# Kanefer

Kanefer ( K3=(j).-nfr(.w) "His Ka is beautiful") is the name of a prince and King Sneferu’s son, who took the vizier's office from his older brother Nefermat. Lived in the late period of the King Sneferu's reign and possibly in early reign phase of his brother Khufu, too. Later on en office of vizier passed to the Nefermat's son Hemiun. There was the peak period of constructions on the Giza plateau, the development of activity of craftsmen and system organisation of grandiose buildings, indeed. Kanefer was allegedly buried in a mastaba at the Dahshur necropolis. Information about his person and position of power is drawn from the remains uncovered in the mastaba is in question.

## Genesis

The vast necropolis of Dahshur is one of the large pyramid cemeteries of the Old and Middle Kingdom (2600–1700 BCE). The appearance of the natural landscape at Dahshur was intensely altered by human impact, especially through mining. The quarries of materials for pyramids buildings appear today as scarps and depressions. The channel beds in the wadis leading to the Bent Pyramid were also altered by use as transport paths for building material and by ﬂuvial erosion. In the area between the pyramids of Sneferu, and northwest of the pyramid complex of Amenemhat II and Senwostret III (12th Dynasty), De Morgan had been conducted archaeological research on tombs of the 4th dynasty during year 1894-1895. The first report on the archaeological research carried up out by de Morgan was sent at that time 1895 to the "Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres" on March 8th 1885. Among other things, he also mentioned the opening of the main figures from the Sneferu time, whose tombs were found there, he also opened a mastaba, indeed, which he identified as the owner Kanefer and for which read his title "Son of the royal wing, who is the chief of his father, the son of Sneferu". De Morgan completed all the archaeological survey in 1895 and published a comprehensive work in year 1903.

## Mastaba

The Kanefer mastaba is a large brick mastaba (36x25 m) with three wells. Along the eastern wall were two stales and they're offering tables from two entrance vaulted rooms lined with clay bricks. All that were that was badly damaged at the beginning of this century. Of their decoration, only the lower part of the false door and the outer jamb have been preserved, which are now stored separately in the Louvre and in the British Museum (BM). That so much insistence has led all scholars to take Kanefer without hesitation for an authentic son of Sneferu. Moreover, the false door of Kanefer was built by his son Kaiwareb, dating the reign of Khafra or possibly Djedefru, too.
In the spring of 2002, an excavation team from the Free University of Berlin worked in the cemetery east of the Red Pyramid and north of the Amenemhat II pyramid complex in Dahshur. Unfortunately, Morgan's documentation is sketchy, and the publication of Kanefer's tomb has been very superficial, so that in the current situation it is even difficult to locate Kanefer's tomb in the field. On the desert surface, only mastabas on the northwest edge of the cemetery can still be distinguished. However, the areas closer to the pyramid complex Amenemhat II are covered with extensive piles of rubble.

## Steles

Archaeological research in the Kanefer mastaba in Dahshur, found two steles in the style of false doors, one with inscriptions dedicated it to Prince Kanefer, the other dedicated to the mastaba restorer by his son Kaiwareb The first mentioned above, was offered with a broken top part in the acquisition to the Museum Louvre in year 1912, the second less damaged was offered to the British Museum in year 1901. Both mastabas in memory of Prince Kanefer contain records of his titles in the Vizier’s administration. Their translation was made by De Morgan, with minor differences by Cherpion and much more comprehensively by Baud.
   Prince Kanefer title are: Son of the royal flank, he who is chief by his father’s side, son of Sneferu, loved by his father every day, commander of the palace, beloved of his father, loyal to his father, prophet of Sneferu, commander of the priests, chief of clan, guardian of the palace, governor of the house of the five-great, chief of accounting, in charge of the seal, high priest of Heliopolis, servant of the spirits of Pa-Dep, officiant, eldest son from the royal flank, chief of the pyramid of Sneferu, curator, prophet of Horus-Neb-Mat, (prophet of the name of Sneferu’s hawk) in charge of the seal of the god’s boat, prophet of Horus, master of Mesen, commander of the priests of Nekheb in Elkab).
The stele stored in the BM exhibition dedicated to the memory of father Kanefer, which is in a relatively better preserved condition, again lists some of his titles in its upper part. The texts it bears commemorate the Prince Kanefer son of King Sneferu, and they are mostly concerned with his titles and dignities. The lintel and drum carry short texts with brief titles, and the full list of Kanefer's honours is reserved for the upper parts of the two panels. On several titles, the title "King's Eldest Son of His Body" is prefrontal, as seen in the title "Overseer of the Sneferu's Pyramid". On either side of the false doorway there are large figures of Kanefer’s eldest son Kaiwareb, dressed in official uniform carrying a sceptre and a monarch’s staff

## Epilog

Historical figures from the period of King Sneferu’s reign, his sons and successors, who, according to the customs of the time, occupied the highest positions in the administration of the state, they provide a picture on the time of construction of large buildings and the synergy of the management apparatus, efficient builders and in a logistics system developed. Prince Kanefer Sneferu's son is an indispensable figure in this painting.

## Note

* ↑ It is the most frequently commonly cited work in relation to the Kanefer’s mastaba at Dahshur
* ↑ It is not excluded that the old buildings were repaired and then the already mentioned steles were inserted into the walls
* ↑ Final note: The names Kanefer (Keinefer, Kanufer) or are in ancient Egypt very often used and their connection to a specific historical figure should be carefully examined in relation to a specific site, mastaba or museum artefacts etc.