Three Novels of Ancient Egypt Khufu's Wisdom, Rhadopis of Nubia, Thebes at War

by Naguib Mahfouz

  Some of those present cried out to one another, “The crown of King Timayus!” and Nofer-Amun said with ardor and in a strong voice, “Indeed, my lord! This is the crown of King Timayus, the last pharaoh to rule united Egypt and Nubia before the Herdsmen's invasion of our land. The Lord in His wisdom took retribution on our country during his era and this noble crown fell from his head, after he had suffered greatly in defending it. Thus, it lost the throne and its master, but kept its honor. For this reason, our ancestors removed it to this temple, to take its place among our sacred heirlooms. Its owner died a hero and martyr, so it is -worthy of a mighty head. I crown you -with it, King Seqenenra, son of Sacred Mother Tetisheri, and proclaim you king of Upper and Lower Egypt and of Nubia, and I call on you, in the name of Lord Amun, the memory of Timayus, and the people of the South, to rise up, combat your enemy, and liberate the pure, beloved valley of the Nile!”

  The high priest approached the king and removed the White Crown of Egypt from his head and handed it to one of the priests. Then he raised Egypt's double crown amidst shouts of joy and praise to God, placed it on his curly hair, and shouted aloud: “Long live Seqenenra, Pharaoh of Egypt!”

  The people took up the call and a priest hurried outside the temple and acclaimed Seqenenra as pharaoh of Egypt, the Thebans repeating the call with wild enthusiasm. Then he called for men to fight the Herdsmen, and the people responded with voices like thunder, certain now of what they had suspected before.

  Pharaoh saluted the priests, then made his way toward the door of the temple, followed by his family, the men of his palace, and the great ones of the southern kingdom.

  7

  As soon as Pharaoh returned to his palace, he called his chief minister, high priest, chief palace chamberlain, and the commanders of the army and navy to a meeting and told them, “Khayan's ship is bearing him swiftly northwards. We shall be invaded as soon as he crosses the southern borders, so we must not lose an hour of our time.”

  Turning to Kaf, commander of the fleet, he said, “I hope that you will find your task on the water easy, for the Herdsmen are our pupils in naval combat. Prepare your ships for war and set sail for the north!”

  Commander Kaf saluted his lord and quickly left the palace. The king then turned to Commander Pepi and said, “Commander Pepi, the main force of our army is encamped at Thebes. Move -with it to the north and I will catch up -with you with a force of my stalwart guard. I pray the Lord that my troops prove themselves worthy of the task that has been placed upon their shoulders. Do not forget, Commander, to send a messenger to Panopolis, on our northern borders, to alert the garrison there to the danger that surrounds it, so that it is not taken by surprise.”

  The commander saluted his lord and departed. The king looked in the faces of the chief minister, the high priest, and the head chamberlain and then said to them, “Gentlemen, the duty of defending our army's rear will be thrown on your shoulders. Let each of you do his duty with the efficiency and dedication that I know are yours!”

  They replied with one voice, “We stand ready to lay down our lives for the king and for Thebes!”

  Seqenenra said, “Nofer-Amun, send your men to the villages and the towns to urge my people to fight! And you, User-Amun, summon the governors of the provinces and instruct them to conscript the strong and the able among my people; while to you, Hur, I entrust the people of my house. Be to my son Kamose as you are to me.”

  The king saluted his men and left the place, making his way to his private wing to bid farewell to his family before setting off. He sent for them all, and Queen Ahotep came and Queen Tetisheri, and Prince Kamose, and his wife Setkimus with their son Ahmose and their little daughter, Princess Nefertari. He received them lovingly and sat them around him. Tenderness filled his breast as he looked into the eyes of the faces dearest to his heart, seeing, it seemed to him, but one face repeated with no differences but those of age. Tetisheri was in her sixties and Ahotep, like her husband, in her forties, while Kamose and Setkimus were twenty-five. Ahmose was not yet ten and his sister Nefertari was two years younger. In every one of their faces, however, shone the same black eyes, in every one was the same mouth with its slight upper protrusion, and the same golden-brown complexion that lent the countenance health and good looks. A smile played on the king's broad mouth and he said, “Come. Let us sit together for a while before I go.”

