Meshal Al-Jaser talks AlUla, tasheer, and ‘Gunpowder’ 

LONDON: Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a tomb belonging to an unknown pharaoh around 300 miles south of Cairo.

The site, which is being worked on by Egyptian and American researchers, is the second such discovery to be made this year and is believed to be around 3,600 years old.

The tomb was uncovered 23 feet below Abydos, one of Egypt’s oldest known ancient settlements.

With 16-foot-high vaults and ornate decorations across several chambers, the find dwarfs a previous discovery of a tomb in the area from 2014, previously the largest on record, which belonged to a king called Seneb-Kay.

Josef W. Wegner, a curator at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia who is leading the American side of the dig, told the New York Times: “It’s a new chapter in investigating this dynasty.”

The tomb of the unknown king contains painted scenes from ancient Egyptian mythology, including images of the goddesses Isis and Nephthys.

Describing the find as “exciting,” Wegner said: “This tomb and Seneb-Kay’s tomb are the earliest surviving royal tombs that actually have painted decorations inside of them.”

However, the tomb has suffered significant damage over the millennia, and no identifiable human remains have been recovered.

It is thought that grave robbers also ransacked the site in the past, with little in the way of artefacts found in the tomb.

The damage caused by the break-ins has also left much of the decoration tarnished, including rendering portions of writing on the structure bearing the king’s name illegible.

Wegner said the identity of the tomb’s owner may be found in other inscriptions on monuments and buildings around ancient Abydos, with two kings named Senaiib and Paentjeni identified as potential candidates.

He added that work would continue to preserve the find, and to uncover other tombs that may shed more light on the broader period, and potentially the identity of the unknown king.

“It’s always our dream to find one that’s intact or partially intact,” he said. “There may yet be tombs like that.”

Prof. Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek, a University of Chicago archaeologist, told the NYT that the find is “highly significant” for understanding “a fascinating period when Egypt was controlled by competing powers.”

Wegner said the era was defined by “a phase of warrior pharaohs fighting it out,” adding that the skeleton of Seneb-Kay bore wounds that suggested he could have died in battle.

Though the region was fragmented at the time, Wegner said, the Abydos dynasty was not “a kind of flash in the pan where you’ve got a handful of kings breaking off from whatever original territory they belonged to.”

The dynasty laid the foundations for the later unification of the country in what would later become known as “the great empire of the New Kingdom,” he added.

RIYADH: “This is a group exhibition, created by a community of eclectic artists to exchange, talk, collaborate and build a connection in a healthy environment,” Dr. Ahlam Alshedouky, founder of Ahlam Gallery in Riyadh, tells Arab News. 

Alshedoukhy is discussing “Stories in the Making,” a collection of 36 works by local and international artists which runs at the gallery until March 31. Approximately half of the participating artists were pre-selected for their unique stories, while the rest joined through an open call. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Ahlam Gallery - أحلام جاليري (@ahlamgallery.sa)

“Most of these works were created in the last year; one of the criteria is to present something new,” Alshedoukhy explains, adding that the exhibition puts “big lights on the artist’s journey and artist’s story.” 

Jeddah-based Salah Jandali, founder of JZB Studio, says he created “functional art” for the exhibition — essentially four stools and a small table — that he hopes people will use to sit and reflect, or engage in conversation with others. The furniture blends traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design. 

“Weaving was part of our daily lives. Today, it has become more of a decoration,” Jandali tells Arab News. “This affects demand — if people aren’t interested in this craft and no one works with it, over time, it will disappear.” But he believes that it “will gradually become widely accepted again.” 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Ahlam Gallery - أحلام جاليري (@ahlamgallery.sa)

The designer sought out artisans to create the pieces. He collaborated with a palm weaver in Al-Ahsa, who worked from her home farm dyeing the palm fronds to match Jandali’s requirements. He also partnered with a carpenter known for intricate craftsmanship reminiscent of Japanese joinery. Bringing together techniques from both the east and west coasts, the work now comes full circle in the center of the Kingdom, Riyadh. 

Abdullah Alkhorayef’s work for the exhibition, “The Origins,” explores where the designs for Saudi traditional clothing came from. Finding no concrete answers, he instead created his own version of the evolution of traditional wear in the region. “I decided to start at my own zero point, which is today,” he told Arab News.  

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Ahlam Gallery - أحلام جاليري (@ahlamgallery.sa)

“The Origins” comprises an installation made of black cotton linen featuring geometrical shapes that explore the origins of clothing, and a number of silkscreen prints on paper depicting the geometrical forms used.  

The shapes within the black cotton linen installation were created by folding and sewing a simple rectangle in ways that cover the body. Each piece adds onto the previous one: so a simple draped cloth acquires an arm hole, then is divided in various ways — horizontally, vertically, and diagonally — combining mathematical and engineering concepts, to create garments that could be worn by humans.  

Those shapes were then translated into visual compositions using the silkscreen technique and form an alphabet-like system that is personal to the artist, as if creating his own language for clothing.  

“It all starts with simple shapes,” he says. “With all the chaos in the past 40 or 50 years, we lost the reasoning behind anything. With this exhibition, because of the cultural boom happening in Saudi, I just wanted to throw in a question for people to ask, challenge, and research.” 

Saudi artist Zainab Abo Hussain’s tapestry “A Tide Once Near, Now Drifted to Memory” is an ode to her ancestry inspired by Islamic miniature painting, textiles and innovative construction techniques, as well as her own life.  

“Childhood memories of my grandmother, who led our family while my grandfather (was) at work in remote areas, are a significant source of inspiration,” she says. “Evenings spent gathered around her, listening to her captivating stories, are cherished moments.”  

The work aims to honor her grandmother by reimagining these narratives through contemporary miniature painting and manuscript art.  

“Henna nights, in particular, provided precious opportunities for connection and storytelling,” Hussain continues. “These experiences deeply influenced my desire to capture and preserve such memories through my art.”