Meretseger was a Theban cobra-goddess in ancient Egyptian religion, in charge with guarding and protecting the vast Theban Necropolis — on the west bank of the Nile, in front of Thebes — and especially the heavily guarded Valley of the Kings. Her cult was typical of the New Kingdom of Egypt.
El Qurn, the sharp peak overlooking the Valley of the Kings.
Black granite statue of Meretsger protecting Pharaoh Amenhotep II (1427–1401 BC).
Double image of Meretseger (upper tier) and snakes (lower tier). Louvre, Paris.
Stela with the drawer Nakhtimen adoring Meretseger. Louvre, Paris.
Deir el-Medina, or Dayr al-Madīnah, is an ancient Egyptian workmen's village which was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the 18th to 20th Dynasties of the New Kingdom of Egypt The settlement's ancient name was Set maat, and the workmen who lived there were called "Servants in the Place of Truth". During the Christian era, the temple of Hathor was converted into a Monastery of Saint Isidorus the Martyr from which the Egyptian Arabic name Deir el-Medina is derived.
Ruins of Deir el-Medina
Ra slays Apep (tomb scene in Deir el-Medina)
Tomb at the entrance of Deir el-Medina
Fragment of relief of Khawy, Servant in the Place of Truth. 19th Dynasty. From Tomb 214 at Deir el-Medina, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London