  Tetisheri said, “I pray the Lord, my son, that you go forth to decisive victory!”

  Seqenenra said, “I have great hope of victory, Mother.”

  The king saw that the crown prince was dressed for war and realized that he imagined that he was going with him. Feigning ignorance he asked him, “Why are you dressed like that?”

  Astonishment appeared on the youth's face, as though he was not expecting the question and he said in surprise, “For the same reason that you are so dressed, Father.”

  “Did you receive an order from me to do this?”

  “I didn't think that there was any need, Father.”

  “You were wrong, my son.”

  Alarm appeared on the youth's face and he said, “Am I to be forbidden the honor of taking part in the battle of Thebes, my lord?”

  “Fields of battle are no more honorable than any other. You will remain in my place, Kamose, to look after the happiness of our kingdom and supply our army with men and provisions.”

  The youth's face turned pale and he bowed his head as though the king's command weighed heavily upon him. Tetisheri, wishing to make it easier for him, said, “Kamose, it is no mean task to take on the burdens of government, nor one to shame a person. It is a work worthy of such as you.”

  Then the king placed his hand on the crown prince's shoulder and said, “Listen, Kamose. We are approaching a murderous war from which we hope, with the Lord's help, to emerge the victors and liberate our beloved land from its shackles. But it is only wise to consider all possible outcomes. As our sage Kagemni has said, ‘Do not put all your arrows in one quiver!’ “

  The king ceased speaking, silence reigned, and no one uttered a word until the king resumed by saying, “If the Lord, in His wisdom, wills that our struggle for the right should meet with failure, it must not come to an end. Listen to me, all of you. If Seqenenra falls, do not despair. Kamose will succeed his father, and if Kamose falls, little Ahmose will follow him. And if this army of ours is wiped out, Egypt is full of men. If Ptolemais falls, let Koptos fight! If Thebes is invaded, let Ombos and Sayin and Biga leap to its defense! If the whole South falls into the hands of the Herdsmen, then there is Nubia, -where -we have strong and loyal men. Tetisheri will pass on to our sons what our fathers and forefathers passed on to us, and I warn you against no enemy but one - despair.”

  The king's words had a great impact on all their hearts. Even little Ahmose and Nefertari were downcast and disconcerted and wondered at their grandfather's speaking to them in these serious tones for the first time. Queen Ahotep's eyes filled with tears, at which Seqenenra showed displeasure, telling her in a tone not without reproach, “Do you weep, Ahotep? Observe the courage of our mother, Tetisheri!”

  Then he looked at young Ahmose, to whom he was greatly attached and who was a true copy of his grandfather, and he pulled him to him and asked him, smiling, “Which is the enemy of which we must beware, Ahmose?”

  The boy replied, not understanding fully the meaning of what he said, “Despair.”

  The king laughed and kissed him again. Then he stood and said gently, “Come, let us embrace!”

  He embraced them all, starting with Tetisheri, his wife Ahotep, and Setkimus, his son's wife, then Ahmose and Nefertari. Then he turned away from them toward Kamose, who was standing rigid and dejected, and he extended his hand to him and squeezed it hard, then bent over it and kissed it and said in a low voice, “Safety be with you, my dear son!”

  The king waved to them with his hand and left the place with firm steps, his face filled with courage and resolve.

  The king set fo
rth at the head of a force of his guards and encountered in the palace square throngs of Thebans, men and women, who had come to salute their king and cheer those who set off in hopes of liberating the valley. Seqenenra made his way through their surging waves in the direction of Thebes’ northern gate and there he found the priests, ministers, chamberlains, notables, and higher officials gathered to bid him farewell. They prostrated themselves to his cavalcade and long called his name, and the last voice that the king heard was that of Nofer-Amun telling him, “Soon I shall receive you, my lord, your head wreathed in laurels! God hear my prayer!”

