Dayr al-Barshā and Dayr al-Bahrī: Two Ritual Landscapes in the Time of Mentuhotep II

Archaeological evidence from the Middle Kingdom necropolis of Dayr al-Barshā reveals a sophisticated ritual landscape designed to facilitate religious processions from Khemenu, the capital of the Hare nome, to associated cemeteries. This infrastructure included a river crossing, landing stages with cult places for provincial rulers, and processional roads leading to tombs, suggesting deliberate landscaping on a grand scale. The study argues that such processional features were initially linked primarily to royal pyramids but expanded during Mentuhotep II's reign to include temples and private cemeteries, potentially influenced by his grand-scale projects in Abydos and Thebes.

Willems, H. (2019). Dayr al-Barshā and Dayr al-Bahrī: Ritual Landscape and Performance, 25–46. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv105b910.9