Fac̜ades of rock-cut tombs. Beni Hasan, Egypt

"In the necropolis at Beni Hassan are the tombs of the governors of the sixteenth Nome, and those of eight nomarchs, two princes, and a son of a prince who lived in the Twelfth Dynasty. These tombs are distributed in two rows, the upper one consisting of large tombs, twelve of which are cut and inscribed in the nummulitic limestone cliff of the eastern hills. The lower tombs mostly consist simply of vertical shafts with burial chambers at the bottom. The entrance doorways of the upper tombs honeycomb the cliff, some being fronted with a columned portico. The fac̜ade is dressed in the rock and a horizontal platform is cut in front of it." [Badawi A., 1968: A History of Egyptian Architecture. University of California Press]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was working on "The Nile" project and traveled to Africa from March 14, 1961 to March 31, 1961, visiting Egypt.