The Trip That Keeps Growing: 5 Oct Pre-Tour Saqqara and Dahshur

5 Oct Pre-Tour Saqqara and Dahshur

Note: I have decided to put the photos associated with my blogs at the end of the blog. I do not have a lot of spare time, and it is a very tedious job placing the photos within the text.

Today is our first full day in Egypt. We arrived last night on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul, took a taxi and arrived at our hotel at 9:30 pm where we met up with our friends, Patrice and Larry Stevens. After breakfast, we began our first tour, with a trip to Saqqara and Dahshur. Our guide for the next four days is Dahlia. She is well-educated and also works as a free-lance teacher at the elementary, high school, and college levels. She is well versed in Ancient Egyptian history and hieroglyphics.

The drive to Saqqara was interesting. First of all, the traffic in Cairo is horrendous. Lanes mean nothing to these drivers. While the highway may have 4 lanes, in reality, there are usually about 7 lanes of cars, some going in the wrong direction. If there is a square inch of space between cars, another car will squeeze in. Lane lines mean nothing. Even in uncrowded highways, drivers, including the police, like to straddle the line. And they love to drive with their horns. This is definitely not the place for a timid driver!

Security is a big issue in Egypt, especially the safety of tourists. This is a result of a mass shooting at the Valley of the Kings in 1997 where 70 tourists (mostly Swiss, Japanese and German) were killed. Now whenever a group of tourists leaves the major city, they must be accompanied by an armed security guard. So, for this trip we had a guard. I am not sure how effective he would have been as he slept most of the drive, but he did carry a big gun!

We first visited the Pyramid of Djoser, a step pyramid located in Saqqara, that was the first pyramid built by the ancient Egyptians and only one of the few step pyramids still standing. Built by Imhotep, the administrator of Pharaoh Djoser in the early 27^th century BCE during the 3^rd Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, it was the first monument built with stone and 100 years before the construction of the Pyramids of Giza. (Note: The 3^rd dynasty was actually the first dynasty of the Old Kingdom which encompassed Dynasties 3-6.) It would serve as the main framework for all the other pyramids that were to follow. Many historians believe that this pyramid is the oldest large-scale cut stone construction in history. It was just a small part, albeit the main structure, in a funeral complex that at one time also contained a temple, chapels, courtyards, and underground galleries with many rooms. It should be noted that Imhotep, a non-royal himself, would later become deified after his death.

The step pyramid was not the first structure to be built in the necropolis of Saqqara. During the First Dynasty (3100-2900 BCE), the pharaohs and other royal members were buried in mastabas and had temples constructed there also. It is believed that Imhotep got his inspiration from mastaba #3038 (circa 2700 BCE) that was constructed in a rectangular design out of mudbricks. As a step pyramid, the Djoser Pyramid started out as a square (unlike the rectangle shape of a mastaba) but then had six additional levels (or steps) added to it.

The step pyramid is 205 feet high with a base that measures 397 feet by 358 feet, and at the time it was built, it was the tallest building in the world. It has 6 regular floors (or steps). Inside the pyramid is a labyrinth of blue-tiled tunnels measuring 3.72 miles which lead to a central shaft that ends at a 22-foot square chamber, 88 feet below the ground,

Diagram of Djoser Funeral Complex

In addition to the Step Pyramid we also visited the pyramid’s reception hall where not only important people, but also the common Egyptians, would enter the pyramid complex to bring offerings to their deceased king. We also saw the Festival Courtyard where the Het Celebration was held. The festival was named after the wolf or jackal god Sed and is believed to have its origin in the pre-dynastic era and continued until the Ptolemaic Period. The festival lasted two days – the first day the pharaoh had to kill a strong bull for the people of Lower Egypt, and after a day’s rest, he would kill another bull for the people of Upper Egypt. This would show that he was the ruler of the two sections of Ancient Egypt. Originally this festival would be held after a ruler had been in power for 30 years. Later pharaohs shortened this timeframe (it is believed that Ramses II celebrated his 14^th Sed when he was 65).

Following the Step Pyramid, we walked to the Unas pyramid complex. Unas was the last king of the 5^th Dynasty, but little is known about Unas other than that during his reign Egypt was in an economic decline. His pyramid, which is in a high state of decay, was the smallest of the royal pyramids built during the Old Kingdom. His complex consisted of the standard structures – his main pyramid, a mortuary temple, and another smaller pyramid, with a long causeway that connected the mortuary temple with the valley temple (of which some parts have been preserved). However, there was no little pyramid for his Queen. A little bit of description is in order here:

· A Mortuary temple was usually built very close to the pyramid and was used to commemorate the pharaoh’s reign and provide a place where the king’s followers or cult could use after his death.
· A Valley temple was built away from the pyramid and was used to receive the body of the pharaoh prior to entombment.

