Merefnebef also called Unisankh and Fefi was a 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...

 from the Sixth dynasty of Egypt

Sixth dynasty of Egypt

The sixth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties III, IV and V under the group title the Old Kingdom.-Pharaohs:...

. He first served at the court of Teti

Teti

Teti, less commonly known as Othoes, was the first Pharaoh of the Sixth dynasty of Egypt and is buried at Saqqara. The exact length of his reign has been destroyed on the Turin King List, but is believed to have been about 12 years.-Biography:...

, possibly became vizier during the reign of Userkare

Userkare

Userkare was the second king of the Sixth Dynasty. He is generally seen as one of the leaders who opposed his predecessor, Teti's royal line and was most likely an usurper to the throne...

, and was dismissed during the reign of Pepi I.

Biography

Merefnebef was a hereditary prince and count. He served as a treasurer of the King of Lower Egypt

Lower Egypt

Lower Egypt is the northern-most section of Egypt. It refers to the fertile Nile Delta region, which stretches from the area between El-Aiyat and Zawyet Dahshur, south of modern-day Cairo, and the Mediterranean Sea....

, and held positions which place him close to the king. He was a keeper of the head ornaments, and was one who was privy to the secrets of the House of the Morning. Some of his titles say he was a guard and priest of Teti's pyramid. He may have become a vizier somewhat late in his career and those titles are recorded on the facade of his tomb.

Tomb

The mastaba

Mastaba

A mastaba, or "pr-djt" , is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with outward sloping sides that marked the burial site of many eminent Egyptians of Egypt's ancient period...

 of Merefnebef is located to the west of the Step Pyramid of Djoser. It is relatively small, but fully decorated. The burial chamber still contained a sarcophagus

Sarcophagus

A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...

with a lid. The scenes in the tomb show deliberate destruction. At least one of Merefnebef's sons had his images chiseled out throughout the tomb.