u/ProbablyMahmoud

Harkhuf, an Egyptian official and expedition leader, traveled south of Egypt and returned with a dwarf (pygmy). When the young Pharaoh Pepi II learned about him, he sent Harkhuf a letter expressing his great excitement and ordering him to take special care of the man during the journey.

The king instructed Harkhuf to make sure the dwarf remained safe, appoint trustworthy guards to protect him, and prevent him from falling into the water. Pepi II even stated that he was more eager to see the dwarf than to receive the valuable goods brought from distant lands.

The letter is preserved as an inscription in Harkhuf’s tomb at Qubbet el-Hawa near Aswan, making this one of the most remarkable surviving accounts of a personal royal correspondence from ancient Egypt.

Harkhuf, an Egyptian official and expedition leader, traveled south of Egypt and returned with a dwarf (pygmy). When the young Pharaoh Pepi II learned about him, he sent Harkhuf a letter expressing his great excitement and ordering him to take special care of the man during the journey.

The king instructed Harkhuf to make sure the dwarf remained safe, appoint trustworthy guards to protect him, and prevent him from falling into the water. Pepi II even stated that he was more eager to see the dwarf than to receive the valuable goods brought from distant lands.

The letter is preserved as an inscription in Harkhuf’s tomb at Qubbet el-Hawa near Aswan, making this one of the most remarkable surviving accounts of a personal royal correspondence from ancient Egypt.