Sennefer

Who is Sennefer?

The Ancient Egyptian noble Sennefer was "Mayor of the City" and "Overseer of the Granaries and Fields, Gardens and Cattle of Amun" during the reign of Amenhotep II of the 18th dynasty. Being a favourite of the king he accumulated great wealth. He was also allowed to place a double statue of himself and his wife in the temple at Karnak. The famous garden plan, often described is Sennefer's Garden, is more likely to be of a garden which Sennefer managed, and perhaps designed, than to be of a garden which Sennefer owned.

He was the son of Ahmose Humay, a male royal nurse, brother to Amenhotep II's vizier Amenemopet, and married to the royal nurse Sentnay. His elder daughter Muttuy apparently married Kenamun, who succeeded Sennefer as mayor of Thebes. His brother Amenemipet called Pairy was buried close by in TT29.

He was buried in a small but well decorated tomb, located in the Sheikh Abd el-Qurna district of the Theban Necropolis opposite Luxor in Egypt.

However, some funerary items for Sennefer and his family have been found in KV42, the tomb of Merytre-Hatshepsut, so he may have re-used this tomb for his actual burial. Some containers of Sennefer and Sentnay were also discovered in KV32, the tomb of Queen Tiaa, wife of Amenhotep II and mother of Thutmose IV.