Heqaib

Heqaib Nomarch of the 1st nomos of Upper Egypt
Entrance of the tomb of Heqaib at Qubbet el-Hawa.
Successor	Sabni
Dynasty	6th Dynasty
Pharaoh	Pepi II Neferkare
Children	Sabni
Burial	Qubbet el-Hawa

Heqaib, also Hekaib or Hekayeb, was an ancient Egyptian nomarch of the 1st nomos of Upper Egypt ("Land of the Bow") under king Pepi II Neferkare, towards the end of the 6th Dynasty. He was also an officer in charge of military expeditions in Nubia.

His real name was Pepinakht (ppjj-nḫt - "[King] Pepi is strong"). As officer, he led at least three expeditions. All of these are registered on the façade of his tomb at Qubbet el-Hawa (near Aswan), after a long list of his titles.
In the first expedition, Pepinakht led a surprise attack in the lands of Wawat and Irthet, slaying many warriors and taking many prisoners to the court of the pharaoh. Then, he was sent back to the same places (second expedition) where he captured some chieftains, and also brought back a booty. For his third expedition, Pepinakht was instructed to bring back the corpse of Enenkhet; he was an expedition leader in charge to build a ship to reach the Land of Punt, but he was attacked and killed along with his escort by the "sand dwellers". Pepinakht's autobiography abruptly ends while he was attacking the "sand dwellers". However, it's very likely that he was able to accomplish even this mission.
His capabilities and charisma earned him the nickname Heqaib (ḥq3-ỉb - "He who controls his heart") and then, after his death, a quick divinization. This fact may be representative of the great power achieved by local authorities in this period, which is a prelude to the forthcoming collapse of the Egyptian state. His son, named Sebni, apparently succeeded him in his charges. In a room in an official building on Elephantine were found several wooden boxes with names of local officials. One box bears the name of Heqaib. These boxes were most likely used in rituals around the funerary cult of the people mentioned on them.