| Qakare Ibi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Aba, Iby, Kakare, Kakaure, Qaikare, Qakaure | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Ibi's cartouche on theAbydos king list | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pharaoh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reign | Around 2 years, 1 month, and 1 day, c. 2170 – c. 2167 BC[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | PossiblyNeferkamin Anu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | PossiblyNeferkaure | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Died | c. 2167 BC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Burial | Pyramid of Ibi29°50′30″N31°13′4″E / 29.84167°N 31.21778°E /29.84167; 31.21778 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dynasty | 8th Dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Qakare Ibi (diedc. 2167 BC) was anancient Egyptianking during the earlyFirst Intermediate Period (2181–2055 BC) and the 14th ruler of theEighth Dynasty.[1][2][4] As such, Ibi's seat of power wasMemphis[5] and he probably did not hold power over all of Egypt. Ibi is one of the best attested kings of the Eighth Dynasty due to the discovery of his smallpyramid in SouthSaqqara.
Qakare Ibi is attested on the 53rd entry of theAbydos King List, a king list which was redacted some 900 years after the First Intermediate Period during the reign ofSeti I.[2][6] According toKim Ryholt's latest reconstruction of theTurin canon, another king list compiled in theRamesside era, Qakare Ibi is also attested there on column 5, line 10 (Gardiner 4.11,von Beckerath 4.10). The Turin canon further indicates that he reigned for "2 years, 1 month and 1 day".[1][2] The only other attestion for Qakare Ibi is his pyramid in South Saqqara.
At Saqqara-South, Qakare Ibi was buried in a small pyramid. It was discovered byKarl Richard Lepsius in the 19th century who listed it as the number XL in his pioneeringlist of pyramids.[7]The pyramid was excavated from 1929 until 1931 byGustave Jéquier.[8]
Ibi's pyramid is the last built in Saqqara, located to the northeast ofShepseskaf's tomb and near the causeway of thePyramid of Pepi II.[9] It is very similar in plan, dimensions and decorations to the pyramids of the queens ofPepi II, the last great pharaoh of the Old Kingdom. Consequently, it was proposed that the pyramid was originally that ofAnkhnespepi IV (ˁnḫ-n=s ppj, "Pepi lives for her") a wife of Pepi II, and was only later appropriated by Ibi.[10] Adjacent to the pyramid is a small chapel where the funerary cult took place. No trace of a causeway nor of a valley temple has been found to this day, and it is likely that there never was any.
Ibi's pyramid is not oriented to any cardinal point, being rather on a northwest–southeast axis. The edifice would have been around 31.5 m (103 ft) large and 21 m (69 ft) high with a slope of 53°7′ at the time of its construction.[2] The core of the pyramid was built withlimestone blocks of local origin, most of which are now gone, probably reused in later constructions. As a result, the monument appears today as a 3 m (9.8 ft) high heap of mud and limestone chips in the sands of Saqqara. On some of the remaining blocks, inscriptions in red ink were found mentioning achief of the Libyans, the meaning of which is unclear. It seems that even though the foundations for the outer casing of the pyramid were laid, the casing itself was never mounted.
On the north side of the edifice, Jéquier found an 8 m (26 ft) long limestone-clad corridor leading down with an inclination of 25° to a large granite portcullis.[2][8] Behind this portcullis lay the king's burial chamber. Both the corridor and the walls of the burial chamber were inscribed with the last known instance of thePyramid Texts.[2][8] The texts seem to have been directly inscribed for Ibi rather than appropriated by him, although the possibility of the texts being rescribed can not be ruled out. Jéquier judged the quality of the inscriptions as "very average".[8] Furthermore, the placement of thespells appears relatively indiscriminate.[10] The burial chamber's ceiling was flat and decorated with stars. It was probably made of a single 5 m (16 ft) long block ofTura limestone[8] now missing. Today a large block of concrete protects the chamber.
On the west side of the burial chamber is afalse door and a huge granite block on which once stood thesarcophagus of the king. On the east side there is aserdab for the statue of theKa of the deceased.
Adjacent to the east side of the pyramid is a small mudbrick chapel which served as temple for the cult of the dead king.[2] The entrance of the chapel is located on its north side. Inside the temple, immediately against the pyramid wall is an offering hall where Jequier found a stone washbasin as well as stele or afalse door of which only the foundations remain. Analabaster tray and obsidian mortar tools were also discovered there.
The south part of the chapel is occupied by magazine rooms.
| Preceded by PossiblyNeferkamin Anu | King of Egypt c. 2170 – c. 2167 BC | Succeeded by PossiblyNeferkaure |
