Sobekhotep VIII

Sobekhotep VIII was a pharaoh of the Theban Sixteenth Dynasty during the Second Intermediate Period. He ruled from Thebes for approximately sixteen years, conventionally dated between 1645 and 1629 BC, with dates uncertain by roughly twenty-five years. His administration was confined largely to Upper Egypt, coexisting with the foreign Hyksos dynasty established in the north.

The period was characterised by political division, economic pressure, and periodic natural disasters. The Theban region functioned as an autonomous enclave, attempting to uphold traditional pharaonic ceremonial and religious life despite limited territorial reach.

Scholars know Sobekhotep VIII primarily from the Turin King List and an important limestone stela discovered at Karnak. The stela records that the king visited the temple of Amun during an exceptionally high Nile flood, entering the inundated sanctuary to perform purification rituals. His burial place has not been discovered.

Monuments

• Karnak stela

Explore further

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