  The king passed through the Great Gate of Thebes on his way to the north and left the mighty walls of the city behind him, much affected by what he had seen and heard, sensible of the gravity of the great work that lay before him and preoccupied with how it might redound to the happiness or misery of his people for years to come. The destiny of Egypt had been placed in his hands and he faced head-on the fearful dangers that his father had dealt with by tarrying and delaying. Seqenenra was no pampered ruler, but steadfast, courageous, rough-hewn, and pious by nature; he had great hope and was full of confidence in his people. He caught up with his army before evening, at the camp in the town of Shanhur, to the north of Thebes, and Commander Pepi received him at the head of the division commanders. Exhaustion and hardship had lowered his spirits and his condition did not escape the notice of the king, who said to him, “I see you are tired, Commander.”

  The commander, pleased to see his lord, said, “We have managed, my lord, to gather the garrisons of Hermonthis, Habu, and Thebes. Altogether, they compose an army of close to twenty thousand warriors.”

  As the king proceeded in his chariot between the soldiers’ tents, a wave of enthusiasm and joy overcame them and his name resounded through the camp.

  Then he turned back and returned to the royal tent, Commander Pepi at his side. The king was reassured as to his army, to whose training he had devoted the best years of his youth, and he said, “Our army is valiant. How do you find the morale of the commanders?”

  “All are optimistic, my lord, and eager for war. There is none that does not express his admiration for the archers’ division, of historic fame.”

  The king said, “I share with you in this admiration. Now listen to me. We must lose no time beyond that necessary to rest this number of soldiers. We must meet our foe — if he really attacks us - in the sloping valley between Panopolis and Batlus. It is very rugged, with narrow entry points. The military advantage there belongs to him who holds its heights. Also, the Nile's stream there is narrow and this may help our fleet during its engagement with the enemy.”

  “We shall start marching, my lord, just before dawn.” The king nodded his head in assent and said, “We must reach Panopolis and be camped in its valley before Khayan returns to Memphis.”

  Then the king summoned his commanders to meet with him.

  8

  The army moved just before dawn, preceded to its objectives by a force of scouts. The chariot division, formed of two hundred chariots and with Pharaoh at their head, went first, followed by the lancers; then came the archers’ division, then the small arms division and the carts for the supplies, weapons, and tents. At the same time, the fleet set sail for the north. The darkness was intense, its blackness alleviated only by the rays of the watching stars and the lights of the torches. When they reached the city of Gesyi, everyone awoke to welcome Pharaoh and his army. The peasants hurried from the furthest fields carrying palm fronds, sweet-smelling herbs, and jugs of beer and they walked alongside cheering and presenting the soldiers with flowers and cups of the delicious beer, and did not leave them until they had gone some distance and the darkness of the night had faded and the calm blue light of dawn had poured into the eastern horizon, announcing the coming of day. Day broke, light bathed the world, and the army marched quickly on until, just before mid-afternoon, it reached Katut where it rested for a while among the people of the place, who received them warmly. The king decided that the army should camp for the night at Dendara, issuing an order to resume the march, and the army proceeded until it reached Dendara as night was falling, surrendering there to a deep sleep.

  Day after day the army rose before dawn and marched on till dark, until it found itself encamped at Abydos. Scouts were patrolling to the north of the city -when one of their officers saw, at great distance, groups of people moving over the earth. At the head of a troop of his men, he made toward the approaching people, things becoming clearer the further he went down the valley. He saw crooked lines of peasants moving in bands carrying whatever of their belongings they could and some driving flocks or cattle, their appearance indicating misery and dispossession. Wondering, the man rode up to those at the front and was about to question them when one of them shouted to him, “Save us, soldier! They surprised us and destroyed us!”

  Alarmed, the officer shouted back, “Save you? What has alarmed you?”

  Many of them answered with one voice, “The Herdsmen, the Herdsmen!”

  And the first man said, “We are the people of Panopolis and Ptolemais. One of the border guards came to us and told us that the Herdsmen's army was attacking the borders with huge forces that soon would burst through to our village. He advised us to flee to the south. Terror seized the village and the fields and we all hurried to our homes to call our women and children and carry away whatever we could. Then we fled and left the villages behind us and we haven't rested for an instant since yesterday morning.”

