A few months ago, I made my first trip to Meir in Middle Egypt to visit the rock-cut tombs of the Old and Middle Kingdom nomarchs (regional rulers and governors), who had once lived in the ancient city of Qis (Classical Cusae), the capital of the Fourteenth Nome of Upper Egypt. I was particularly interested in seeing examples in situ of what is known as the ‘Art of Cusae’ – a style of Middle Kingdom tomb decoration. Meir is in the Asyut Governorate, approximately 350 kilometres south of Cairo. I was lodging in Minya for a week, and had put aside a whole day for Meir. My driver, George Yanni, I have known for many years. Now in Cairo, George was born and brought up in Minya and knows Middle Egypt well, so he was an obvious choice for exploring the region.
Leaving my hotel just after breakfast, we crossed the Nile and took the West Bank concrete roads through lush agricultural farmlands. About 45 minutes after leaving Minya, we took a left on to the Western Desert Road’s smooth new tarmac, and for another 45 minutes drove through a beautiful low desert landscape. Taking a left towards the Nile, we moved back on to concrete roads, this time passing the many large polytunnels of dozens of modern tomato farms. As we approached the exact point where the desert meets the cultivation, we took a right turn and finally arrived at our destination. The tombs of Meir could be seen high up ahead of us, nestled on a ridge of rocky limestone amid giant sand dunes.
George quickly introduced me to the friendly team working at the site and I bought my ticket, which cost a very reasonable LE100 (about £1.50 at the time of writing). I then set off across the desert and up to the tombs, accompanied by an elderly tomb guardian and an armed security officer – standard practice when independently visiting the archaeological sites of Middle Egypt. There was a third man with us, Abd al-Aziz, a giant of a man, who was clutching a large wooden stick. I remember thinking this was quite odd, as he did not appear to have any mobility issues.
Culture strategy in Wales