The Mastabas of Qar and Idu G 7101 and 7102 - Digitally Revised and Enhanced Edition

Part I - Qar G 7101

Section 4 - Room (D)

Room D in relation with area north of G7110-7120; Qar(G7101) and Idu (G7102) (click to enlarge)

This inner room is wholly rock-cut. Its inscriptions and reliefs are in part badly preserved and in places not fully legible.

 North Wall, South Face of Pillar (pl. X.a; fig. 26 a) Click to locate

Pl. X a. Qar, Room D, central pillar, north face (left), Figure 26 a. Qar (G 7101). Room D. South face of pillar between Court C and Room D (right) (Click to enlarge)  

Vertical inscription in two columns, with signs facing inward. (1) sš ꜥ nswt ḫft ḥr sꜣb imy-r sšw n kꜣt nb(t) Ḳꜣr, “king’s letter scribe in the presence, sꜣb-official, overseer of the scribes of all works Qar.” (2) Ḫnty-š Mry-Rꜥ-mn-nfr, “tenant farmer of Meryre-mennefer, Meryre-nefer.” Under both columns, facing each other, are small seated male determinatives, on chairs with lion legs, each holding a sekhem-scepter in one hand and a long staff diagonally in the other.

 North Wall, East of Pillar (Pl. x. b; fig. 26 b) Click to locate

Pl. X b. Qar, Room D, north wall, east end (left), Figure 26 b. Qar (G 7101). Room D. North wall east of pillar (right) (Click to enlarge)

Seated figure of Qar facing left. Shoulder-length wig, and beard, broad collar and bracelets, pointed skirt, seated on a chair with lion legs and high arm rest. His left arm is draped over the arm of the chair and his right hand grasps a long staff. Under the chair are two dogs facing left, one lying down, the other seated on his haunches. Above this scene are four columns of inscription and a horizontal line facing left. (1) sš ꜥ nswt ḫft ḥr, (2) sꜣb imy-r sšw n kꜣt nb(t), (3) imꜣḫw ḫr Inpw, (4) ḫr Wsir m iswt.f nb(t), (5) Ḳꜣr rn.f nfr Mry-Rꜥ-nfr, “(1) king’s letter scribe in the presence, (2) sꜣb-official, overseer of the scribes of all the works, (3) well-provided before Anubis, (4) and before Osiris in all his places, (5) Qar, his good name Meryre-nefer.” Beneath the seated figure of Qar are two women seated on the ground facing left. Each has a short wig, a broad collar (colored blue?), and bracelets; the first has an anklet. Each has her right hand on her breast and the left over her lap. Over and in front of each is an inscription. On the left: snt.f mrt.f Ṯtwt, “his beloved sister Tjetwet.” On the right: snt.f mrt.f Bnḏyt, “his beloved sister Bendjet.” The latter is possibly Idu’s daughter and was buried in a nearby pit with identifying text. 1

  East Wall, South End Between Entrance to (F) and Corner (Pl. XI. b; Fig. 27) Click to locate

Pl. XI b. Qar, Room D, east wall with doorway to Room F (left), Figure 27. Qar (G 7101). Room D. East wall (right) (Click to enlarge)

Preservation very imperfect: scene and inscriptions only in part legible owing to bad condition of the rock and summary carving. Width from doorway to corner ca. 1.14 m. Height floor to ceiling ca. 2.02 m. Floor to base of decoration 0.57 m. At the top (ca. 21 cm. wide) a badly damaged band of inscription extending from over the doorway to Room F to the corner. Only legible is Mry-Rꜥ-mn-nfr pr(?) n(?) ꜣḫt Ḫwfw. Below: three registers of superimposed scenes, totalling 1.24 m. in height.

