, vizier and designer of
Khufu's pyramid, at the
Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum Hildesheim, Germany. His feet rest on columns of
Egyptian hieroglyphs, painted in yellow, red, brown, and black. The viziers were appointed by the
pharaohs. The vizier's paramount duty was to supervise the running of the country, much like a
prime minister. At times this included small details such as sampling the city's water supply. All other lesser supervisors and officials, such as
tax collectors and
scribes, reported to the vizier. The judiciary was part of the civil administration, and the vizier also sat in the High Court. At any time, the pharaoh could exert his own control over any aspect of
government, overriding the vizier's decisions. The vizier also supervised the security of the pharaoh and the palace by overseeing the comings and goings of palace visitors. The viziers often acted as the pharaoh's seal bearer as well, and the vizier would record trade. From the Fifth Dynasty onwards, viziers, who by then were the highest civilian bureaucratic official, held supreme responsibility for the administration of the palace and government, including jurisdiction, scribes, state archives, central granaries, treasury, storage of surplus products and their redistribution, and supervision of building projects such as the royal pyramid. == Installation of the Vizier ==