Deir El-Medina
During the 18th to 20th Dynasties of the New Kingdom of Egypt (ca. 1550–1080 BCE), Deir el-Medina, or Daiyr el-Madinah, was an ancient Egyptian workmen’s hamlet that was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. “Set maat,” which means “The Place of Truth,” was the settlement’s original name. The workers who lived there were known as “Servants in the Place of Truth.” During the Christian era, people turned the Temple of Hathor into a church. This gave it the Egyptian Arabic name Deir el-Medina, or “town monastery.”
The world focused on Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. At the same time, a team led by Bernard Bruyère started excavating the site. This research gave us one of the most comprehensive descriptions of communal life in the ancient world. It spans over 400 years. No other site allows such in-depth study of a community’s organization. We can examine their social relationships, working conditions, and living circumstances.
Tomb of Senedjem
On the Nile’s west bank, across from modern-day Luxor, you’ll find the site. The town sits in a tiny natural amphitheater. The Valley of the Kings is to the north, funerary temples are to the east and southeast, and the Valley of the Queens is to the west. You can easily walk to all of these. The settlement may have been built away from the community to maintain the secrecy of the delicate work done in the tombs.
The tombs’ wall murals, which differ in style from those that cover the kings’ tombs and are a colorful picture of ordinary Egyptian life, are definitely worth a visit.
The Tomb of Sennedjem, a 19th-dynasty artist, is a must-see. It features a domed burial chamber with religious reliefs and paintings, including a beautiful depiction of a funeral supper. We found the tomb’s contents in 1886; they are now on exhibit in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. After visiting the tombs, go up the cliff. Deir el-Medina’s temple is behind them. It sits on top of the workmen’s village ruins. This small temple is a newer addition. The Ptolemaic dynasty built it. It honors the deity Hathor.
