The tombs of Beni Hasan:
Carved into limestone hills on the east bank of the Nile, the rock tombs of Beni Hasan date from the Middle Kingdom (2055 to 1650 BC).
The necropolis belonged to military and regional rulers who, in a clear assertion of their growing independence, chose to be buried in their own nome (province) rather than close to the king at Saqqara.
With their deeper shafts and more elaborate layout and decoration than earlier mastabas, these tombs mark a transition in style between the Old and New Kingdoms.
Only a handful of the 39 tombs are open to the public but the vivid murals on some of the walls reveal much about life in the Middle Kingdom.
Among the most beautiful is the Tomb of Khnumhotep, which contains colorful scenes of daily life and shows Khnumhotep, a 12th-Dynasty regional governor, hunting with a throw stick and fishing with spears.
The Tomb of Amenemhat is decorated with desert hunting scenes, while wall paintings in the Tomb of Kheti depict many aspects of rural life, including wine-making.
The wrestling scenes in the Tomb of Baqet are precursors of the battle reliefs found in New Kingdom tombs.
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