This is one of the few pyramids open to the public, but the entrance to the inner chambers was quite strenuous. To enter into the chambers, you had to duck walk down a wooden set of stairs (although it was just a board (slanted downward at about a 45-degree angle) with small pieces of wood placed every 12 inches and then walk through two small, very low passageways. Being tall (and with knees that do not like to take punishment), it was a small ordeal to get down to the burial chamber. The back up was a little easier, especially on the slanted board. But the trip down was worth every torturous step. What is important about this pyramid was that Unas was the first pharaoh to have Pyramid Texts carved on the chamber walls of his pyramid. This is the oldest collection of religious texts known to man – a collection of spells and formulas that were designed to protect the deceased in the afterlife and ensure he had a happy afterlife. The ceiling was filled with stars and the colorful wall drawings and hieroglyphics were spectacular (this pyramid is over 4000 years old).

We then walked to the Royal Cemetery where we visited two of the Nobles tombs or mastabas – Maya, the Treasurer of King Tut and Hore Mheb, the commander of the Egyptian armies under King Tut.. This cemetery is a collection of royal and nonroyal tombs dating from the 1^st and 2^nd dynasties, the Old Kingdom and the New Kingdom. Mastabas predated the development of the pyramids and were generally large rectangular, flat-roofed shaped structures that lay beneath the surface. These are generally the tombs of priests, soldiers, officials, and lower royalty like princes. The walls of these tombs are decorated with images of animals, fish, birds, insects, and hunters, herders, and farmers, some with their original paint that date back 4,500 years.

We also visited the Serapeum which was the burial place of the sacred Apis bulls, an incarnation of the ancient deity Ptah, but upon its death, the bull would be assimilated to Osiris, the god of resurrection. Dating back to the Old Kingdom, the Egyptian bull cult centered its worship on a single bull – Apis – and not on the entire species. The Apis bull was said to have been born to a cow that conceived after lightning from heaven came down to the cow. And after this bull was born, the mother, also referred to as the Isis cow, would never have another calf. The Apis calf would have had very distinctive markings – it was black with a white diamond on its forehead, an image of an eagle on its back, double the number of hairs on its tail, and the sign of a scarab under its tongue. The calf would then be taken from his mother to a temple to be purified and given luxurious accommodations and its own harem of cows. He would be allowed to run about the city of Memphis, symbolically fertilizing the earth. On his death, he was buried here in the Serapeum and a new Apis would be named.

The Serapeum is believed to have been built during the reign of Amenhotep III, but lay hidden underground until it was discovered by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette in 1851. The Serapeum is a massive underground complex, consisting of two chambers, one large (Grand Gallery) and one small (Lesser Gallery), with the larger chamber consisting of 24 niches filled with sarcophagi. When Marietta entered the larger chamber, he discovered that 23 of the 24 sarcophagi were open and the insides absolutely clean. However, he did find one unopened sarcophagus which he proceeded to damage by using dynamite to open it when he could not move the stone top. To his disappointment this tomb was also empty. There were also stone tablets containing hieroglyphics on the walls of the niches, several of which are in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The smaller chamber had just one large wooden sarcophagus containing the so-called body of one of Ramses II sons, Prince Khaemweset. The smaller chamber also contained bull statues and several mummified bulls, again buried in wooded boxes.

The Serapeum has intrigued and mystified archaeologists and scientists for years. There are several perplexing questions that have centered around the Serapeum and for which these archaeologists and scientists still have no answer.

First, how did the ancient Egyptians move these huge blocks of stone that weighed more than 100 tons and place them in the chamber niches. The quarry used to cut the blocks was almost 500 miles from Saqqara. Yes, they could have sailed them up by boat, but getting them from the Nile to the site of the Serapeum would have been a herculean feat. In an experiment using only a 1-2 ton block and using the old Egyptian method of wood planks to move the block, it took 30 men one day to move 900’. And these sarcophagi blocks weighed 100 tons! But the most perplexing question was how did they get them into the niches. The corridor leading to the niches was very narrow, not wide enough for any person to be on either side of the block. And the holes of the niches were 5’ below the floor of the passageway. I guess they ate a lot of Wheaties back then!

Secondly what was the purpose of the larger chamber. There is no evidence that bulls were ever buried in the sarcophagi. Were the tombs plundered by grave robbers, but if so, why did they take the time to clean the inside of the tomb. And why were the sarcophagi made much larger than would have been needed to bury a bull?

Another question involves the intact coffin found in the smaller chamber. It contained the mummy of a man and a gold mask containing the name Prince Khaemweset, the oldest son of Ramses II. The Prince was a high priest of Ptah and the governor of Memphis. He has also been called Egypt’s first Egyptologist for his work in discovering and restoring old tombs and temples, the Serapeum being perhaps his most treasured piece of work. This led Mariette to conclude that he had discovered the Prince’s tomb. Today, though, the assumption that this was the grave of the Prince, has been questioned by many scientists and unfortunately, both the body and the contents of the coffin have been lost. Many scientists believe that the body found were the bones from a bull. Was this the tomb of Ramses II’s son? No one can say for certain.

