The Beni Suef Museum (Egypt).
Print this pageWe are very pleased to present on archeographe the Museum of Beni Suef, in Egypt, not only for the treasures of its collections, but also for the work which is done there towards children. We are grateful to the museum authority, and particularly to Mrs Soad Fayez Mahrouz, curator, who has been kind to write this article and to authorize us to publish the photos which illustrate it.
We also hope that it will incite the visitors to go to Middle Egypt; a very welcoming region with many achaelogical attractions.
By its shape, the Museum of Beni Suef reminds the Meidoum pyramid. Built in the area of El-Obour, at the entrance of the Beni Suef Governorate, the museum covers a surface of about 4860 m2. It has been opened to the public the 26th march 1997 by the Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni [1].
- Mme Fayez Mahrouz lors d’une visite guidée du musée de Béni Suef.
- Photo J.-C. Heilig
Let’s have first a glimpse of our collections. The muneum displays monuments of every period, from prehistory to the Mohamed Ali’s dynasty : Ancient Empire, Middle Empire, New Empire, Late Period, greco-roman times, coptic and islamic are widely represented. The majority of the monuments (about 90%) comes from the Beni Suef region : Ehnasia, El Heba, Meidoum,, Abu Seir el Model etc. The others come from different museums in Egypt.
The great statuary
Our collections pride themselves of very handsome royal statues. This of Sesostris III, in black granite, shows the Pharaoh on a seat, clad with a loincloth ; he wears the royalnemes [2]. He has around his neck an amulet in the shape of the hieroglyph which means heart, symbol of consciousness.
- Statue en granit noir de Sesostris III. Moyen Empire, XIIe dynastie.
- Photo M. Heilig
- Statue en granit noir de Sesostris III. Moyen Empire, XIIe dynastie.
- Détail du visage du Pharaon.
Photo M. Heilig
Before the throne, on each side of the legs of the king, two small statues represent ladies of the royal family, daughters or spouses.
- Statue en granit noir de Sesostris III. Moyen Empire, XIIe dynastie.
- Détail des jambes du Pharaon.
Photo M. Heilig
From the Middle Empire too comes a statue of limestone of Amenemhat III : the Pharaoh is on a seat, clad with a loincloth and wearing the royalnemes ; he holds a case on his knees.
- Statue en calcaire d’Amenemhat III. Moyen Empire, XIIe dynastie.
- Photo M. Heilig
You may see in the museum the head of a Hatshepsut’s statue, whose features are delicately sculpted in a pink granite ; once again, the queen wears the royalnemes.
- Tête de statue en granit rose de Hatshepsout. Nouvel Empire.
- Photo M. Heilig
Hatshepsut’s nephew Thutmosis III, the most famous Pharaoh of the New Empire, is represented by a beautiful granite statue found in Karnak. The king is on his knees ; he wears loincloth and royalnemes.
- Statue en granit de Thoutmôsis III. Karnak. Nouvel Empire.
- Photo M. Heilig
- Statue en granit de Thoutmôsis III. Karnak. Nouvel Empire.
- Détail du visage du pharaon.
Photo M. Heilig
In our collections is the head of another royal statue, which wears the crown of Lower Egypt.
- Tête de statue royale coiffée de la couronne de Basse Égypte.
- Photo M. Heilig
The great statuary includes also statues of persons of rank, like this of Higouy, in limestone, who practised during the Ancient Empire. The work is full of restraint and shows him sitting, just clad with a loincloth.
- Statue en calcaire de Higouy, haut fonctionnaire. Saqqara. Ancien Empire, VIe dynastie.
- Photo M. Heilig
Nakht Mout is another great person, who practised during the New Empire. His granite statue, of an excellent technique, comes from Karnak. It represents a sitting man, wearing a nemes and a dress which covers his left arm and shouder, and goes down to his ankles. He has an amulet around his neck.
- Statue en granit d’un homme assis du nom de Nakht Mout. Karnak. Nouvel Empire.
- Photo J.-C. Heilig
- Statue en granit d’un homme assis du nom de Nakht Mout. Karnak. Nouvel Empire.
- Détail du visage.
Photo J.-C. Heilig
His seat is decorated with very light relieves : feminine figures on each side of his legs, scenes on both sides of his seat [3] ; and, on the reverse, a long inscription which gives names and functions of his parents.
