False Door of Nikauhor

This is a beautiful 𓄤 example of a False Door from the reign of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Userkaf 𓅱𓄊𓋴𓂓𓆑 (5th Dynasty). This False Door is part of a pair of False Doors and was from the west 𓋀𓏏𓏭 wall of a mastaba tomb 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐 in Memphis 𓏠𓈖𓄤𓆑𓂋𓉴𓊖 that belonged to Nikauhor and his wife 𓂑𓏏𓁐 Sekemhathor 𓉡𓋴𓌂𓐍𓅓. Nikauhor was a judge and a priest 𓊹𓍛 in Userkaf’s 𓅱𓄊𓋴𓂓𓆑 sun temple while Sekemhathor 𓉡𓋴𓌂𓐍𓅓 was a priestess 𓊹𓍛𓏏 of Hathor 𓉡 and Neith 𓈖𓏏𓋌𓀭. I have posted about Sekemhathor’s 𓉡𓋴𓌂𓐍𓅓 False Door previously, and I will talk about Nikauhor’s!

This specific false door pictured belonged to Nikauhor, as he is the one depicted in the images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 along with his two sons 𓅭𓏦 (the smaller people standing next to Nikauhor). These images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 are expertly carved in raised relief. While the arch above the doorway isn’t there, Nikauhor’s name 𓂋𓈖 appears elsewhere on the door in order to identify it as his. It is common practice to have the deceased’s name 𓂋𓈖 above the door, but the arch was lost in antiquity.

False Doors are an extremely important part of ancient Egyptian funerary practices. False Doors served as ways for the living relatives to make offerings 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦 to the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱. The False Door acted as a link between the land of the living and the land of the dead. The ancient Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 believed that the soul 𓂓 of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 could travel between the two lands 𓇿𓇿 through the False Door. They are also known as “ka 𓂓 doors” or “soul 𓂓 doors.”

False Doors were usually located on the western 𓋀𓏏𓏭 walls of tombs 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐𓏦 because the west 𓋀𓏏𓏏𓈊 is associated with the dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱. The west 𓋀𓏏𓏏𓈊 is associated with the dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱 because the sun 𓇳𓏺 sets in the west 𓋀𓏏𓏏𓈊 – when Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛 makes his daily journey across the sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯, sunset 𓇋𓐍𓐍𓅱𓇶 is representative of his death.