28°21′N 28°52′E / 28.350°N 28.867°E
el-Bawiti
الباويطي | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 28°21′N 28°52′E / 28.350°N 28.867°E | |
Country | Egypt |
Governorate | Giza |
Time zone | UTC+2 ( EST) |
El-Bawiti ( Arabic: الباويطي, al-Bāwīṭī, from Coptic: ⲡⲁⲩⲏⲧ, lit. 'assembly, monastery') [1] is a town in the Western desert in Egypt. With 30,000 inhabitants, it is the largest settlement in the Bahariya Oasis.
On a low ridge overlooking El-Bawiti are a pair of nicely decorated underground tombs of the 26th Dynasty, a high time in Bahariya Oasis. The tombs, belonging to the wealthy local merchants Zed-Amun-ef-Ankh and his son Banentiu, have an inner court with 4 columns and up to 7 side chambers. [2]
The tomb of Zed-Amun-ef-Ankh has colorful pictures of the gods carrying out the mortuary rituals. The ceiling is painted with a starry sky. The columns of the tomb of Banentiu are painted with deities and the ceiling has a winged sun-disk. The walls by the entrance show the journeys of the Moon and the Sun. [3]