Washptah, also known as Isi, was an important visitor to Userkhau, Egyptian sovereign of the V dynasty
ptḥ w3š - Washptah
The news we have about Washptah's life comes from his tomb, a mastaba type, found in the Abusir necropolis.
He probably began his career during the reign of Sahura and went all in rank within the Royal Administration until he was named visor by the successor of Sahura. Among his assignments was the organization of caravans sent to neighboring countries for the supply of raw materials. He also supervised the work of building the pyramid of the sovereign north of Saqqara.
The inscriptions of his tomb indicate the fact that Washptah died, by an accident, in the presence of the same sovereign. The facts are told by Mernetjersetni, son of the visir, who received the king's job to build the father's tomb.
From the inscriptions we learn that during a visit of the king, accompanied by the whole court, to the yard of a new monument, the beauty of ..., the visor suddenly fell to the ground as a fulminate. Userkhara immediately carried the sick man to his palace and summoned his doctors and priests, asking them to save his life among the courtiers. The king also ordered to buy a bonnet containing papiri of medical wisdom but all in vain, Washptah finally died.
Afflicted by the loss of his only confidant, Userkhara withdrew in prayer to his apartments and then ordered the son of the visor to prepare his father's grave near the Sahura pyramid. By real decree, Washptah's body was enclosed in an ebony sarcophagus, which had never happened to any nobleman before.
The stone blocks on this story have been removed from the mastaba and are now in the Egyptian Museum of Cairo Bibliografiamodifica wikitesto
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