Nahirqo

Iconography Portrait of the ruler buried in Beg. N 11, identified as Nahirqo The iconography used in Beg. N 11 and the double statue attributed to Nahirqo represent a woman who is wearing the royal attire and crown otherwise associated only with kings. The tomb also contains reliefs of men holding arrows, a Meroitic burial motif also found in other pyramids.

The double statue pairs Nahirqo with an unidentified male associate, who has a raised arm placed behind the queen's crown. The man is depicted as equally large and was presumably of royal status. He was most likely a non-ruling member of the royal house, inferred through his more modest costume and his simple diadem. It is possible that the statue should be interpreted as showing a transmission of power, designating the man (perhaps a prince) as the future heir to the throne. The Fontes Historiae Nubiorum offers an alternate interpretation, suggesting that the man was an earlier crown prince who died before becoming king and whose rights were then vindicated by the queen.

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