  Faintness and fatigue were visible in the faces and the officer told them, “Rest a little, then be quickly on your way. Shortly this quiet valley will be turned into a field of combat!”

  Then the man gathered the reins of his horse and galloped off to the commander's tent at Abydos and informed him. Pepi went immediately to Pharaoh and told him the news, which he received with astonishment and distress, shouting, “How can that be? Could Khayan have informed Memphis in so short a time?”

  Pepi replied in fury, “There can be no doubt, my lord, that the enemy assembled its army on our borders before sending us its envoy. They set a trap for us and only presented their demands in the hope that we would reject them. When Khayan crossed our border on his way back, he gave the order to the assembled armies to attack. This is the only reasonable explanation for such a violent and rapid assault.”

  King Seqenenra's face turned pale with anger and fury and he said, “So Panopolis and Ptolemais have fallen?”

  “Alas, yes, my lord. The valor of our small garrison alone was not sufficient to defend them.”

  The king shook his head in sorrow and said, “We have lost our best fighting ground.”

  “That will have no effect on the courage of our magnificent fighting men.”

  The king thought for a moment, then said to the commander of his armies, “We must evacuate Abydos and Dendara completely.”

  Pepi looked questioningly at the king, who said, “We cannot defend these cities.”

  Pepi grasped what his lord meant. He asked, “Does my lord wish to meet the enemy in the valley of Koptos?”

  “That is want I want. There, the enemy can be attacked from many directions. There are natural forts in the sides of the valley. I shall leave bands behind in the cities that we evacuate to harry them without engaging them in combat. This will hold up their advance until we have strengthened our positions. Come, Pepi. Send your messengers to the cities to evacuate them and order the commanders to retreat at once. Lose no time, for the end of one of the ropes of the swing in which the destiny of our people is balanced is now in the hand of Apophis!”

  9

  The crier called out to the peoples of Abydos, Barfa, and Dendara, “Take your belongings and your money and go south! Your homes have become a battle ground that will know no mercy.” The people knew the Herdsmen and their ways. Fear seized them and they rushed to get their money and possessions, which they piled onto carts pulled by oxen, and to gather their catt
le and flocks, driving them fast. They sorted themselves out and hastened southward, leaving their lands and homes, brokenhearted. The further they went, the more they threw dark looks behind them, their hearts tugging them toward their homes. Then fear -would seize them and they -would hasten on toward the unknown that awaited them. On their -way, they would pass divisions of the army and their hearts would feel easier in their breasts. Hope -would toy -with their painful dreams and their lips would part in a smile of joy that would shine in the sky of their woes as the sun's rays light up a gap in the clouds revealed for a second on an overcast day. They would wave to them and many would call out, “The lands entrusted to our keeping have been wrested from us. Restore them to us, brave soldiers!”

  While this was happening, Pharaoh was overseeing the distribution of his forces in the valley of Koptos, watching with sad eyes the bands of fugitives whose stream surged endlessly past. He felt their sorrows as though he were one of them, his pain redoubling every time the wind brought their acclamations of his name and their prayers for him to his ears.

  Commander Pepi was in constant contact with the scouts, receiving news from them and then passing it on to his lord. Thus it was that news of the enemy's attack on Abydos and the obstinate resistance of its small garrison reached him, brought by their last survivor. On the morning of the following day, the messenger brought news of the Hyksos attack on the city of Barfa and of the stratagems and dogged maneuvers to which its defenders had resorted in order to delay the enemy's advance as much as they could. At Dendara, the garrison had stood firm against the advancing enemy for many long hours, forcing it to use large numbers of troops against them, as though it were attacking an army fully manned and equipped. The scouts and some officers who had escaped from the garrisons of the invested cities put the enemy's forces at between fifty and seventy thousand, with a chariot division of not less than a thousand vehicles. The king received this last intelligence with surprise and dismay, as neither he nor any other member of his army had expected the army of Apophis to possess so many. He said to his commander, “How can our chariot division overcome this terrible number?”