The 19^th century was a time of great discoveries in Egypt. However, at that time there were no standard methods of mapping and recording sites, so important things were lost. Excavators would record that they found a tomb, but not describe the exact location, so later scholars would not be able to find them easily. A good example of this is found at Dashur, the pyramid site just south of Saqqara.

Jacques de Morgan, in his excavations at Dashur in 1894-1895, discovered an important tomb just south of the 12^th Dynasty cemetery of Amenemhat II. The tomb is located between the pyramid of Amenemhat II and the black pyramid of Amenemhat III. The tomb owner chose a good location, on a small mound that overlooks the whole area, including the 4^th Dynasty pyramids of Snefru and the royal cemetery east of the red pyramid of Snefru.

The tomb was found soon after excavation work began, and it was evident that the superstructure had been destroyed. Hundreds of stone blocks were found scattered all around, and these can give us an idea about the architectural plan of the superstructure and chapel of the tomb. It was built of fine white limestone and the walls were inscribed with false doors that included lines of hieroglyphic inscriptions including the name and titles of the tomb owner. These titles matched those of Sa-Iset recorded on his funerary stelae in the Egyptian Museum. However, the inscriptions inside the tomb are incised on a much bigger scale, to match the size of the exterior of the chapel and the ten large blocks found. We also found smaller limestone blocks and pieces that came from the interior of the chapel that show the decoration. Here we found a scene of the family of Sa-Iset giving him offerings. With him are his brothers, sisters, father, mother, and grandmother and grandfather. These scenes are very interesting because they are unique to this tomb.

It is interesting to note that both chambers with vaulted ceilings were lined with limestone, while the first chamber in mudbrick did not have a vaulted ceiling. This tomb has a unique architectural style; it is the only tomb at the site of Dashur, and even in the area of Memphis, that has this plan. The use of Pyramid Texts is also very unusual. The tomb was left unfinished, perhaps because the burial was completed in a hurry. We can see that some of the red artist’s lines used to define the inscriptions still remain. Also, the lid of the sarcophagus is still very rough and was not polished. The walls of the first vaulted limestone chamber were also never finished, they are not polished or decorated, but bear the remains of tool marks.

We are planning to continue the excavation of this tomb, and in January, we hope to open the sarcophagus. De Morgan attempted to open it, but it proved impossible, as the lid of the sarcophagus is just touching the walls. If the lid were lifted, it might scrape the walls and damage the texts. Therefore I consulted with the archaeologists at Dashur as well as Reis Talal. Reis Talal comes from a famous family that is known for being able to move any heavy object.  They worked with myself and Miroslav Verner on the tomb of Iufaa at Abusir. They also worked with me to move the lid of the sarcophagus of the governor of Bahariya Oasis, and six months ago, we lifted the lid of the sarcophagus inside the subsidiary pyramid of Teti. Reis Talal presented me with his plan for lifting the lid of the sarcophagus of Sa-Iset. He will open a shaft outside the tomb and bring in construction equipment that will hold a weight. The weight will be about 15 tons, one and a half times the weight of the sarcophagus lid, to counter-balance the lid. In this way, the lid will be lifted slowly by the weight outside the burial chamber. We will move very slowly and carefully; the process will take at least 5 days. I am really looking forward to opening the sarcophagus and revealing what is hidden inside the sarcophagus of this important man, the vizier Sa-Iset.