Side walls
Both side walls of the entrance niche (1-2) show the figures of the vizier carved in a very deep sunken relief. This technique was used mainly to decorate external wall surfaces; the protruding background protects fragile carvings and contributes to dramatic chiaroscuro effect. Merefnebef has been depicted here in an official dress, consisting of a short curled wig, long and loose-fitting kilt, broad collar, bracelets and a staff, an attribute of authority. The inscriptions above both figures contain some of his most important titles, including a nobleman, local prince, vizier, sole companion (of the king) and lector-priest.
Lintel
The long lintel (3), spanning the whole width of the façade, is decorated with four lines of hieroglyphic inscription executed in a distinctive technique. The signs have been very deeply carved and filled with blue pigment, strongly resembling the decoration of wall surfaces in burial chambers of the 6th Dynasty royal pyramids, where Pyramid Texts are written in a similar way.
The inscription contains the so-called offering formula, intended to assure that the deceased will be granted benefits resulting from royal favour. The inscription is translated here.
To the left of the inscription, Merefnebef is depicted in the company of his wife (her figure is almost completely eroded and thus barely visible) and one of his sons, Manefer, whose figure and name have been deliberately erased in ancient times.
Below the lintel and on both sides of the entranceway, there are long inscriptions arranged in vertical columns and executed in bas relief, with all tiny details of the signs precisely and skillfully painted. In these inscriptions, the vizier appeals to persons who would visit his tomb, advertising his own virtues and accomplishments, and warning them against desecrating his house of eternity. The inscriptions are translated here: that to the south (right) of the entrance (4) and to the left (north) of it (5).
Below the inscriptions, each wall (6-7) is decorated with four figures of the vizier in a festive dress consisting of a short, stiff kilt, a broad collar, as well as a sceptre and a long staff. Merefnebef has been depicted alternately, as a lector-priest – in a shoulder-long wig, with a leopard skin and a sash over his shoulder – and as a courtier, in a short, round wig with a headband, its long ends falling loosely on the back.
The entrance
Both side walls of the narrow entranceway are decorated with large figures of obese-looking (symbol of prosperity) Merefnebef exiting the chapel in the company of his women: on the southern wall (8) with his wife Zeshzeshet, on the northern wall (9) with a mysterious lady named Meresankh. Notwithstanding their intimate gesture, Meresankh was neither vizier’s wife nor his relative, as this would have been stated in the inscription above. Moreover, Meresankh is not represented or mentioned anywhere else in the tomb.
In each scene, the vizier is accompanied by two of his sons (their figures, except for one, who inherited his name from his father, have been deliberately erased).
Below, the lowermost part of each wall is occupied by boat scenes (10-11), most probably related to the vizier’s funeral ceremony, his funerary goods and offerings being transported by ships.