superintending all the various operations connected with the management of his large agricultural estates and farmyard, together with illustrations of his hunting and fishing expeditions. 9. The Tomb of Ptah-hetep, a priest who lived during the Vth dynasty, is a short distance from Mariette's house. The scenes in this maṣṭabah are splendid examples of the best class of the artistic work of the period as applied to tomb ornamentation, and well worthy of more than one visit. 10. To the north-east of the Step Pyramid, and close to the pyramid of Teta, are the tomb of Kaqemna, a high official under the Vth or VIth dynasty, which was excavated under the direction of M. de Morgan; the family vault of Mereruka, wherein his wife and son had separate tombs ; and a group of tombs, which were excavated by M. Victor Loret in 1899. The most important tomb of the group is that of Ankh-em-Ḥeru, which is commonly known as the Tomb of the Physician because surgical operations connected with circumcision, etc., are depicted upon its walls. Further to the south is the Maṣṭabat al-Fir'âûn,* a royal tomb, probably of the Vth dynasty. The most interesting of all the pyramids at Sakkarah are those having chambers and corridors inscribed with hieroglyphic texts, viz., the Pyramids of Unȧs, Tetȧ, Pepi I, Pepi II, Mer-en-Ka, etc. II. Mariette's House.-This house, which lies a little to the east of the Serapeum, was the headquarters of M. Mariette and his staff when employed in making excavations in the Necropolis of Ṣakkârah in 1850 and 1851. It is not easy to estimate properly the value to science of the work of this distinguished man. It is true that fortune gave him the opportunity of excavating some of the most magnificent of the buildings of the Pharaohs of all periods, and of hundreds of ancient towns; nevertheless, it is equally true that his energy and marvellous power of work enabled him to use to the fullest extent the means for advancing the science of Egyptology which had been put in his hands. It is to be hoped that his house will be preserved on its present site as a remembrance of a great man who did a great work. *The Maṣṭabat al-Fir'âûn was visited by Edward Melton in the second half of the seventeenth century, and he says that the Arabs told him that the Pharaohs used to climb on to the top of it each time they had a new law to declare to the people. (Zee-en Land-Reizen, Amsterdam, 1681, P. 54.) The Pyramids of Dahshûr, four of stone and two of brick, are 1 miles from the Maṣṭabat al-Fir'âûn, once thought to be the Pyramid of Unȧs. The largest stone pyramid is about 326 feet high, and the length of each side at the base is about 700 feet; beneath it are three subterranean chambers. The second stone pyramid is about 321 feet high, and the length of each side at the base is 620 feet; it is usually called the Blunted Pyramid, because the lowest parts of its sides are built at one angle, and the completing parts at another. The larger of the two brick pyramids is about 156 feet high, and the length of each side at the base is about 350 feet; the smaller is about 90 feet high, and the length of each side at the base is about 343 feet. The brick pyramids were excavated by M. de Morgan. 66 The Northern Pyramid is built of unburnt bricks laid without mortar, in place of which sand is used, and an examination of them shows that they belong to the period of the XIIth dynasty. Soon after the work of clearing had been begun, a stone bearing the cartouche of Usertsen III, 02 பப was found, and thus a tolerably exact date was ascertained; on February 26th, 1894, the entrance to a pit was found, and in the east corner there appeared an opening which led through a gallery and sepulchral chamber to several tombs. In one chamber were the fragments of a sarcophagus and statue of Menthu-nesu, and in another was the sarcophagus of Nefert-hent; it was quite clear that these tombs had been wrecked in ancient days, and therefore to the pit by which they were reached M. de Morgan gave the name Pit of the Spoilers." Along the principal gallery were four tombs, and in the second of these a queen had been buried; on the lower stage eight sarcophagi were found, but only two were inscribed. Subsequently it was discovered that the burial-place of a series of princesses had been found, and in consequence M. de Morgan called the place "Gallery of Princesses." In one of the tombs (No. 3) a granite chest containing four uninscribed alabaster Canopic jars was found, and in another similar chest a worm-eaten wooden box, containing four Canopic jars, was also discovered. The four sides of the box were inscribed, but the jars were plain. While the ground of the galleries was being carefully examined, a hollow in the rock was found, and a few blows of the pick-axe revealed a magnificent find of gold and silver jewellery lying in a heap among the fragments of the worm-eaten wooden box which held it. The box was about II inches long, and had been inlaid with silver hieroglyphics which formed the name of the princess Hathor - Sat, for whom the ornaments had been made. In the same tomb was found a box full of the jewellery of the lady Merit. It would seem that special care