King Senusret III
(Sesostris III)
The original name is (S that Usert), which means the god Usert, and the royal name is (Khao Ka Ra), which means the power of the coming Ra.
He is the fifth king of the Twelfth Dynasty (the Middle Kingdom) and is considered one of the Egyptians’ most important and greatest kings and even in Egyptian history. It is no less than King Mina and Khufu in the old state, and Ahmose and Thutmose the third in the modern state, and therefore he won fame that he did not get one of the kings of the Middle Kingdom. The Greeks called him Sesostris III, and it is the source from which they derived their legend, Sesostris, as myths and legends have been scattered around him for long periods because he is one of the influential people in the history of the Egyptians and also because he is a great warrior and a seasoned politician and economist of the first order, as he arrived in the reform process The agricultural and economic situation in Egypt in this period, which made Egypt in the ranks of the major economic countries at that time.
By his works, he proved the pride of his affiliation with that glorious family, and his memory continued to resonate even after two centuries had passed as one of the most powerful kings so that some of them raised him in the ranks of deities.
The rise of King Senusret III
He grew up in the care of his father, Senusert the Second, and his mother is (Nefer Hajit the First) and witnessed the prosperity in which Egypt lived under the rule of his safe father. His father participated in the last years of his reign to be ready to succeed him.
He began to rule Egypt after the death of his father and the rule of Egypt between the year (1878-1843 BC). During this period, he was able to eliminate the influence of the provincial rulers after their wealth and influence increased. More or less, and thus the prestige and holiness of the ruling king has returned, which is what benefited those who followed him in power.
And he continued his father’s policy by taking an interest in agriculture, so he established the first water channel that connected the Red and the Mediterranean through the Nile River. He called this canal Sesostris, and it stretched from the Mediterranean to the Nile River. The second section, which extends from the Nile to the Red Sea, was called the Karbet canal. This canal played a major role in advancing agriculture and contributed to the prosperity of trade greatly.
Therefore, King Senusret III was able to double Egypt’s fortunes and bring about many political, economic, and social developments.
King Senusret married a large number of women, and he also had a large number of concubines, the most prominent of whom were (Marit Sijar, Nefer Hanut Khenmat, and Nefer Hajjit the second, and he had many sons from them, most notably his successor Amenemhat III, Mint, Merit and others.
“Senusret III” is considered by the Egyptians as one of the greatest conquerors who waged fierce wars defending Egypt’s borders on the south against Sudan and the north against the Asians. Still, the wars he launched in the south were his preoccupation throughout his life for this. The Egyptians considered him one of the greatest So conquer them so that they sanctified it after nearly two centuries, and his name remained passed down through the generations. They mentioned it in their heritage as “Sesostris.”
Senusret III policy after taking office
Before Senusret III began to pay attention to foreign political reforms and expansion and expansion, he reformed the state’s infrastructure. He undertook many economic reforms, including the opening of many canals and canals. Many lands were reclaimed, and the provision of many political reforms and Chief among them are reforms in the system of government, especially in the regions.
Eliminate the influence of regional rulers
When Senusret the Third ascended to the throne, I became interested in confronting the problem of local fiefs, after they acquired vast powers that sometimes rival the authority of the king himself, and this extravagance in the Bani Hassan cemeteries in Minya, or the activity of the family of, Johouti Hotep in Hatnoub.
Senusret I, the grandfather of King Senusret III, had solved this problem when he distributed the minister’s functions. When Senusret III came, he resolved to eliminate the feudal powers who were gradually transforming into local family leaders, based on old family traditions from those that were The king belongs to him, so he abolished the position of governor of the region unconditionally, even if he excluded one ruler, who is (Wa-ka), the ruler of Antipolis, who remained in his position until the reign of Amenemhat the Third.
Senusret III pyramid in Dahshur
The construction of the pyramids in Egypt from the Old Kingdom until the Middle Kingdom was one of the most important national projects ordered by King Senusret III to be buried in them, thus forming an equal status in the hereafter.
This king built a pyramid for himself from mud and covered with stones and was located in Dahshur, north of “Lisht,” meaning “Lahoun,” and he called it (Heteb). It is distinguished by the design of the burial chamber in it, as it placed its entrance away from the building of the pyramid on the western side, as it had another entrance on the eastern side. It leads to a hall that penetrates the tomb of one of the queens and three princesses until a person reaches this room, and this is an innovative method unique to its door in this era.
King Senusret III chose the Dahshur area to construct a pyramid of the building with milk on one of the heights overlooking the capital, at a close distance from the pyramid of his grandfather, Amenemhat the Second.
The length of the side of the pyramid is approximately 100 meters, built with mud and cladding of limestone, but it is now destroyed. On the outer surface of the pyramid building, the builders left successive rungs sufficient for the width of each to place a mass of limestone; then, they placed these stones in their prepared places. Historians have mentioned that this pyramid They built on clean sand from the surrounding desert sand.
The entrance leading to the inside of the pyramid was through a pit far from its base, on the western side. “De Morgan” was found, and it is blocked at present, and we see from this that the architect of this pyramid did not follow the old tradition in making the entrance on the northern side to hide the position For thieves.
The death of Senusret III
In the last days of his rule, which lasted thirty-eight years, “Senusret III” made his son (Amenemhat the Third) participate in ruling the country, following that firm habit that his fathers had previously enacted for him. It appears that the period of his son’s participation in power was short because we suspect that a man is in the power of “Senusret” »And the light of his determination was inclined to divide his power since during his reign we did not hear much about the rulers of fiefs. It seems that he spent a final judgment on them and wiped out all their authority until his successor after him became dominant over the country from the ends to the ends and became the divine ruler over it, as was the case in the era of“ Khufu ” And Khafre.
And when he died, the reign of a mighty and majestic king ended. If his reign was measured by what he had achieved in terms of the honour and greatness of his status in the souls of the people during his life and after his death for many generations, then without conflict, he is considered one of the most prestigious and glorious eras in Egyptian history, that era in which the basis for building the empire was laid. It is not surprising then that we see the profound impact of “Senusret” activity, who does not know boredom in the souls of his people.
Senusret III continued to rule Egypt until he died in 1839 BC after he remained in power for thirty-nine years spent in development and reform and achieved many achievements that immortalized his name as one of the most prominent kings of Egypt throughout history.