THE DRY MOAT

SURROUNDING

THE STEP PYRAMID COMPLEX AT SAQQARA

THE GREAT

RECTANGULAR

MONUMENTS

OF

MIDDLE SAQQARA THE STEP PYRAMID COMPLEX WAS BUILT BY

IMHOTEP

AND WAS RESTORED BY

JEAN-PHILIPPE LAUER

THE RECTANGULAR MONUMENTS AT ABYDOS WERE SURROUNDED BY DOUBLE WALLS OR TOMBS OF COURTIERS TOMBS OF COURTIERS ALSO SURROUNDED

THE ROYAL TOMBS AT ABYDOS *** THE TOMB OF DEN THE GREAT RECTANGULAR MONUMENTS AT MIDDLE SAQQARA

ARE NOT

SURROUNDED BY EITHER

DOUBLE WALLS

OR

TOMBS OF COURTIERS

THE DISCOVERY OF THE DRY MOAT WITH THE HELP OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF 1924 AND 1950 THE DISCOVERY WAS ANNOUNCED AT

THE 4TH CONGRESS OF EGYPTOLOGISTS

MUNICH 1985

AND PUBLISHED

LONDON 1988

AND

VIENNA 2006

THE PLAN OF THE DRY MOAT SHOWS CHANNELS WHICH OVERLAP ON THE SOUTH SIDE THE HIEROGLYPHS BATTLMENTED ENCLOSURE, REED SHELTER IN THE FIELDS AND ON NARMER’S MACE HEAD; THE ENCLOSURE HAS OVERLAPPING WALLS GUNTER DREYER

DISCOVERED THAT AT THE ROYAL TOMBS OF ABYDOS AN EMBANKMENT WALL WHICH SURROUNDED THE LOWER TUMULUS WAS OVERLAPPING ON ONE SIDE THE SOUTHERN OVERLAPING WALLS AT GISR EL MODIR THE ELBOW IN THE SOUTH TEMENOS WALL OF THE PYRAMID OF KHAFRA TO APPROACH THE DRY MOAT

WE HAVE TO CONSIDER

THE ROYAL TOMBS OF THE SECOND DYNASTY,

THE PYRAMID OF UNAS,

ITS CAUSEWAY

AND BOAT PITS THE POSITION OF THE PYRAMID OF UNAS AT MIDDLE SAQQARA THE PYRAMID OF UNAS WAS BUILT OVER

AN UNEXCAVATED PIT AND THE

GALLERIES OF HOTEPSEKHEMWY THE UNEXCAVATED PIT EXTENDING UNDER THE PYRAMID OF UNAS THE PYRAMID OF UNAS AND THE UPPER TEMPLE OVER THE TOMB OF HOTEPSEKHEMWY THE LAYOUT OF THE ROYAL TOMBS OF THE SECOND DYNASTY AT SAQARA

THE OUTER SOUTH CHANNEL

BEGINS AT THE AREA OF

THE UNAS BOAT PITS THE BOAT PITS MAY HAVE BEEN PARTLY CONSTRUCTED

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE OUTER SOUTH CHANNEL THE OUTER SOUTH CHANNEL THE UNAS CAUSEWAY DIKE BY THE MASTABA OF NEFERSESHEMPTAH SECTION IN THE UNAS CAUSEWAY DIKE BUILT IN THE OUTER SOUTH CHANNEL BY THE TOMBS OF

NEFER AND THE 2 BROTHERS AHMED MOUSSA DISCOVERED THOSE AND OTHER ROCK TOMBS ALONG THE CAUSEWAY OF UNAS (IN THE OUTER SOUTH CHANNEL) THE EAST CHANNEL GOES BY THE GREAT SHAFT

LEPSIUS 21 AND THE PYRAMID OF USERKAF THE PYRAMID OF USERKAF WAS THE FIRST INTRUSION IN THE AREA ENCLOSED BY THE DRY MOAT THE UPPER TEMPLE OF THE PYRAMID OF USERKAF IS FOUND ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE PYRAMID BECAUSE OF THE DRY MOAT THE CHANNELS OF THE DRY MOAT IN 1927 THE NORTH WEST CORNER OF THE DRY MOAT

AS SEEN FROM THE TOP OF THE STEP PYRAMID THE WEST CHANNEL OF THE DRY MOAT ***** AT THE AREA OF PTAHHOTEP, 40 METRES OF THE EAST BANK WERE UNITENTIALLY CLEARED BY AHMED MOUSSA

TO THE SOUTH IS THE WORK OF THE POLISH EXPEDITION UNDER KAROL MYSLIWIEC THE POLISH EXCAVATION THE WESTERN CHANNEL OF THE DRY MOAT AND GISR EL MODIR THE CHANNELS OF THE DRY MOAT IN 1933 TIMELINES

studies in honour of MAFRED BIETAK OLA 149, three volumes, 2006 THE INNER SOUTH CHANNEL