had been taken by the friends of the deceased to conceal the boxes of jewellery, and thus the ancient spoilers of the tomb had overlooked them. These beautiful objects are now to be seen in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. The wooden boats and sledge which were discovered outside the wall enclosing the pyramid are worthy of note, and are of considerable interest. The Necropolis at Dahshûr. A The Northern Pyramid, built of bricks. The southern brick pyramid of Dahshûr is on a lower level than the northern, and much of its upper portion has been removed by the fallâhîn, who treated it as a quarry for the bricks with which they built their houses. It is, however, in a better state of preservation than its fellow, and is still an imposing object in the Egyptian landscape. M. de Morgan's estimate of the length of each side is 125 feet; this pyramid is, like the northern, built of crude bricks, and it was surrounded by a wall of crude bricks, which enclosed the ground wherein the members of the royal family were buried. While excavating in this spot, M. de Morgan found some fragments of a base of a statue inscribed with the prenomen of Amen-em-ḥat III, and, judging from this fact and from the general appearance of the site, he would ascribe this necropolis to the period of the XIIth dynasty. About 20 feet from the enclosing wall, at the north-east corner of the pyramid, two pits were found, and the second of these proved to be the entrance to a tomb. An inclined brick wall led to a small vaulted door, and in the ruins here the workmen found a small, beautifully worked, gilded wooden statue, on the base of which was inscribed, "Horus, the son of the Sun, of his body, giver of life," Near the statue were two Canopic jars of alabaster, inscribed with the prenomen of a new king Au-ȧb-Ra, who it seems was co-regent with Amen-em-hat IV; the nomen of this king was or Heru. In the tomb of this king were found:-(1) A magnificent wooden shrine for the statue of the ka of King Au-ȧb-Rā or Ḥeru; (2) Statue in wood of the ka of King Au-ab-Rā, a unique object of highest interest; the execution is simply wonderful; (3) Rectangular alabaster stele with an inscription of King Au-ab-Ra in 14 lines; the hieroglyphics are painted blue, etc. In the coffin the wrecked mummy of the king was found. On February 15th and 16th, 1895, M. de Morgan succeeded in bringing to light, in the necropolis of Dahshûr, a further "find" of jewellery. These beautiful and interesting objects were found in the tombs of the Princesses Ita and Khnemit, which are situated to the west of the ruined pyramid of King Amen-em-hat. By good fortune they had been overlooked by the plunderers of tombs in ancient days, and so both the tombs and the coffins inside them remained in the state in which they had been left by the friends of the deceased more than 4,000 years ago. 17. Helwân, or Helouan-les-Bains. Hotels. Grand Hotel, Tewfik Palace Hotel, Hotel des Bains, Al-Hayât Hotel. The Golf Course and the Tennis Court at Helwân are good. The town of Ḥelwân lies about 14 miles to the north of Cairo, and is easily reached by train from the Bâb al-Lûk station in Cairo. It was formerly a Ķism or quarter of Cairo ; in 1917 it had a population of 11,022 inhabitants. It is situated on the right or east bank of the Nile, about three miles from the river, and is nearly opposite the Necropolis of Sakkârah on the western bank. It stands on a plain and has limestone hills on two sides of it. The little town owes its fame and prosperity entirely to its salt and sulphur springs, and it is frequented by Europeans and natives who are suffering from any kind of rheumatic and gouty ailment. (See above, p. 19.) A good and direct road to the town from Cairo was made under the auspices of Lord Kitchener, and is much used by motorists. The country around Helwân is interesting geologically, and there are several places in the hills and many ravines worth visiting if the traveller has plenty of time to devote to them. Many visitors prefer to visit Sakkârah from Helwân rather than from Cairo. On the east bank of the Nile, at a distance of about five miles from Helwân, are the Quarries of Ma'ṣarah and Ţûrah. These quarries have supplied excellent stone for building purposes for 6,000 years at least. During the Ancient Empire the architects of the pyramids made their quarrymen tunnel into the mountains for hundreds of yards until they found a bed of stone suitable for their work, and traces of their excavations are plainly visible to-day. The Egyptians called the Re-au, or Ta-re-au, from Turah Quarry which the Arabic name Turah is probably derived. An inscription in one of the chambers tells us that during the reign of Amenophis III a new part of the quarry was opened. Unȧ, an officer who lived in the reign of Pepi I, was sent to Turah by this king to bring back a white limestone sarcophagus with its cover, libation stone, etc. The demotic inscriptions which are found in the galleries were examined, and many of them copied, by Dr. Spiegelberg in 1903. He found there the and Khnem-Maat-Ra-setep-en names of Heger Khnemu, o, and a number of votive texts or Mau-hes, to the god Miysis, — [[ |