- Statue en granit d’un homme assis du nom de Nakht Mout. Karnak. Nouvel Empire.
- Détail du siège (côté droit).
Photo J.-C. Heilig
- Statue en granit d’un homme assis du nom de Nakht Mout. Karnak. Nouvel Empire.
- Détail du siège (côté gauche).
Photo J.-C. Heilig
- Statue en granit d’un homme assis du nom de Nakht Mout. Karnak. Nouvel Empire.
- Détail du siège (devant, à droite).
Photo J.-C. Heilig
- Statue en granit d’un homme assis du nom de Nakht Mout. Karnak. Nouvel Empire.
- Revers de la statue.
Photo M. Heilig
At last, the museum displays some large statues of gods. This of Horus has been found at Karnak and dates from the New Empire. It is in granite. The god, under his human shape with a falcon head, is clad with a loincloth and wears a several ranks necklace. A knee down to earth, he rises his left arm and keeps the right one on his chest.
- Statue d’Horus en granit. Karnak. Nouvel Empire, période d’Aménophis III.
- Photo M. Heilig
The statue of Sekhmet, in granite too, comes from the same place and dates of the same time.
- Statue en granit de Sekhmet. Karnak. Nouvel Empire.
- Photo M. Heilig
Thot appears twice, figured under the shape of a baboon.
- Statue en calcaire de Thot sous la forme du babouin. Tell el Mestany. Nouvel Empire.
- Photo J.-C. Heilig
- Statue de Thot sous forme de babouin.
- Photo M. Heilig
Under the Ptolemy and during the roman period, the egyptian statuary is under the influence of the greek sculpture and of its particular themes, but does not break however with the former norms. The mixture is often surprising and, more than elsewhere, fits with the eclectism that Alexander desired so much.
- Statue en calcaire d’un fonctionnaire debout sur un piédestal. Abousir el Malaq. Période ptolémaïque.
- Photo M. Heilig
- Statue en calcaire d’une femme debout. Abousir el Malaq. Période ptolémaïque.
- Photo M. Heilig
- Statue en calcaire d’une femme debout. Abousir el Malaq. Période ptolémaïque.
- Photo M. Heilig
- Sphinx. Époque gréco-romaine.
- Ce sphinx fait partie d’une paire.
Photo J.-C. Heilig
- Sphinx. Époque gréco-romaine.
- Ce sphinx est le second de la paire.
Photo J.-C. Heilig
- Statue en calcaire d’un jeune homme. Époque gréco-romaine.
- Photo J.-C. Heilig
- Statue en calcaire d’un jeune homme coiffé du némes. Époque gréco-romaine.
- Photo J.-C. Heilig
We must also mention some sculpted architectural elements.
- Élément d’architecture pyramidal avec bas-relief représentant le mort devant Osiris. Nouvel Empire.
- Photo M. Heilig
- Élément d’architecture en calcaire en deux parties, ornées de scènes rituelles et de hiéroglyphes. Ihanasia. Troisième période intermédiaire.
- Photo J.-C. Heilig
- Élément d’architecture en calcaire en deux parties, ornées de scènes rituelles et de hiéroglyphes. Ihanasia. Troisième période intermédiaire.
- Photo J.-C. Heilig
- Élément d’architecture en calcaire en deux parties, ornées de scènes rituelles et de hiéroglyphes. Ihanasia. Troisième période intermédiaire.
- Photo J.-C. Heilig
- Élément d’architecture en calcaire en deux parties, ornées de scènes rituelles et de hiéroglyphes. Ihanasia. Troisième période intermédiaire.
- Les deux parties étaient scellés par deux queues d’aronde sur le lit d’attente.
Photo M. Heilig
- Chapiteau ionique. Époque gréco-romaine.
- Photo J.-C. Heilig
[1] The museum is opened every day all over the year even fridays, and for feasts from 8 o’clock in the morning to 4 in the evening. During the month of Ramadan month, it closes at 3 o’clock in the evening.
I guide any groups to explain what stands behind the objects, particularly to the children.
[2] The nemes is a piece of cloth which wraps the hair and falls on each side of the head. Worn by a Pharaoh, this headdress is decorated with the uraeus, which represents, under the appearance of an irritated cobra, the goddess who symbolises the burning eye of Ra.
[3] Left, a man sitting before a table with offerings ; right, a woman on a seat inhales the delicate perfume of a lotus flower.