In an incomparable setting, next to the western bank of the River Nile, stands the hill on which rises the Dome of the Winds (Qubbet el-Hawa). This privileged place was used for several centuries (mainly during the Old and Middle Kingdoms) to bury some of the prominent governors of the southernmost region of Egypt, their household staff and officials. Currently, this group of funerary structures, based on hypogea (underground tombs), is known as the necropolis of Qubbet el-Hawa. The hill is quite close to the modern city of Aswan, located on the opposite bank of the river, and to Elephantine island, situated above the First Cataract, where ancient Egyptians established the capital of the first nome of Upper Egypt.
The geological and topographical conditions of the hill favoured the construction of dozens of hypogea of different characteristics, adapted to the customs and possibilities of the time and, mainly, to the power of the deceased. Most of the tombs were later desecrated and reused for burial or other purposes – for example, a community of Coptic monks used several ancient structures as churches and other monastic places. On the other hand, some funerary structures have survived intact to the present day, providing important information about their owners and the funerary rituals used at that time.
Geomatic work
Most of the funerary structures of the necropolis of Qubbet el-Hawa have been studied during the last decades, allowing data such as their geometry, construction, owners, and evolution to be determined. Some of the most recent findings have been carried out by the team of the Project Qubbet el-Hawa, led by the University of Jaén (Spain) and directed by Alejandro Jiménez-Serrano. Since 2008, this project has studied some of the main funerary structures of the necropolis, finding a number of intact burial chambers, and providing a large amount of new data related to archaeological, anthropological, and architectural aspects.
Strollology, Hedonia and Eudaimonia