EXCAVATIONS REVEALED 2 ANCIENT FILLINGS DATING TO DYNASTIES 5 AND 6

OVER SEVERAL DEEP COMPARTMENTS THE INNER SOUTH CHANNEL COULD NOT BE SEEN ON AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN BEFORE THE EARLY FORTIES THE FIRST AREA ALONG THE NORTH BANK OF THE INNER SOUTH CHANNEL THE FIRST AREA ALONG THE NORTH BANK AND THE SOUTH EAST CORNER OF THE TEMENOS WALL OF THE STEP PYRAMID COMPLEX THE SECOND AREA ALONG THE NORTH BANK THE ROCK TOMBS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SOUTH ROCK WALL

OF THE INNER SOUTH CHANNEL;

SPECTACULAR COMPARTMENTS

WERE TUNNELLED

AT 4 LEVELS BEFORE 1937 THE EASTERN COMPARTMENT WAS COMPLETELY BURIED

MASTABAS OF HOTEP, ‘X’, ‘Y’AND ‘Z’ WERE EXCAVATED AT THE FIRST AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK IN 1937-1938

SELIM HASSAH

INVESTGATED THOSE MASTABAS

AND PARTLY UNEARTHED THREE COMPARTMENTS

AT THE FIRST AREA IN 1975 ZAKI ISKANDER

PUBLISHED THE FIELD NOTES OF

SELIM HASSAN

WHICH OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST,

THEY DID NOT MENTION

THE COMPARTMENTS PLAN AND SECTIONS OF THE FIRST AREA

ALONG THE SOUTH BANK

THE EASTERN, MIDDLE AND WESTERN

COMPARTMENTS THE FIRST AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK THE EASTERN COMPARTMENT AFTER THE CLEARANCE

THE SOUTH AND NORTH ROCK WALLS OF THE FIRST COMPARTMENT AND REMAINS OF THE UPPER HARD ROCK STRATUM ROOF THE 3 COMPARTMENTS HAVE

CONNECTING CORRIDORS THE FIRST AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK

THE MIDDLE COMPARTMENT

WITH REMAINS OF THE UPPER HARD ROCK STRATUM ROOF THE MIDDLE COMPARTMENT WITH REMAINS OF THE HARD ROCK STRATUM ROOF UNDER MASTABA ‘Z’, THE WESTERN COMPARTMENT IS PARTLY BLOCKED ITS FLOOR IS AT CORRIDOR LEVEL WEST OF THE WESTERN COMPARTMENT IS NOT ACCESSIBLE MASTABA Z IN 1939-1943

ZAKI SAAD

MADE IMPORTANT DISCOVRIES SEEN ON

UNPUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHS AT THE

SECOND AND THIRD AREAS THE SECOND AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK THE GREAT COMPARTMENT. PLAN AND SECTIONS THE SECOND AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK IN 1939 THE GREAT COMPARTMENT AND REMAINS OF THE LOWER HARD ROCK STRATUM ROOF THE WESTERN FILLING AND

THE THIRD AREA ALONG SOUTH BANK

THE NEW COMPARTMENT 1943 THE SOUTH BANK BY THE PYRAMID OF UNAS THE THIRD AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK

THE NEW COMPARTMENT BEING EXCAVATED

WITH REMAINS OF THE LOWER HARD ROCK STRATUM ROOF LOOKING WEST

SEASON 1939 THE THIRD AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK

THE NEW COMPARTMENT BEING EXCAVATED

WITH REMAINS OF THE LOWER HARD ROCK STRATUM ROOF

LOOKING EAST

SEASON 1939 THE THIRD AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK

THE NEW COMPARTMENT WEST END WITH REMAINS OF THE LOWER HARD ROCK STRATUM ROOF SEASON 1943 THE LOWER HARD ROCK STRATUM SPANS OVER THE END OF THE NEW COMPARTMENT IN THE FORM OF A ROCK VAULT THE THIRD AREA ALONG THE SOUTH BANK

THE NEW COMPARTMENT COMPLETELY EXCAVATED

WITH REMAINS OF THE LOWER HARD ROCK STRATUM ROOF AND THE 10 NICHES

LOOKING EAST

SEASON 1943 THE 10 NICHES AND THE UNLEVELLED BED DRAWN BY ZAKI SAAD LOOKING SOUTH A RUIN OF LAYERS OF THIRD DYNASTY MASONRY ON THE LOWER HARD ROCK STRATUM WEST OF THE NEW COMPARTMENT NORTH OF UNAS THE SOUTH BANK OF THE INNER SOUTH CHANNEL CREATED SECTIONS IN EARLIER GALLERIES ABOVE THE LAYER MASONRY EXCAVATING THE TOMB OF PRINCESS KHENKAWES 20 METRES FROM THE SOUTH WEST CORNER OF THE DRY MOAT 1943