Beni Hasan Tombs

Thirty-nine tombs are cut into the limestone cliff at Beni Hasan for the nomarchs who governed this province in the Eleventh and Twelfth Dynasties, and about a dozen are decorated. What makes them exceptional is the subject matter: instead of the standard funerary repertoire, the walls carry long sequences of everyday and unusual scenes, above all several hundred wrestling positions painted in registers in the tombs of Baqet and Kheti, which read like an instruction manual, along with hunting, craft workshops, dancing and military scenes. The tomb of Khnumhotep II holds the famous painting of a group of Asiatic traders arriving with donkeys, one of the earliest clear depictions of Levantine people in Egyptian art. The cliff terrace gives a long view over the valley.

What you actually see

• Hundreds of wrestling positions - painted in sequence like a manual.
• The Asiatic caravan painting - Levantine traders arriving with donkeys.
• Craft and hunting scenes - workshops and desert hunts in detail.
• The cliff terrace view - the Nile valley from the tomb entrances.

When to go

October to April. Two to three hours. Mornings are cooler for the climb up to the terrace. Middle Egypt sees very few visitors, so you will usually have the tombs to yourself.

Honest expectations

The climb to the tombs is a long stair or ramp and hard work in heat. Only some tombs are open on any given day. Photography rules change and a camera ticket may be needed. Travel in Middle Egypt sometimes involves police escorts or convoy arrangements, which can restrict timing.

Nearby

Speos Artemidos is a short walk south along the cliff; Minya is north.