Egypt - 4. Chapter 4

Upon our arrival we were met by Dr. Al Khatib.

”I have booked rooms for you in the Four Seasons Hotel. Once your party is ready, I’ll travel with you and my grandson will accompany me. That isn’t an issue is it?”

“Not at all. It will be like old times.”

“Where are you thinking about setting up camp”?

I chuckled to myself. It seems that Dr. Al Khatib would like to know more about our project.

“We want to investigate some rumors in Saqqara.”

The smile on Dr. Al Khatib’s face said it all about our chosen site. I knew it wasn’t a typical area for excavation but with the use of the sonor machine I thought that area would be interesting.

Two days later, the engineer and the sonor machine arrived. I was still surprised to see that the engineer was a woman, even though Steven had warned me. That posed one issue, once on site, where would she sleep? We had tents that would sleep 4. Steven’s suggested solution was to set up a cot in the control tent just for her.

We prepared to take the Nile river to Luxor. From Luxor, we will hire trucks to take our equipment to the Saggara region. Once there, we will set up camp.

When we arrived at our designated site, Dr. Al Khatib suggested we set up camp close to the hills. Explaining that the winds will move the sand around, we will need some sort of shelter to block the wind or our tents will be filled with sand. Taking his advice, the control tent was surrounded by the personnell tents.

Riding in the truck with Dr. Al Khatib we discussed the region.

“I think you will find this a most interesting area, as it is considered part of the Third Dynasty. The name of the pharaoh was Djoser. He was an interesting man and I hope we will see some of his works.”

The ride wasn’t long but the roads and the sand storms slowed us down. It took almost eleven hours to reach Saggara. Sand storms are not uncommon in Egypt, and delayed us but our team were safe and so were the local men and equipment.

On arriving, Dr. Al Khatib suggested we set up camp close to a hill in order to prevent sand storms affecting our equipment and ourselves.

We selected an area close to a strange pyramid. Unlike the typical pyramids in the Cairo area, this pyramid was made of blocks of stone stacked on top of each other.

“It looks like steps rather than the slippery side of the pyramids north of here. Is there an entrance like the pyramids up north?”

“If the books are right, the advantage of this type of pyramid is that the vaults are under the stones. To get to these vaults, you would have to remove most of the upper stone level.”

“We can’t move those stones, We don’t have the equipment.”

“Let’s use the ground sonar equipment and see what we can find. Have the engineer scan the surface all around the pyramid. There may be a hidden way in, underground.”

“Do you really think there might be a way in from outside of the pyramid itself?”

“I find it hard to believe that the chambers under the pyramid were completed and then the pyramid was built on top. If this is the burial spot of the pharaoh, there has to be a way into the burial chambers under the pyramid.”

That evening they mapped out a grid to be used in the morning. The size of the blocks would indicate that once in position it would be difficult to move them. If this was the burial site of Djoser, then the pyramid was built while Djoser was alive.

Early the next morning, the team using sonar equipment and a grid, began to scour the area around the pyramid. The front of the pyramid and the sides showed no vaults. This meant that if there was an entrance it would have to be between the mountain and the pyramid.

“Is there a possibility the vaults are under that mountain and not under the pyramid?”

“No. If that was done, then there would be some sort of building in front to protect the entrance. I think you will find the entrance next to the pyramid.”

No sooner were those words uttered when Steven yelled, “We found it!” Now the camp was excited. This pyramid was the first of its kind. The pyramids that came later were the traditional ones found in the Cairo and Luxor area.