Qar (doctor)

Qar (c. 2350 BC – c. 2300 BC)^[1] was a doctor during the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, which lasted from about 2350 to 2180 BC. He was the royal physician.^[2]

Adil Hussein discovered his tomb north of the pyramid of Sekhemkhet in 2001.^[2] Qar died around the age of 50^[1] and his mummified remains were discovered by archaeologists in December 2006 in his mastaba at Saqqara, Egypt.^[3] As with many other tombs in Saqqara, his tomb was re-used several times.^[4]

Beside his mummy in the limestone sarcophagus, there were metal (bronze^[4] or copper^[1][5]) model tools that were entombed alongside his remains. In press reports following the discovery of the tomb and in several publications, they are regarded as surgical instruments.^[6] It was stated that they might be the oldest surgical tools in the world.^[1] However, these types of model tools are common in many Old Kingdom burials of officials with different functions. They are not surgical instruments. They are model tools.^[7] They, his mummy and the rest of the findings are in the Imhotep Museum at Saqqara.^{[citation needed]}