Aya was an Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...

ian king's wife of the Thirteenth Dynasty

Thirteenth dynasty of Egypt

The thirteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties XI, XII and XIV under the group title Middle Kingdom. Other writers separate it from these dynasties and join it to Dynasties XIV through XVII as part of the Second Intermediate Period...

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She is known from two sources. Aya appears on a stela now in Würzburg

Würzburg

Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....

. From this source it is clear that she was part of an influential family of high court officials and was related to the Vizier

Vizier (Ancient Egypt)

The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king, or pharaoh during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc, among Egyptologists...

 Ankhu

Ankhu

Ankhu was an Egyptian vizier who lived in the 13th Dynasty around 1750 BC.Ankhu is known from several monuments dating to the reigns of the 13th Dynasty kings Khendjer and Sobekhotep II, attesting that he served several kings. Ankhu appears in the Papyrus Boulaq 18 as the head of the court...

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She also appears in the Papyrus Boulaq 18

Papyrus Boulaq 18

The Papyrus Boulaq 18 is an Ancient Egyptian document found in 1860 AD in the tomb of the scribe of the great enclosure Neferhotep. It is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo....

. This is an administrative account belonging to the Theban palace of a Thirteenth Dynasty king. It was found in the tomb of the scribe of the great enclosure Neferhotep

Neferhotep (scribe of the great enclosure)

Neferhotep was an Ancient Egyptian official with the title scribe of the great enclosure. He lived during the 13th Dynasty, around 1750 BC. His tomb was found in 1860 by Auguste Mariette in Dra Abu el-Naga and contained an important range of objects, most notably of which was the Papyrus Boulaq 18...

. The name of the king in this papyrus is only partly preserved. Many scholars read the remains as Sobekhotep II

Sobekhotep II

birth name: Sobekhotep throne name: Sekhemre KhutawySobekhotep II was an Egyptian king of the 13th Dynasty.He is known from several monuments, including a statue, several Nile level records in Nubia and from building works at Medamud and Luxor...

, although other dispute that reading. Other suggestions include King Sehetepkare Intef and King Imyremeshaw

Imyremeshaw

Imyremeshaw Smenkhkare was an Egyptian king of the 13th dynasty, who is known from the Turin King List as well as two massive colossal statues and a bead...

. Therefore, there is some doubt over the identification of Aya's husband.