticket. Check at the site.
Also at Giza Pyramids
Great Pyramid of Khufu
The Great Pyramid, built for Khufu c. 2560 BC, has no ancient texts in the rooms visitors see. Its writing is hidden: workers' marks with Khufu's name above the King's Chamber, and a hieroglyphic text from 1842 above the entrance.
MonumentGreat Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx carries no inscription of its own, but between its paws stands the Dream Stela of Thutmose IV, the most famous text at Giza. It tells how the Sphinx, as the god Horemakhet, promised a prince the throne.
Where it is
Open in OpenStreetMap · Written from published sources and not yet checked on site by our team: displays and open tombs change.