Ancient Egyptians - Sobeknefru
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The Queens of Ancient Egypt

Overview of the Life of Queen Sobeknefru
Queen Sobeknefru reigned from 1785 - 1782 BC. She was a queen of the 12th dynasty during the period in ancient Egyptian history known as the Middle Kingdom. Her name means "Beautiful of the God Sobek."  Sobek was the crocodile god of strength and power and the patron of the Egyptian army and royal warriors. Queen Sobeknefru became the first known female ruler of ancient Egypt. Her patronage of the god Sobek would have helped her gain the support of the military when she assumed the throne of Egypt. Queen Sobeknefru died after her very short reign leaving no heir. Her untimely death ended the period of the Middle Kingdom which was followed by the conquest and rule of the Hyksos. The Hyksos, meaning "foreign rulers", introduced the horse and the chariot to the ancient Egyptians. For additional facts about the royal women refer to Ancient Egyptian Queens.

Facts about Sobeknefru
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about Sobeknefru for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about Sobeknefru for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about Sobeknefru for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

Sobeknefru
Learn about this ancient Egyptian queen the fast and easy way via the Sobeknefru Fact sheet.

Ancient Egyptian Queen - Sobeknefru Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on Sobeknefru: Queen Sobeknefru reigned for just under four years from 1785 - 1782 BC during the 12th dynasty of the Middle Kingdom.

Fact 2 on Sobeknefru: She was a daughter of Pharaoh Amenemhet III and raised in the city of It-tawy that was believed to be located south of Memphis, in the Faiyum region. The city of It-tawy was was founded at the beginning of the 12th dynasty by King Amenemhat I.

Fact 3 on Sobeknefru: Her name meant the "Beauty of Sobek". Sobek was the  crocodile god of strength and power and the patron of the Egyptian army, royal warriors and a defender of the Egyptians.

Fact 4 on Sobeknefru: The early rulers of the 12th dynasty consisted of warrior kings regained control over Egypt by decreasing the power of the rich and highly influential Nomarchs who had governed regions of the kingdom of Egypt on behalf of the kings and ultimately robbed the kings of their authority.

Fact 5 on Sobeknefru: Sobeknefru and her brother acted as a co-regent with her elderly father during the final nine years of his reign.

Fact 6 on Sobeknefru: She entered an incestuous marriage with her brother who would eventually become King Amenemhet IV. Incest was an acceptable practise amongst the rulers of Egypt, in order to retain the sacred and divine bloodline.

Fact 7 on Sobeknefru: Pharaoh Amenemhet III had enjoyed a long reign, concentrating on improvements to agriculture and mining rather than military conquests. King Amenemhet IV was not a young man when he came to power and their marriage was childless.

Fact 8 on Sobeknefru: King Amenemhet IV died in 1787 B.C. and the queen, being the last member of the family,
assumed the throne

Fact 9 on Sobeknefru: Queen Sobeknefru ruled from It-tawy, the dynastic capital but also spent time in Crocodilopolis which was also in the central Faiyum region of Egypt - see map below.

Fact 10 on Sobeknefru: Crocodilopolis, meaning "Crocodile City", was the cult center of Sobek the crocodile god and the center of his worship.

Fact 11 on Sobeknefru: Sobeknefru was  known to complete her father Amenemhet III’s mortuary temple, the largest of all the temples of Egypt the so-called Labyrinth, at Hawara south of the site of the city of Crocodilopolis. Herodotus considered that the labyrinth surpassed the pyramids in its astonishing ambition. The Labyrinth consisted of two storeys with three thousand rooms, the lower rooms to contain royal tombs and also the tombs of the sacred crocodiles.

Fact 12 on Sobeknefru: She is also believed to have built a pyramid at Mazghuna, near Dashur, but it remained unfinished. The location of the queen's tomb is, to date, unknown.

Fact 13 on Sobeknefru: This queen of ancient Egypt died less than four years from assuming the throne.

Fact 14 on Sobeknefru: The early death of the Queen Sobeknefru ended the 12th dynasty and the start of the chaotic saw the beginning of the chaotic Second Intermediate Period which would eventually led to the conquest and rule of the Hyksos, the"foreign rulers" who introduced the horse and the chariot to the ancient Egyptians.

Ancient Egyptian Queen - Sobeknefru Fact Sheet

The 12th Dynasty Rulers

Name - Dates of Reign

King Amenemhet I - 1991–1962 BC

King Amenemhet II - 1929–1892 BC

King Senusret III - 1878–1841 BC

King Amenemhet IV - 1799–1787 BC

The 12th Dynasty Rulers

Sobeknefru
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and Queen Sobeknefru inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about Sobeknefru will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.

Sobeknefru