Page 43 - اثار مصر الفرعونية2

and was originally sheathed in a finer white Tura limestone
casing, with a bottom course of pink granite. Remains of
restoration texts of Prince Khaemwaset have been found on
some of the casing blocks. The mastaba appears to have been
built in two steps and many have deliberately conceived to take
the shape of a Buto-type shrine, a Lower Egyptian from of tomb
which was a vaulted shape with straight ands and which Karl
Lepsius noted as looking like a giant sarcophagus.

The tomb is entered by a sloping passage on its northern
side, about one and a half metres above ground level and very
similar to a pyramid entrance. This descends about 20m into a
corridor originally blocked by three portcullis slabs and leads to
the subterranean antechamber, burial chamber and store-rooms,
The antechamber burial chamber both have ceilings constructed
as a false vault, like those in Menkaure's pyramid and both of the
chambers wee built with pink granite. The burial chamber
contained fragments of Shepserskafs dark basalt sarcophagus, but
little else. From the antechamber a narrow passage rune to the
south and to six niches or store-rooms.

The mastaba was enclosed within two mudbrick walls, the
first containing Shepseskafs mortuary temple on the eastern side.
The small temple seems to have been constructed in two phases,
the earlier parts in stone in stone with later mudbrick additions.
The older parts of the mortuary temple included a paved

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