The burial chamber of a woman named Edi, who was the only daughter of Djefaihapi, the ruler of Assiut during the era of King Senwosret I, has been discovered during clearance work at the Tomb I in Assiut (or Asyut) by the joint Egyptian-German archaeological mission between the Universities of Sohag and Berlin. The tomb of Djefaihapi (known also as Hepzefa) is the largest Middle Kingdom non-royal tomb, indicative of the owner’s status among the most important regional rulers in ancient Egypt.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy praised the efforts exerted by the Egyptian archaeological mission, stressing that the ministry will provide full support to these missions to contribute to the optimal completion of their work.

Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that while the mission was cleaning the remaining well of the tomb of Djefaihapi, the burial chamber of his daughter was found at a depth of about 15 meters to the north, inside which two coffins placed one in the other were fully inscribed inside and out with texts that describe journey of the deceased to the other world. The smaller coffin is 2.30 meters long and the larger coffin is 2.62 meters long, two of the most magnificent coffins ever found. The lid of the small sarcophagus, the canopic jars’ box and wooden figurines were also found.

The mission’s preliminary studies of the burial chamber indicated that since antiquity robbers had accessed the chamber, where the woman’s mummy had been removed and torn apart, and her canopic vessels had been smashed. Initial examination of the woman’s skull and remaining bones indicated that she died young, before the age of 40, and that she suffered from a congenital foot defect. Cleaning and scientific studies on the bones will continue to reveal more information about this ruler and his daughter, and the historical period in which they lived.