Secret of the Pyramid

By Paul Morrison

Pharaoh Khufu is building his House of Eternity, a pyramid on the Giza Plateau. The pyramid, an immense mountain of stone will safely protect him into the After Life, or so Khufu believes. Yet, as the pyramid reaches higher towards the sky doubts fill his troubled mind. The tomb of his mother, Queen Hetepheres has just been robbed and other royal tombs have also recently been looted, their royal mummies destroyed by ruthless robbers in the frantic search for stolen riches. Will Khufu suffer the same fate? Hemiunu, the Royal Architect building Khufu’s pyramid believes otherwise.

Many have seen the plans for the pyramid, plans showing the interior corridors and rooms and importantly, the location of the burial chamber itself. Hemiunu now plots with his pharaoh to build a secret and second burial chamber deep within the pyramid, one which will be known only to a trusted few. But what if others should learn of this secret chamber? What of the priests? What of those closest to Pharaoh? What of the many important officials involved in the construction of the pyramid? Can the secret be kept a secret from so many? An intriguing game of deception now follows. The suspicious and demanding priests are beginning to ask questions. The loyal Hemiunu, however, is determined not to disappoint his Khufu in the planning and construction of the secret burial chamber — but what if he should fail in giving Khufu the After Life he so desperately seeks?

SECRET OF THE PYRAMID has been meticulously researched by the author, helping to recreate and bring to life the world of the Ancient Egyptians of more than 4,500 years ago, a world when Khufu, a pharaoh and god-king built his monumental pyramid — the last remaining Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paul Morrison
• Release date: Sep 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781925074741

Paul Morrison

Paul Morrison, a retired museologist, has also been a writer for most of his life. “I cannot remember a time when I was not writing, even when I was five or six years old. I grew up with books such as TREASURE ISLAND, 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA and THE TIME MACHINE — these and the many other books which I read in my early years fed my imagination, a voracious imagination transporting me to faraway places, other worlds and to other times in both the recent and the more distant past...” Many of these worlds and places are visited in the novels and short story collections he has written.Besides a love of fiction, Paul also reads widely on ancient history and archaeology. “I am particularly interested in Ancient Egypt, mainly Old Kingdom Egypt during the age of the pyramid builders. I have always been intrigued as to how the pyramids were built and also about the lives of the pharaohs and the workers who constructed the pyramids. There were many questions filling my mind, but few if any answers.” This inquiring interest led to the GIZA TRILOGY books, THE PHARAOH, THE SPHINX and THE THREE QUEENS, a monumental work of well-researched fiction set against the backdrop of the three pyramids on the Giza Plateau. Together, with their associated books, THE DIVINE LIGHT, ETERNAL EGYPT (Supplement to the Giza Trilogy), and SECRET OF THE PYRAMID, these books total more than 1.3 million words! Other books written by Paul cover a wide range of subjects including historical fiction, science fiction, ghost and detective stories as well as many other genres.Paul currently lives in Hobart, Tasmania with his wife in a house overlooking the Derwent River. “The magnificent views of Hobart and Mount Wellington inspire me in my writings — but the most important inspiration is my wife, Helena.”

Book preview

Chapter 1. A Time of Mourning *

2566 B.C. Pharaoh Khufu was dead...

The burial chamber itself was both hot and crowded, crowded mostly with the possessions that Khufu intended taking with him into the next life. There were elaborate painted boxes stacked to the top of the high ceiling, but what these boxes contained, few could guess. Other boxes lay closer to the sarcophagus. These were boxes made of far more precious wood and inlaid with gemstones or made of alabaster stone. They obviously contained the more personal and more precious items once belonging to the dead Pharaoh.

On either side of the door, as one stooped and then entered, there were two life-size statues of Anubis, the Guardian of the Dead made of wood and painted in great detail so that one gasped in both surprise and terror, for the carvings were life-like and, therefore, very impressive. The twin Anubis gods would guard the tomb against any evil or bad spirits seeking to enter and disturb Pharaoh’s sleep. Another god also watched over the tomb. This was a gold statue of Ra sitting on a roughly hewn stone in front of the sarcophagus, the eyes of gemstones turned in the direction where Pharaoh lay. There were other gods, many gods delicately and finely etched on the golden walls of the tomb, the sheets of gold hammered to the wooden backing and placed against the walls of stone. The gods of Kemet, all of the gods would watch over Khufu, helping protect and guide him into eternity.

As if this were not enough, a box of scrolls sat near the sarcophagus, the box opened so that Pharaoh would not have to exert himself in the opening of it. This wooden box contained religious prayers and magical texts to enlighten the dead Pharaoh on the ways of the gods; resting beside the box was a scribe’s palette, the one given by Old Scribe to Khufu when he was a small boy.

The wooden sarcophagus bearing the dead Pharaoh was gently placed inside the larger second sarcophagus made of gold, which in turn sat within the massive red granite outer sarcophagus. The priests then said their prayers. Still more scrolls were placed atop the lid of the wooden sarcophagus. These were magical and secret scrolls only for the eyes of the high priests, and of course, the dead Pharaoh. One of the priests now motioned towards the two queens standing nearby.

