The Necropolis of Deir Al Madina

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At Deir al Madina , at the end of the valley on the heights that overlook the village , one finds the tombs of Sennedjm (TT I) , the foreman Inerkhau and of Pashedu , Nakhtamen and the sculptor Ipuy , all artists of the Ramasside period , famous for their beautiful pictures and decorations . These tombs were generally divided into 2 parts: the burial chamber and the funerary chapel .
At the beginning , these were personal tombs that were gradually extended to receive the remains of other family members , that’s why they sometimes cover several levels , the underground chamber was decorated with motifs taken from 'the Book of the Dead' put side by side with very conventional scenes , one also finds paintings featuring great expressive freedom depicting the family of the deceased .
The compositions are mainly polychromatic , although in some tombs are monochromatic decoration prevails with yellow and black dominating both characters and text as the tombs of Nebenmaat and Nakhtamen bear splendid witness to this .
The chapel was generally walled in and crowned with small pyramids .
Access was through the door of a narrow pylon that opened on to a courtyard , with a stele or an altar for the funerary cult at the back . It was here , that the deceased's family and friends gathered for commemorative ceremonies .
In the outside of the tombs , there had been forecourts defined by a low mud brick wall that might enclose a garden and pond . Behind , stood a small pyramid , with a stela niche .
The decoration of tombs at Deir al-Madina is different from those of the Nobels in other sites . No scenes of daily life , no scenes of funerary ceremonies or banquets . Instead , scenes from 'the Book of the Dead' , borrowed from the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings .