Saqqara: Mastaba of Mereruka
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Address:
Step Pyramid of Djoser
Saqqara
12561 Cairo, Egypt
Phone:
+20 2 285 4509 (Tourist information)
Description:
Just to the north-west of the Pyramid of Teti in Saqqara is the Mastaba of Mereruka. Mereruka was the pharaoh Teti's highest court official, during the 6th Dynasty. Covering an area of over 1000 sq m, and with 32 separate chambers, the Mastaba of Mereruka is the largest known tomb belonging to a court official in the Old Kingdom. There are pillared hallways, offering rooms, and the burial rooms themselves. Mereruka's wife, who was a priestess of Hathor (and daughter of Teti), was also buried in the Mastaba of Mereruka, as was his eldest son. The Mastaba of Mereruka contains the usual range of daily life scenes, especially of hunting and farming, and some of the reliefs are very well preserved. The main, columned offering hall in the Mastaba of Mereruka contains a life-sized statue of the vizier emerging from a false door to receive the offerings left for him.
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