20 - 26 September 2001
Issue No.552
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 20 - 26 September 2001 Issue No.552 |
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Adventure in the Bent Pyramid
By Zahi Hawass
When I was teaching at the American University in Cairo, I once told my students that we would share an adventure. We were going inside a pyramid which had been entered by only a few Egyptologists. Even some of the distinguished scholars specialising in the pyramid field had not entered it.
We met in front of the Pharaoh Senefru's "Bent Pyramid" at Dahshur, and I explained its history and archaeology. My class was surprised and delighted when we met Rainer Stadelmann, the former director of the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo. Rainer, who ranks among the finest of scholars, has dedicated his life to excavating around this pyramid and has made many interesting discoveries, among them the oldest capstone of the "North Pyramid" of Senefru, sometimes called the Red Pyramid. I told my students that Rainer was one of the few archaeologists with a profound knowledge of the pyramids and, let me add, he has also made solid friendships with many Egyptians.
"Why does Senefru have four pyramids?" asked Lesley Warden, one of my students. "Rainer can give you a better answer than I can," I replied. Rainer explained that the first pyramid Senefru built was at Sila in Fayoum. This did not have a burial chamber, and most scholars believe the pyramid, built behind the king's palace, must represent the primaeval mound. Senefru then started building a second pyramid in Meidum as a "step pyramid" but, for reasons unknown, he did not finish it. (Many tour guides, incidentally, still believe that this pyramid belonged to Huni, the last king of the third Dynasty). He subsequently went to Dahshur and there built the "Bent Pyramid" -- the original angle of 54 -- 31 -- 13 was later changed to 43 -- 21. After this he moved north and built the first "true pyramid" in Egypt, the Northern Pyramid. Finally, he returned to Meidum and completed the structure there as a true pyramid. We now believe that Senefru ruled for more than 54 years.
We eagerly anticipated our adventure: 12 young students about to enter the Bent Pyramid for the first time. We reached the entrance, a height of 11.8 metres. I climbed in first, with my famous hat on my head, and I could hear Lesley laughing and chatting to her colleagues, while most of the other students were silent. Marli Pope was ready to take photos with her digital camera for my web site. We entered a tunnel about 80 metres long and only 1.10 metres high. Hot and sweaty, we had to double over as we made our way to the corbelled room. Once inside, I thought of the first engineer who cleaned and worked inside the pyramid, Abdel-Salam Hussein. He believed there were secret chambers yet to be discovered.
I warned my students in advance that, in order to reach the floor of the lower burial chamber, we had to climb 6.25m up the south wall on wooden stairs that were very difficult to negotiate. I thought one or two might opt out. But no, in unison they proclaimed that they wanted to go on. We found two tunnels leading from the south wall to a shaft which did not seem to lead anywhere. We also saw another tunnel extending from the floor up to about 12m. This led to another tunnel running east- west. We went to the east and found a portcullis in the room of another burial chamber.
We were surprised to find cedarwood beams. This was to us a mystery. Lesley asked if Senefru might have brought this wood from Byblos in ancient Lebanon.
We had another surprise when we felt what the explorers Vyse and Perring had also noticed on 15 October, 1839. Cool air was coming from the interior of the pyramid and appeared to flow towards its exit. This may be evidence that one of the chambers is connected to the exterior of the pyramid. Our great archaeologist, the late Ahmed Fakhry, noticed this too, and speculated that another part of the interior of the pyramid had yet to be discovered.
The inside of the Bent Pyramid is different from all others. It was a thrill to share such an experience with the enthusiastic students. "We will never forget our adventure inside the Bent Pyramid," one of them, Kristin Eakins, said.
As for me, I certainly couldn't forget our adventure, because after all that climbing I couldn't move my legs for three days!
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