04 | False Door of Neferenkhufu

Some of the world’s most iconic structures are in Egypt, and among the most well-known are the pyramids of Giza, near the bustling capital of Egypt, Cairo.

Ever since the second king of the Fourth Dynasty, King Khufu, decided to construct his royal tomb at the site, Giza was dominated by the complexes of queens and pharaohs.

Surrounding these were hundreds of tombs of officials who desired to be buried near their divine rulers, including those named on the object before you, Neferenkhufu and Isi.

This carved limestone is from one of the two essential architectural elements of Old Kingdom tombs.

The first is the subterranean burial chamber, where the body of the deceased was interred.

The second is aboveground – what we call the chapel – where family and friends visited to honour the deceased.

The most important part of such a chapel was the false door, the upper part of which is preserved in this object.

You can see its horizontal upper and lower door beams or lintels, the jambs on either side and the panel at the centre.

Although a false door physically leads to nowhere, the ancient Egyptians believed it was an important threshold to connect the realm of the living with that of the dead.

From the burial chamber, the deceased’s ka, or spirit, would use this door to receive food and drinks offered by the living.

To guide the spirit to the door, the ancient Egyptians decorated it with the deceased’s name, title, and image.

This panel shows a married couple, in their prime, seated at the left.

He wears a short wig and leopard skin garment, and she has a long wig and a dress with shoulder straps.

One of the woman’s arms stretches across to her husband’s shoulder in an intimate gesture.

Their right arms extend towards a table laden with bread.

The table is surrounded by inscriptions specifying offerings desirable for their afterlife, including the poultry and beef easily identified by the hieroglyphs of a bird and an ox-head under the table.

Repeated across the door panel are the names and titles of Isi and Neferenkhufu.

She is an ‘adorner of the king’ and he is an ‘inspector of youths’.

Perhaps the two worked at the Royal Residence and were granted the privilege of burial at Giza, near the pyramid of Neferenkhufu’s namesake, King Khufu.

The inclusion of their names on the false door was vital for eternal life.

Just like the spirit, the soul or body, the name was unique.

And so, it was repeatedly written and likely uttered as a gesture of commemoration.

Here, the names of these ancient Egyptians are repeated once more by us, ensuring the continued memory of Isi and Neferenkhufu.

A stone block carved with hieroglyphs.