The Ministry of Antiquities has adopted a rotation system that ensures periodic maintenance of the Giza tombs. According to this system, the ministry opens to the public restored tombs while it closes others for maintenance.
On Monday, the tombs of Qar and his son Idu were opened to the public, while the tombs of Seshem-Nefer IV and Khufukhaf I were closed for restoration.
The newly opened tombs belong to Idu, the overseer of scribes, and Qar, the overseer of the pyramid towns of Khufu and Menkaure. They go back to the Sixth Dynasty, during the reign of king Pepi I.
Ashraf Mohi, director of the Giza Plateau explained that the restoration of the Qar and Idu tombs included the consolidation of their ceilings and weak areas on walls, filling the empty spaces between the walls to maintain their strength, and cleaning both tombs.
The tombs have rock-hewn structures found at the edge of the Eastern Cemetery.
The tombs closed on Monday for restoration include that of Seshem-Nefer IV, the overseer of the two seats of the House of Life and keeper of the king's secrets. It is the largest tomb in Giza and contains funerary, hunting and offering scenes, as well as a depiction of the Seshem-Nefer's daily life.
Khufukhaf was a priest from the Fourth Dynasty. His tomb is a double mastaba. The north chapel is dedicated to his wife and the south to himself. The only decorated part of the vestibule is the western wall from which a corridor leads to the main chamber.
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