Register 1: left to right: (a) to (d). (a) Man facing right leaning forward with arms crossed, hand on wrist; (b) man leaning forward facing right presenting a scroll to (c). Captions (badly preserved) over (a) and (b) facing right: ...sš Ḫti... Ḳꜣr, “the scribe Khety, ... Qar.” (c) Larger figure of a man facing left seated in a palanquin. His left knee is raised and his left arm rests on the left arm of the seat, while his right is extended forward to receive the scroll or tablet presented by (b). In his left hand he grasps a stick which rests on his left shoulder. Caption in two lines over (c): Ḫnty-š Mry-Rꜥ-mn-nfr Mry-Rꜥ-nfr, “tenant farmer of Meryre-men-nefer, Meryre-nefer. (d) Man with amulet around his neck, a side-lock, and a knee length garment. His right arm hangs at his side and his left grasps that of (e). Only legible the sign w in front of his right shoulder, perhaps the name [Id]w. (e) Badly preserved man facing left. Apparently unclothed, head missing, right hand grasped by (d), left arm raised to rest on right shoulder. No caption preserved.

Register 2: Ten men facing left carrying the palanquin in register (1) on their shoulders; four men in front, six behind. 2 No trace of caption.

Register 3: Six men advancing facing left (a) to (f): (a) Man with pointed skirt, arms folded over breast. Caption (above and in front): imy-r pr n rwt Nsw-Ḥr, “overseer of the portal, Nesu-Hor.” (b) Man advancing facing left. He holds in his right hand a stick, and in his left, tucked under his arm, a long box. (c) Man advancing facing left, balancing a square box with covered lid on his left shoulder and holding an unidentified object in his right hand. (d) Man advancing facing left, with a stick carried over the shoulder in his left hand, and a fan or mirror in his right. (e) Man advancing facing left. His arms apparently crossed on his chest and carrying a baglike object in front. Captions over (b), (c), (d), and (e): incomplete. Bearers (b) and (e) have captions beginning with ẖry, “bearing,” evidently followed by the designation of the object carried, or its contents, and the bearer’s name. If the traces on the badly deteriorated wall surface in the caption to (b) have been correctly rendered as ẖry ḫꜣ[.] nt b(w) ḥr nst(?) Ny-H̱ty, the sense may be something like, “bearing the ḫꜣ[.] of the place upon the seat, Ny-khety;” cf. Mereruka, pl. 112. Perhaps the object is a footstool, known as ḫꜣt, or a cushion. (f) Man advancing facing left, with a large box on his shoulder and a bag in his hanging left hand. In front of him a caption: Nkr(?)-m-ḥꜣt. The reading of the name is very doubtful; the first element is hardly Ny-kꜣ-Rꜥ.

Room D: South Wall (pl. XI a: fig. 22 b) Click to locate

Pl. XI a. Qar, Room D, south wall with statues in niche and text above

Figure 22. b. Qar (G 7101). Room D, south wall, text over statues (Click to enlarge)

Row of six standing statues, rock-cut in a niche (length 3.13 m.). Left to right: four identical figures with flaring wigs to shoulders, short skirts, half pleated on right, arms hanging with fists closed. The fifth figure is that of a small boy, unclothed and without a wig, arms at side. The sixth figure, again full size, has a close-shaven head or tight wig, and a large flaring skirt to mid-calf with cross ribbing. His right hand is open against the skirt, and his left hangs at his side with closed fist. Above the statues is an inscription, badly preserved but legible: reading right to left: Ḫnty-š [Mry-Rꜥ-mn-nfr] sš ꜥ nswt ḫft ḥr sꜣb imy-r sšw n kꜣt nbt Ḳꜣr, “tenant farmer of Meryre-mennefer, king’s letter scribe in the presence, sꜣb-official, overseer of the scribes of all the works, Qar.”

 West Wall (Pls. XI. a, b; fig. 28)  Click to locate

Pl. XII a. Qar, Room D, west wall, left (south) side

Pl. XI c. Qar, Room D, west wall with entrance to Room E

Pl. XII b. Qar, Room D, west wall, right (north) side

Figure 28. Qar (G7101). Room D. West wall

Length of wall ca. 2.17 m., height ca. 2.09 m. Doorway in center of wall leading to Room E, of which both north and south jambs are decorated. All inscriptions and figures are in sunk relief cut in the natural rock.

Architrave, reading right to left: ḥtp di nswt Inpw tpy ḏw.f m iswt.f nb(t) pr(t)-ḫrw (t ḥnḳt) m ḥꜣb nb nfr m ẖryt hrw rꜥ nb imꜣḫw ḫr nṯr ꜥꜣ sš ꜥ nswt ḫft ḥr Ḳꜣr, “an offering which the king gives (to) Anubis upon his hill and in all his places, an invocation-offering (of bread and beer) on every good festival daily every day, one well provided before the great god, the king’s letter-scribe in the presence, Qar.’’

