Around the year 1100 BC, a young woman lived in the city of Light, today known as Luxor – Egypt. The young woman was called Anhai. From her book of the dead it was revealed that she was a member of a college of Amun-Re.
The Karnak temple is dedicated to Amun, and Amun-Re means Amun (the hidden one) and the Sun (Ra) a mixture of two gods. Anhai would have walked, in the many corridors of this beautiful and unique place.
She was a beautiful woman, which is clearly seen in her papyrus book of the dead. She was a slim, slender woman with long dark brown hair, the fine linen, curved around her body.
His book of the dead indicates a person of significant stature, the quality of the paper as well as the quality of the artists’ work. She was a priestess of Amun-Re, and as such she would have dedicated her life to the service of this God, and not to a family life of her own.
He would have been present at each festival, and probably as a participant in the events dedicated to Amun-Re. She would have walked through the alley of the Sphinx, while great ships sailed alongside the dancers, moving towards the Karnak temples in a great precession.
the anhai mystery
She is a fascinating and mysterious woman, even to this day. From a silent papyrus scroll, her life cries out loud about her balanced life.
Anhai’s tomb has never been located, or maybe it has?
The fact surrounding this papyrus scroll is another mystery for ancient history. Since before our time, artifacts have been sold in a variety of ways, some more illegal than others. One such object was a small statue of the god Ptah-Seker-Ausar* containing a papyrus scroll belonging to a lady named Anhai. The papyrus manuscript was part of the Anhai Book of the Dead and was in remarkable condition.
GRADES:
* Book of the dead: it is usually a papyrus of the life of the deceased and some standard spells that would help the deceased to reach the afterlife. I would personally compare it to a diary of the deceased, his contribution to society, as well as a description of his state when they were alive.
* Ptah-Seker-Ausar: This is a name given to a large class of wooden figures, usually placed on small pedestals. This god was great in his own right, combined by three elements. It is the fascinating triad of Ptah the Creator, Seker the god of the dead at Memphis (Sakkarah), and Osiris the god of the dead at Abydos, an Upper Egyptian nome (city).