Akhet and Dual in Nefertari's Tomb

Akhet and Dual in Nefertari's Tomb

A cosmological analysis of the architecture and decorations of QV 66 reveals two primary purposes of the tomb to enable the deceased queen to enter the underworld In ancient Egypt Akhet meaning either horizon or the rising sun between two mountains is also a hieroglyphic symbol representing the rising sun The Dual a concept in ancient Egyptian mythology related to death was often considered the realm to which people went after death The cosmology of the Dual the underworld of Osiris and the dead is a descending passageway that serves as both a conceptual and physical link between the two realms connecting the two parts of the tomb Nefertari's Tomb

The daily return to the living world similar to the sun's dual journey through the underworld and the daytime sky is conveyed through the architecture and decorations of QV 66 tomb The tomb consists of two distinct sections the upper level which in the tomb's cosmology is equivalent to Akhet and the immediate surrounding area is the area through which the deceased and the sun gods pass to enter and exit the underworld The second section is the lower burial chamber which in the cosmology is equivalent to the Dual Nefertari's Tomb is located to the north of the tomb The Y-shaped Valley of the Queens in western Thebes is situated on a roughly north-south axis with the entrance to the south From the entrance doorway is a staircase leading down to the first rectangular chamber The chamber to the east of the chamber has a doorway leading to a common area consisting of two shallow niches in plan a short corridor and a rectangular chamber

Entrance to Nefertari's Tomb

The entrance is dedicated to Osiris and the four sons of Horus The image of Osiris depicted here is that of the resurrected and resurrected god representing Nefertari's potential for regeneration The decorations link the chamber to the intersection of solar regeneration themes The entrance on the northern wall of the chamber leads down a steep corridor sloping obliquely to the east and descending into the burial chamber The chamber is supported by four pillars and features a rectangular recess oriented east-west It lies in the center of the chamber intended to house the body of Queen Nefertari The decoration beneath the entrance depicts the sun flanked by the goddesses Isis and Nephthys amidst mountains on the horizon seemingly emerging from or entering the tomb This image also spells out the word Akhet Furthermore the location of this scene on the entrance to the tomb indicates that the chamber is a space hidden from humans behind the mountain or horizon a hidden space known as Akhet This conceptual and temporal connection to Akhet during the journey of the deceased queen It is a fitting cosmological name for the room connected to the entrance and the world of the most powerful beings

Nefertari's Wall

The eastern wall of the chamber is decorated with representations of Osiris and Anubis standing in a shrine facing south toward the entrance to the tomb where Nefertari stands beside him Nefertari's depiction as a human-headed Bahird perched on a tomb is one of the metamorphoses described in the text clearly demonstrating the concept of the soul described in New Kingdom funerary texts as the mobile nature of the deceased able to leave the tomb during the day and mingle with the living or travel with the sun god The action scenes on the walls of Nefertari's tomb their placement on this wall further emphasize the relationship between the chambers clearly emphasizing the idea that Nefertari

The mystery of resurrection within Akhet behind the Mountain of the Horizon as well as the sun god is adorned with a passage from the Book of the Dead chapter 17 and a short image depicting Nefertari undergoing a metamorphosis that would allow her to emerge from the tomb as a living soul and re-enter the world beyond the tomb The side walls of the narrow corridors Each is decorated with a statue of Ma'at standing facing west welcoming Nefertari and assuring her presence in this space that can be compared to the judgment of the deceased in chapter 125 of the Book of the Dead a comparison that suggests this passage is another important point in the journey between Akhet and the Duat