Tarkhan (Egypt)
Tarkhan Shown within Egypt | |
| Location | Egypt |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°30′00″N 31°13′30″E / 29.500°N 31.225°E |
| Type | necropolis |
| History | |
| Founded | Early 4th millennium BC |
| Periods | Late Chalcolithic, Early Bronze Age |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1911-1913 |
| Archaeologists | W.M. Flinders Petrie, Hilda Petrie |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Yes |
Tarkhan (also Kafr Tarkhan) is an ancient Egyptian necropolis, located around 59 kilometers south of Cairo on the west bank of the Nile. The cemetery was excavated in two seasons by Flinders Petrie. Tombs of almost all periods were found, but most importantly many belonging to the time of Egyptian state formation, the Naqada IIIA2-IIIB period (c. 3300-3150 BC). Petrie found more than 2,000 tombs, most of them simple holes in the ground belonging to common people. However, there were also several mastabas of the First Dynasty, decorated with a palace facade.
The most important finds include a tomb with many seal impressions belonging to king Narmer and the Tarkhan dress, the world's oldest piece of woven clothing. The cemeteries of the later periods are called Kafr Ammar, although lying side by side with the earlier tombs. From a Roman period tomb came a Fayum mummy portrait.