Tomb of Baqet (No 15)

Northern Nile Valley


Baqet was an 11th-dynasty governor of the Oryx nome (district). His rectangular tomb chapel has seven tomb shafts and some well-preserved wall paintings. They include Baqet and his wife on the left wall watching weavers and acrobats – mostly women in diaphanous dresses in flexible poses. Further along, animals, presumably possessions of Baqet, are being counted. A hunting scene in the desert shows mythical creatures among the gazelles.

The back wall shows a sequence of wrestling moves that are still used today. The right (south) wall is decorated with scenes from the nomarch’s daily life, with potters, metalworkers and a flax harvest, among others.