Merenptah burial chamber with sarcophagus
General view from the chamber of the Merenptah sarcophagus. The chamber has eight pillars and is decorated with scenes from the Book of the Earth and the Book of Caves, traces of which remain only in the upper part of the walls due to flood damage. In the centre of the room is the lid of the second inner sarcophagus of the pharaoh. The lid is in the form of a cartouche inside which Merenptah is enclosed. The king is depicted mummiform with his arms crossed over his chest while holding the insignia of power, the scourge and the crosier. He wears the royal headdress, nemes, with uraeus on his forehead, and a false beard. The king and the cartouche are surrounded by a long, large serpent in a protective role, Mehen.