West wall: south of doorway to E (pl. XII a: fig. 28). Qar facing right, seated on a chair with lion legs. He wears a shoulder-length flaring wig, a short beard, broad collar, bracelets, and a pointed skirt. In his right hand he holds a sekhem-wand, and in his left a staff diagonally. Inscription above: four columns and one line facing right. (1) sš ꜥ nswt ḫft ḥr mꜣꜥ, (2) sꜣb imy-r sšw, (3) nkꜣt nb(t), (4) ḥm-nṯr Mꜣꜥt, (5) Mry-Rꜥ-nfr, “(1) true king’s letter-scribe in the presence, (2) sꜣb-official, overseer of scribes, (3) of all works, (4) priest of Maat, (5) Meryre-nefer.”

West wall: north of doorway to E (pl. XII b: fig. 28). Qar seated facing left on a chair with lion legs. He wears a shoulder-length wig and a short beard, a broad collar, bracelets, sash, and a pointed skirt. He gestures forward with his right hand, and his left grasps a papyrus roll. Above: an inscription in six columns facing left. (1) Ḫnty-š Mry-Rꜥ-mn-nfr Mry-Rꜥ-nfr, (2) imy-r niwt ꜣḫt Ḫwfw Ḳꜣr, (3) sḥḏ wꜥbw Wr-Ḫꜥ.f-Rꜥ sšꜥ nswt ḫft ḥr Ḳꜣr, (4) imy-r niwt Nṯry-Mn-kꜣw-Rꜥ Mry-Rꜥ-nfr, (5) sš ꜥ nswt ḫft ḥr sꜣb imy-r sšw Ḳꜣr, (6) ḏd.f ḥtp di nswt Inpw m iswt.f nb(t) pr(t)-ḫrw (t ḥnḳt) n, “(1) tenant farmer of Meryre-mennefer Meryre-nefer, (2) overseer of the pyramid city Akhet-Khufu, Qar, (3) inspector of weeb priests of Wer-Khafre, king’s letter-scribe in the presence Qar, (4) overseer of the pyramid city Netjery-Menkaure Meryre-nefer, (5) king’s letter-scribe in the presence, sꜣb-official, overseer of scribes, Qar, (6) he says: an offering which the king gives (to) Anubis in his every place, invocation-offerings of bread and beer for [me? ].” 3

South jamb of doorway to Room E. Figure of standing man facing right toward Room E. He wears a shoulder-length flaring wig, a short beard, a broad collar, a diagonal sash, and a pointed skirt. He gestures forward with his right arm and his left hangs at his side holding a small object (scroll?) in his fist. Above the figure and below the drum is a three column inscription facing right: (1) wdn iḫt in, (2) ẖry-ḥꜣb(t) smsw, (3) Ḳꜣr, “(1) presenting offerings by (2) the elder lector-priest, (3) Qar.”

North jamb of doorway to E: Figure of standing man facing left toward Room E. He wears a shoulder-length flaring wig, a short beard, a broad collar and pointed skirt, and has a diagonal sash across his chest. He holds out a long scroll or tablet with both hands. Above the figure and below the drum is a three column inscription facing left: (1) šdt sꜣḫw ꜥšꜣw, (2) in ẖry-ḥꜣb(t) smsw, (3) imꜣḫw ḫr nṯr ꜥꜣ Ḳꜣr, “(1) reading numerous glorifications, (2) by the eldest lector-priest, (3) the well provided before the great god, Qar.”

Photos from the Archive

G 7101, Qar, room D, S wall, row of rock-cut statues, looking SSE

G 7101, Qar, room D, S wall, row of six rock-cut statues, looking SSW (photographed with light thrown from in front)

G 7101, Qar, room D, S wall, row of six rock-cut statues, looking SSW (photographed with light thrown from left)

G 7101, Qar, room D, W wall, doorway to room E, and relief N of doorway, looking WSW

G 7101, Qar, room D, W wall, looking W through doorway to room E to false door on W wall of room E