Even more intriguing is the question of how the sarcophagi were made. The sarcophagi were all different sizes and used different material – rose granite, grey granite, diorite, syenite, and grandiorite – all very hard and very difficult to cut. The outsides of the sarcophagi were basically a rough cut, but the insides revealed a high degree of engineering precision. The highly polished inside surfaces of the rectangle centers of the sarcophagi had been cut out with such precision (deviations as little of 2/10,000 of an inch), a feat that could not have been achieved using the basic bronze/stone tools that have been found during this time frame. The inside corners measure exactly 90 degrees – not 89.99 or 90.01. How did the ancient Egyptians accomplish this feat of engineering? This is a question that even today’s engineers cannot explain. One speculation that all you science fiction lovers will like is that these boxes were not created by the ancient Egyptians of Amenhotep III’s era, but are evidence of a much older and highly intelligent and technologically advanced civilization that has not yet been discovered. I’ll leave that to your imagination – you might want to Google “Khemitians.”

Bill and Larry then went to Dahlia to visit the mastaba of Ti, perhaps the finest decorated tomb in Saqqara. My knees were really screaming at me, so I decided to walk back to our van. Ti was an official during the Old Kingdom and his tomb contains scenes of ordinary daily life – fishing harvesting the grain and trading.

After lunch of grilled chicken and mashed beef (hamburger), we drove to Dahshur, a royal necropolis that is located on the west bank of the Nile about 25 miles south of Cairo. (I should note here that all the pyramids and tombs are located on the west side of the Nile. This was because the Ancient Egyptians believed that this was the location of the underworld as the sun set in the west.) Dahshur is famous for several of its pyramids, dating from 2613 – 2589 BCE, two of which are among the oldest, largest, and best preserved in Egypt. This afternoon we visited the Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid.

The Bent Pyramid was the first pyramid built at Dahshur and is one of Egypt’s most unusual and best-preserved pyramid. Built about 5000 years ago during the Old Kingdom it is thought to represent the transition from the old step pyramid to the newer smooth sided pyramids found at Giza. It was built by Pharaoh Snefru, founder of the Fourth Dynasty and father of Khufu who built the Great Pyramid at Giza and was the second of three pyramids built by Snefru. It stands at 332 feet high and was originally called “Snefru is shining in the south” because of its polished Tura limestone finish. It was the first attempt at building a smooth sided pyramid (vice a step pyramid), but serious miscalculations were made regarding the structural weight of the building blocks on the soft sand. They also made mistakes when cutting the blocks used to build the pyramid. When they were placed on top of one another, their weight was not appropriately distributed, and it caused the angle of the pyramid to be off, thus earning the pyramid the name “Bent” Pyramid. Originally designed to have a 54-degree slope, during construction the top of the pyramid (154 feet) was changed to a 43-degree slope. This was due to either cracks forming in the pyramid during construction or the belief by Snefru that construction was taking too long to complete, and he was nearing the end of his life. However, due to the fact that the Red Pyramid built nearby by Snefru has only a 43-degree slope seems to add credence to the first theory that the steeper slope was too unstable. It has also been suggested that the collapse of the Meidum Pyramid while under construction may have also influenced the decision to change the slope angle.

The Bent pyramid complex was surrounded by a wall and included, in addition to the pyramid, a side pyramid, a small mortuary temple and courtyard, and a causeway that led to the valley temple. The 60-foot high side pyramid is said to have been built for Snefru’s wife Hetepheres, but the chamber at the end of the passageway is too small for a human burial, so it was most likely used for ritual celebrations. While this pyramid is also open to the public, we did not go in and we did not see any the other structures in this pyramid complex.

The Red Pyramid, also known as the North Pyramid, located just north of the Bent Pyramid, is the first of ancient Egypt’s fully formed pyramids and the next step towards the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was built by the Pharaoh Snefru between 2575-2551 BCE. This was the third pyramid built by Snefru and was built after the problems associated with his first two pyramids. It took about 17 years to complete the Red Pyramid.

The largest pyramid in Dahshur, it is also considered to be the third largest pyramid after the Khufu and Khafre pyramids in Giza. It also has the second largest base with each side measuring 721 feet. It earned its name from the red limestone blocks used to build it. When originally constructed it was covered with white limestone, but only a few of those blocks remain at its base. Most of the white blocks were taken in the Middle Ages to construct new buildings in Cairo. It is also one of the few pyramids open to the public.

To date, no one knows where Snefru was buried as no mummy or burial chamber has been found. We do know that in addition to the three large pyramids, he also built two smaller ones, a small step pyramid at Seila and the Cult Pyramid, earning him the recognition as the greatest pyramid builder in Egypt. Archaeologists have discovered the mastabas of one of his sons at the Meidum pyramid.

This concluded a very long, exhausting, and hot day. The sun was very intense and walking on the loose sand was very tiring. However, Dahlia is very knowledge and very easy to understand. We all walked away with a better understanding of the necropolis of Saqqara and the pyramids at Dahshur. With traffic, it took us about 3 hours to return to our hotel.