Ancient site · Minya
Deir el-Bersha
A Coptic village on the Nile's east bank in Middle Egypt, known for a vast pharaonic cemetery with decorated Middle Kingdom tombs.
The story
Deir el-Bersha lies in Middle Egypt on the east bank of the Nile, south of Antinoöpolis and almost opposite the city of Mallawi. In pharaonic times a vast cemetery stood here, used by the governors of the 15th Upper Egyptian nome (the Hare nome) during the Middle Kingdom. Its best-known feature is the decorated rock-cut tombs on the northern flank of Wadi Nakhla, among them the tomb of Djehutihotep, famed for its scene of a colossal statue being transported. Today it is a village in the Mallawi district of Minya Governorate.
Good to know
- The village sits on the Nile's east bank, almost opposite the city of Mallawi.
- Its pharaonic cemetery is most famous for decorated Middle Kingdom tombs at Wadi Nakhla.