The Children of Adam and Eve

Senusret I was the second pharaoh of Egypt in the 12th dynasty (1991-1803 BC), second of two dynasties in the Middle Kingdom Period.

He was one of the most powerful Kings of this Dynasty and was the son of Amenemhat I and his wife Nefertitanen. His own wife and sister was Neferu. She was also the mother of the successor Amenemhat II.

He continued his father's aggressive expansionist policies against Nubia by initiating two expeditions into this region in his 10th and 18th Years and established Egypt's formal southern border near the second cataract where he placed a garrisonand a victory stele. He also organized an expedition to a Western Desert oasis in the Libyan desert. Senusret I established diplomatic relations with some rulers of towns in Syria and Canaan. He also tried to centralize the country's politicalstructure by supporting nomarchs who were loyal to him. His pyramid was constructed at el-Lisht. Senusret I is mentioned in the Story of Sinuhe where he is reported to have rushed back to the royal palace in Memphis from a military campaign inAsia after hearing about the assassination of his father, Amenemhat I.

Senusret I dispatched several quarrying expeditions to the Sinai and Wadi Hammamat and built numerous shrines and Temples throughout Egypt and Nubia during his Long reign. He rebuilt the important Temple of Re-Atum in Heliopolis which was thecentre of the sun cult. He erected 2 red granite obelisks there to celebrate his Year 30 Heb Sed Jubilee. One of the obelisks still remains and is the oldest standing obelisk in Egypt. It is now in the Al-Masalla (Obelisk in Arabic) area ofAl-Matariyyah district near the Ain Shams district (Heliopolis).

Senusret I is attested to be the builder of a number of major Temples in Ancient Egypt, including the Temple of Min at Koptos, the Satet-Temple on Elephantine, the Month-Temple at Armant and the Month-Temple at El-Tod, where a Long inscriptionof the King is preserved.

A shrine (known as the White Chapel) with fine, high quality reliefs of Senusret I, was built at Karnak to commemorate his Year 30 jubilee. It has subsequently been successfully reconstructed from various Stone blocks discovered by HenriChevrier in 1926. Finally, Senusret remodelled the Temple of Khenti-Amentiu Osiris at Abydos, among his other major building projects.

Senusret I was the second pharaoh of Egypt in the 12th dynasty (1991-1803 BC), second of two dynasties in the Middle Kingdom Period.

He was one of the most powerful kings of this Dynasty and was the son of Amenemhat I and his wife Nefertitanen. His own wife and sister was Neferu. She was also the mother of the successor Amenemhat II.

He continued his father's aggressive expansionist policies against Nubia by initiating two expeditions into this region in his 10th and 18th Years and established Egypt's formal southern border near the second cataract where he placed a garrisonand a victory stele. He also organized an expedition to a Western Desert oasis in the Libyan desert. Senusret I established diplomatic relations with some rulers of towns in Syria and Canaan. He also tried to centralize the country's politicalstructure by supporting nomarchs who were loyal to him. His pyramid was constructed at el-Lisht. Senusret I is mentioned in the Story of Sinuhe where he is reported to have rushed back to the royal palace in Memphis from a military campaign inAsia after hearing about the assassination of his father, Amenemhat I.