Mahu

Mahu was the Chief of Police at Akhetaten.

Biography

Mahu was Chief of the paramilitary Medjay force of Akhetaten under Akhenaten. The Medjay used to be a term for the people of the Eastern desert who were known for their military skills, and at this time referred to the police.

Scenes in the tomb show platforms with ramps manned by police. Military standards are shown on these platforms. These structures may have formed a series of watchtowers and watch posts that were used to patrol the city.

In the back is a doorway to a second chamber that is positioned slightly askew compared to the first chamber. A winding set of stairs at the back of this second chamber leads down to an intermediary room. Further steps complete the turn and lead to the lower chamber which contains the burial pit.

In modern literature

Paul C. Doherty wrote a trilogy of books told by Mahu in a (very frank) first-person narrative, recounting the events of the age of Akhenaten and his part in them and his relationships with other personages of the Amarna period. An Evil Spirit Out of the West (2003) The Season of the Hyaena (2005) The Year of the Cobra (2005)