Sobekhotep IV

Sobekhotep IV ruled Egypt during the Thirteenth Dynasty, a phase of the Second Intermediate Period characterised by frequent successions. He reigned from around 1730 BC to 1720 BC, with dates uncertain by about twenty years. He succeeded his brother Neferhotep I and governed from the administrative capital at Itjtawy.

His reign is distinguished by an unusual degree of stability and royal activity compared with his immediate predecessors and successors. Inscriptions record quarrying expeditions and military activity, reflecting an administration that maintained control across the Nile Valley. Although royal authority soon fragmented across regional centres, his rule represents a temporary resurgence of central governance.

Scholars know of Sobekhotep IV from surviving royal stelae and monumental sculpture, including surviving statues dedicated at Karnak, as well as rock inscriptions in the Wadi Hammamat. His burial site is debated, though a large tomb at Abydos has been proposed as his possible resting place.

Monuments

• Statues at Karnak
• Stela at Karnak
• Wadi Hammamat inscriptions

Explore further

Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.