Senusret I in Wikipedia
Senusret I (also Sesostris I and Senwosret I) was the second pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He ruled from 1971 BC to 1926
BC, and was one of the most powerful kings of this Dynasty. He was the son of Amenemhat I and his wife Nefertitanen. His own wife
and sister was Neferu. She was also the mother of the successor Amenemhat II. Senusret I was known by his prenomen, Kheperkare,
which means "the Ka of Re is created."[2]
He continued his father's aggressive expansionist policies against Nubia by initiating two expeditions into this region in his
10th and 18th Years and established Egypt's formal southern border at the fortress of Buhen near the second cataract where he
placed a garrison and a victory stele.[3] He also organized an expedition to a Western Desert oasis in the Libyan desert. Senusret
I established diplomatic relations with some rulers of towns in Syria and Canaan. He also tried to centralize the country's
political structure by supporting nomarchs who were loyal to him. His pyramid was constructed at el-Lisht. Senusret I is mentioned
in the Story of Sinuhe where he is reported to have rushed back to the royal palace in Memphis from a military campaign in Asia
after hearing about the assassination of his father, Amenemhat I.
Building program
Senusret I dispatched several quarrying expeditions to the Sinai and Wadi Hammamat and built numerous shrines and temples
throughout Egypt and Nubia during his long reign. He rebuilt the important temple of Re-Atum in Heliopolis which was the centre of
the sun cult &ndash. He erected 2 red granite obelisks there to celebrate his Year 30 Heb Sed Jubilee. One of the obelisks still
remains and is the oldest standing obelisk in Egypt. It is now in the Al-Masalla (Obelisk in Arabic) area of Al-Matariyyah district
near the Ain Shams district (Heliopolis). It is 67 feet tall and weighs 120 tons or 240,000 pounds.
Senusret I is attested to be the builder of a number of major temples in Ancient Egypt, including the temple of Min at Koptos, the
Satet-Temple on Elephantine, the Month-temple at Armant and the Month-temple at El-Tod, where a long inscription of the king is
preserved.
A shrine (known as the White Chapel) with fine, high quality reliefs of Senusret I, was built at Karnak to commemorate his Year 30
jubilee. It has subsequently been successfully reconstructed from various stone blocks discovered by Henri Chevrier in 1926.
Finally, Senusret remodelled the Temple of Khenti-Amentiu Osiris at Abydos, among his other major building projects.
The royal court
Some of the key members of the court of Senusret I are known. The vizier at the beginning of his reign was Intefiqer, who is known
from many inscriptions and from his tomb next to the pyramid of Amenemhat I. He seems to have held this office for a long period of
time and was followed by a vizier named Senusret. Two treasurers are known from the reign of the king: Sobekhotep (year 22) and
Mentuhotep. The latter had a huge tomb next to the pyramid of the king and he seems to have been the main architect of the Amun
temple at Karnak.
Succession
Senusret was crowned coregent with his father, Amenemhat I, in his father's 20th regnal year.[5] Towards the end of his own life,
he appointed his son Amenemhat II as his coregent. The stele of Wepwawetō is dated to the 44th year of Senusret and to the 2nd year
of Amenemhet, thus he would have appointed him some time in his 43rd year.[6] Senusret is thought to have died during his 46th year
on the throne since the Turin Canon ascribes him a reign of 45 Years.
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