Page 59 - آثار مصر الفرعونية الجزء الأول

fabulous treasures and immense knowledge contained within the
structure, long before Taylor and Smyth's work. Finally, Caliph
al-Ma'moun (831-832 AD) is believed to have acted upon this
information. Though the pyramid, or at least the substructure had
been breached by unknown robbers during antiquity, al-Ma'moun
was apparently the first known individual to do so. After having
at least looked for the original entrance, but unable to find it, al-
Ma'moun instructed his men to tunnel into the pyramid from a
point at the center of its north face, seven courses up. Apparently,
the pyramid still held at least some of its casing stones, for they
had to light fires to heat the blocks before cooling them rapidly
with vinegar to induce fractures. Once past the outer core, they
dug for about 100 feet, finding nothing in the process. However,
one of the workmen heard a muffled thud of something heavy
falling within the pyramid, not too far away, and they altered
course and eventually broke through into what is now known as
the "Descending Passage". While al-Ma'moun's men explored a
considerable part of the pyramid's interior structure, they
apparently found nothing except an empty coffin, though rumors,
legends and fables, also grew from their exploration.

Even though al-Ma'moun apparently found no riches or
hidden knowledge within the Great Pyramid, it continued to
retain its mysterious, hidden- meaning for most travelers. All of
the European scientific travelers and pilgrims on their way to the

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