Image Luxor Menna Tomb EG006729jhp by Jim Henderson

 
Egypt > Luxor Nobles Tombs > Luxor Menna Tomb EG006729jhp
Photographs in this gallery are of the various Tombs of the Nobles on the West Bank if the Nile at Luxor in the area called Qurnet Murai
Luxor Menna Tomb EG006729jhp 
 Egypt Luxor Tomb Mena herding Isis Horus mother unusual Anubis cattle Reliefs is one of many beautiful tomb decorations amongst the Tombs of the Nobles on the West Bank of the River Nile at Luxor. This depiction of the Goddess which I believe is Isis is very unusual with Horus on her head and I have not been able to find it elsewhere shown in my reference books or on the Internet. The Menna Tomb-Chapel is cruciform in design located in the Upper Enclosure [Tomb 69] was a Scribe of the Royal Fields during the reign of Thutmosis 1V around 1400BC. This was one of the first Tombs of the Nobles I visited in 1994 and I was taken immediately by the colourful painted reliefs, difficult to photograph as protected by Perspex sheeting and only lit by reflected light done by the custodians. The area around the Tombs has now been greatly improved with removal of many of the old modern houses and entry to these fascinating burial sites made more accessible. Visits to these tombs tend to be privately organised rather than being part of a package tour but it is easily organised with a taxi from the East Bank hotels, payment for selected tombs is made at the ticket office beforehand near the Colossi of Memnon with the area being very close to the ticket office.

Photography certainly the last time I was in Egypt in 2007 had been banned in all the tombs so these photos although not very good technically are useful as a record of the nature of the tombs and especially their paintings. These images have not been sharpened during post production but will benefit from some USM sharpening prior to use. Hand held as no tripods were allowed and using slide film, Fuji 400asa, did not give great leeway to get decent photos, oh for my Nikon DSLR with 6400ISO. The hand reflected lighting used in some tombs causes a hot spot and nothing by way of a balanced light but it is daylight balanced. However being direct sunlight reflected off tin foil would probably being doing more damage to the paintings than a suitable wide angle flash with UV filter. Given that most of the paints used in these tombs is mineral based then actually either method would do no measurable damage. The Perspex sheeting, however inconvenient, is to stop the physical touching of the paintings accidentally or otherwise, by inquisitive hands or swinging backpacks, and is absolutely vital protection to preserve these invaluable unique irreplaceable paintings. Some of the obvious damage to the paintings is not all modern, as his eyes have been gouged out possibly by an enemy in ancient times. 
 Keywords: Egypt, Egyptian, ancient, Luxor, Tombs, Nobles, Thebes, River Nile, West Bank, Old Qurna, Sheikh Abd’el-Qurna, upright, landscape, Menna, Mena, wife, God, Osiris, deceased, scribe, fields, recording, taxes, wheat, tomb, banquet, scene, painting, offering, fish, ducks, food, flowers, lotus, bread, loaves, wine, fishing, marshland, boats, agriculture, cattle, farming, girls, workers, colourful, colorful, colours, colors, painted, natural, light, 2000, Fuji, slide, film, scanned, scan, daylight, balanced, Nikon, FM2, 35mm
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Photographer: Jim Henderson
Collection: Luxor Nobles Tombs
Filename:
Luxor Menna Tomb EG006729jhp
Upload Date: 2016-01-25 11:02:14
Photo Size: 8.0mb 3555x5338 pixels
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Caption:

Egypt Luxor Tomb Mena herding Isis Horus mother unusual Anubis

cattle Reliefs is one of many beautiful tomb decorations amongst the Tombs of the Nobles on the West Bank of the River Nile at Luxor. This depiction of the Goddess which I believe is Isis is very unusual with Horus on her head and I have not been able to find it elsewhere shown in my reference books or on the Internet. The Menna Tomb-Chapel is cruciform in design located in the Upper Enclosure [Tomb 69] was a Scribe of the Royal Fields during the reign of Thutmosis 1V around 1400BC. This was one of the first Tombs of the Nobles I visited in 1994 and I was taken immediately by the colourful painted reliefs, difficult to photograph as protected by Perspex sheeting and only lit by reflected light done by the custodians. The area around the Tombs has now been greatly improved with removal of many of the old modern houses and entry to these fascinating burial sites made more accessible. Visits to these tombs tend to be privately organised rather than being part of a package tour but it is easily organised with a taxi from the East Bank hotels, payment for selected tombs is made at the ticket office beforehand near the Colossi of Memnon with the area being very close to the ticket office.

Photography certainly the last time I was in Egypt in 2007 had been banned in all the tombs so these photos although not very good technically are useful as a record of the nature of the tombs and especially their paintings. These images have not been sharpened during post production but will benefit from some USM sharpening prior to use. Hand held as no tripods were allowed and using slide film, Fuji 400asa, did not give great leeway to get decent photos, oh for my Nikon DSLR with 6400ISO. The hand reflected lighting used in some tombs causes a hot spot and nothing by way of a balanced light but it is daylight balanced. However being direct sunlight reflected off tin foil would probably being doing more damage to the paintings than a suitable wide angle flash with UV filter. Given that most of the paints used in these tombs is mineral based then actually either method would do no measurable damage. The Perspex sheeting, however inconvenient, is to stop the physical touching of the paintings accidentally or otherwise, by inquisitive hands or swinging backpacks, and is absolutely vital protection to preserve these invaluable unique irreplaceable paintings. Some of the obvious damage to the paintings is not all modern, as his eyes have been gouged out possibly by an enemy in ancient times.
Keywords: Egypt, Egyptian, ancient, Luxor, Tombs, Nobles, Thebes, River Nile, West Bank, Old Qurna, Sheikh Abdel-Qurna, upright, landscape, Menna, Mena, wife, God, Osiris, deceased, scribe, fields, recording, taxes, wheat, tomb, banquet, scene, painting, offering, fish, ducks, food, flowers, lotus, bread, loaves, wine, fishing, marshland, boats, agriculture, cattle, farming, girls, workers, colourful, colorful, colours, colors, painted, natural, light, 2000, Fuji, slide, film, scanned, scan, daylight, balanced, Nikon, FM2, 35mm