Beni Hasan (also written as Bani Hasan, or also Beni-Hassan) (Arabic: بني حسن) is an ancient Egyptian necropolis. It is located approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of modern-day Minya in the region known as Middle Egypt, the area between Asyut and Memphis.
While some Old Kingdom burials are at the site, it was primarily used during the Middle Kingdom, spanning the 21st to 17th centuries BCE (Middle Bronze Age).
To the south of the cemetery is a temple constructed by Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, dedicated to the local goddess Pakhet. It is known as the Cave of Artemis because the Greeks identified Pakhet with Artemis, and the temple is underground.
Location of Beni Hasan Necropolis
Beni Hasan, also spelt Banī Ḥasan, is an Egyptian archaeological site from the Middle Kingdom (1938–c. 1630 BCE), lying on the eastern bank of the Nile roughly 155 miles (245 km) south of Cairo. The site is noted for its rock-cut tombs of 11th- and 12th-dynasty officials of the 16th Upper Egyptian (Oryx) nome, or province. The governors of the nome, whose capital was Menat Khufu, administered the eastern desert. Some of the 39 tombs are painted with scenes of daily life and essential biographical texts.
Cemetery of Beni Hasan
There is evidence of a reorganization of the system of government during the 12th Dynasty. During the First Intermediate Period and for some of the Middle Kingdom period, it was typical for nomarchs (someone who oversees/controls a government-specified area) to be in hereditary positions; the elite did not depend on the king to legitimize their power as much as they had in the Old Kingdom. In the 12th Dynasty, the power of the nomarchs began to be curtailed, and the king appointed or confirmed provincial governors. Provincial governors in the Middle Kingdom continued to be buried in decorated rock-cut tombs in their local cemeteries, carried over from the First Intermediate Period, at sites such as Beni Hasan.
There are 39 ancient tombs of the Middle Kingdom (ca. 21st to 19th centuries BCE) nomarchs of the Oryx nome, who governed from Hebenu. Due to the quality of the cliffs in the west and the distance to them, these tombs were constructed on the east bank. There is a spatial distribution in this necropolis (there are two cemeteries here: the upper range and the lower necropolis) associated with the different levels of resources available to the deceased; the most important people were buried near the top of the cliff. In the lower cemetery, there are 888 shaft tombs dating to the Middle Kingdom that John Garstang excavated; for the most part, these tombs shared a similar general design, which included a small chamber or recess at the foot of the shaft (facing south) to receive the coffin and the funeral deposits.
In the upper cemetery, members of the elite class built impressive tombs to represent their social and political positions as the rulers and officials of the Oryx Nome, the 16th Nome of Upper Egypt. At this site, the provincial high elite were buried in large and elaborately decorated tombs carved into the limestone cliffs near the provincial capital in the upper cemetery area. These tombs lie in a row on a north-south axis. A slight break in the natural rock terrace on which they open divides the thirty-nine high-status tombs into two groups. The basic design of these elite tombs was an outer court and a rock-cut pillared room (sometimes referred to as the chapel) in which a shaft led to the burial chamber.
Some of the more significant tombs have biographical inscriptions and were painted with daily life and warfare scenes. They are famous for the quality of their paintings. Nowadays, many of these scenes are in poor condition, though in the 19th century, several copies were made. As a teenager in 1891, Howard Carter spent a season painting watercolours of some of them.
Notable tombs
Four out of the 39 tombs in the necropolis of Beni Hasan are accessible to the public. Notable tombs are:
- Tomb 2 – Amenemhat, known as Ameny, is a nomarch under Senusret I (accessible).
- Tomb 3 – Khnumhotep II, famous for the depiction of caravans of Semitic traders (accessible).
- Tomb 4 – Khnumhotep IV, nomarch during the late 12th Dynasty (closed).
- Tomb 13 – Khnumhotep, royal scribe during the 12th Dynasty (closed).
- Tomb 14 – Khnumhotep I, nomarch under Amenemhat I (closed).
- Tomb 15 – Baqet III, notable for depicting wrestling techniques (accessible).
- Tomb 17 – Khety, nomarch during the 11th Dynasty, son of Baqet; renowned for depicting what may be ball games (accessible).
- Tomb 21 – Nakht, nomarch during the 12th Dynasty (closed).
- Tomb 23 – Netjernakht, overseer of the Eastern Desert during the 12th Dynasty (closed).
- Tomb 27 – Ramushenti, nomarch during the 11th Dynasty (closed).
- Tomb 29 – Baqet I, nomarch during the 11th Dynasty (closed).
- Tomb 33 – Baqet II, nomarch during the 11th Dynasty (closed).
