In the course of the German-Egyptian archeological and epigraphic fieldwork in Assiut / Middle Egypt, ceiling paintings were uncovered in the tomb of the regional governor Djefai-Hapi I (ca., 1900 BC) between the years 2012 to 2014, their choice of motifs, their arrangement and in their monumentality set new standards of Egyptian design at the time of the Middle Kingdom. As a result of heavy soiling, however, these paintings were almost unnoticed in modern research. In cooperation with Egyptian restorers a partial cleaning of the paintings took place. In his volume "Ornaments in Motion", Jochem Kahl extensively presents the ceiling paintings and examines the significance and transfer of individual motifs and the entire ceiling pattern from Egypt and the Aegean region during the Middle Kingdom over the late Egyptian period to 19th century London. An analysis of the color pigments used, an index of personal names as well as numerous color charts and computer reconstructions give a comprehensive overview of the extraordinary ceiling decoration of the Great Transverse Hall.
Kahl, Ornamente in Bewegung: Die Deckendekoration der Großen Querhalle im Grab von Djefai-Hapi I. in Assiut, The Asyut Project 6, Edited by Jochem Kahl, Ursula Verhoeven and Mahmoud El-Khadragy, Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2016.