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“The most beautiful egyptian picture book”

Liebieghaus in Frankfurt is putting on a spectacular exhibition about the life and death of the Pharaoh Sahure.

We know their names: Cheops, Tutankhamen, Nefertiti, Cleopatra, Ramesses ... They were the god-like rulers of Egypt, the Pharaohs. But things are a little more complicated as it has been proven that the title ‘Pharaoh’ was only given as of the 21st of 31 dynasties. Prior to that, they were simply known as kings. So calling them all Pharaohs is incorrect. And it gets even more complicated still: in many cases, the names we know are not the same as those used by the subjects to refer to their leaders. For example, “Cheops” is a Greek invention, his actual name was “Chnumchufu”. And now the million dollar question: who lived and ruled when? But enough of the complications, although they do demonstrate one thing: the world of the ancient Egyptians is full of fascinating secrets and discoveries.

It is a world that fascinated German archaeologist Ludwig Bochardt throughout his life. In 1902, he went to the Egyptian tomb at Abusir on the Nile to begin exploring one of the most impressive buildings the Pharaohs left behind: the pyramids of King Sahure. Unlike the legendary pyramids of King Cheops, which were built 100 years earlier, Sahure’s tomb is largely ruined and has unfortunately been somewhat overshadowed by the gigantic proportions of its spectacular cousin. Not literally overshadowed, as the Cheops Pyramids, which are considered one of the Wonders of the World, and the Sahure tomb are around ten kilometres away from one another as the crow flies. However, if they were placed side by side, it would be the case, as the Cheops Pyramid, originally 146.59 metres tall, is more than three times as tall as Sahure’s tomb.

Sahure had a pretty impressive complex built. When it was excavated further in the 1990s, it caused an archaeological sensation. A 200 metre corridor was exposed which dignitaries had to walk through from the mooring on the Nile up to the pyramid. There were narrow slits to allow daylight into the underground corridor and cast sunlight onto breathtakingly beautiful reliefs along the walls. Art historians call the Liebieghaus in Frankfurt the “Most beautiful Egyptian picture book”. On 25th June, they will be opening an exhibition which truly deserves to be called spectacular. The museum on the banks of the Main includes sculptures, reliefs and massive architectural features made of pink granite, all made within the reign of Sahure, a 5th Dynasty King of the Ancient Kingdom who ruled between 2490 and 2475 BC. In the same region, his brother Niuserre built a temple to the sun god Re which matched the king’s complex in terms of dimensions and ornamentation. The Liebieghaus uses models and computer simulations to show how artistic and impressive this temple would have been.

The discovery of these wonderful architectural ruins alone would have been enough to make Ludwig Borchardt’s name live on forever. But these days he is more famous for a completely different find. In 1912/1913, Borchardt discovered the workshop of the Ancient Egyptian sculptor Thutmosis (18th dynasty) in Tell el-Amarna. It contained the now legendary bust of Queen Nefertiti.

Dates
Sahure – The life and death of a great pharaoh.
24th June to 28th November 2010
www.liebieghaus.de

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