Meritates stepped forward first, being the first favourite wife, and in her hand was a beautifully perfumed garland of flowers. She placed the garland on top of the scrolls that sat on the wooden sarcophagus. "Khufu is eternal like the day," she called aloud, for these were the words told to her by the priests. She hesitated for a moment, her fingers touching the wood of the sarcophagus. A moment later, Henutsen, the second favourite wife stepped forward with a similar garland of perfumed flowers.

She placed these flowers beside the garland of Meritates. "Khufu is eternal like Kemet, she said aloud. He is my eternal love." These last words were not part of the ceremony and the priests would not be pleased. However, they remained silent. Henutsen lingered longer than Meritates, her saddened eyes on the simple sarcophagus and the equally simple gifts placed with it. These were in contrast to the magnificence of the burial chamber. Finally, a priest approached and gently nudged her aside. Henutsen took her place beside Meritates, and whereas Meritates was more composed, the tears ran freely down the cheeks of Henutsen as she struggled to hold back the sobs. The role of the two Queens was not yet finished. Again, they came forward, but this time as one.

The priest handed each of them a small bottle and the two women sprinkled the contents of the bottles on the wooden sarcophagus. Pharaoh will never be far from the life of Kemet – the Nile itself, spoke the priest, for the two small bottles contained water taken from the river that very morning. The priest now called upon Hapy, the River God to be always near when Pharaoh went on his boating trips in the next life. The other two priests also stepped forward and joined in these prayers, their solemn and rigid voices though softly spoken filling the chamber as if the words were shouted ones.

In the second chamber far below the burial chamber, other priests were speaking the prayers that would allow the Pharaoh to travel safely from one life into the next. This chamber was an empty chamber with only a corbelled-niche in the eastern wall containing a life-size gold statue of Khufu, along with a statue of Ra and a scroll box. The chamber was dedicated to Khufu’s Ka, his spirit, which would inhabit the empty room. This ceremony was a much more complex one attended by more than a dozen priests.

The larger subterranean chamber far below these other two chambers was also the scene of activity in the final hours. Priests conducted prayers as well as sacred and secret rituals in this chamber beneath the earth. Offerings were given to the gods of the Underworld, and these small offerings of food, wine and beer were dropped into the shaft in the floor of the room. A small gold statue of Pharaoh was placed inside a wooden box, and this box, in turn, was placed outside the small tunnel at the far end of the chamber, the mysterious tunnel that ended abruptly, but was a tunnel without end. When the complex prayers were finished and the priests had sprinkled the soil taken from the nearby fields where crops were grown, sprinkling this black soil around the floor of the chamber to symbolize the connection of the upper and lower worlds, servants now entered the room carrying boxes and pieces of disassembled furniture. The subterranean chamber, the representation of the Underworld was to be used also as a storeroom for the worldly goods of the Pharaoh – after all, it was the largest room in the pyramid and those who were burying their Pharaoh were determined not to waste any of this space.

The ceremonies in the second room and in the subterranean chamber were soon finished. The priests departed the pyramid. When the rooms were ready and no longer required by the living, their entrances were quickly sealed with stone blocks. It was important that these two rooms were finished with and that the ceremonies were all properly completed, for the rooms could not be reopened. Trusted scribes checked the two rooms to make sure all was in order and then the instruction was given by the scribes to close them up forever. The ceremonies continued inside the burial chamber higher up in the pyramid…

The priests continued chanting their prayers until finally they too were finished. The Royal Scribe, Keb now stepped forward and gave orders to the servants waiting patiently in the nearby outside corridor. They made their way inside the chamber in an orderly manner to now complete the final work. The lid of the second gold sarcophagus was firstly put in place, and then the heavier lid of stone was lifted up, before being placed on top of the red granite sarcophagus. There was a loud noise as the stone lid slid into its final resting place, followed by a silence that quickly descended over the chamber.

Keb’s eyes were on the sarcophagus but his mind was elsewhere. He was concerned that all would be in order and that nothing had been forgotten. He had wished to be present in the other two rooms when their ceremonies were being carried out, but the priests had told him all three ceremonies had to be held together, for in truth, they were one ceremony and not three.

He glanced intently around the room. The boxes with their contents were in place but had everything needed in the After Life been placed inside them? The work of the past days had been hurried work because there was much to do. In his mind, the Royal Scribe was asking if everything had been done. The smallest of forgotten details could make life uncomfortable for Khufu in the next. A smile came to Keb’s face.

Keb had always been one for detail. This had irritated Khufu throughout much of his life. He remembered the often-repeated words spoken to the Royal Scribe by his Pharaoh: If a needle was dropped in the desert and this needle was required, you would search the sands from the river to the distant horizon to find it. Keb remembered his own words of reply: Only if this needle was truly required by Pharaoh. He was now sure that Khufu would forgive him if something had been forgotten or over-looked. Other thoughts too filled the mind of the Royal Scribe.

Khufu had been both good friend and brother to one far below him. Keb had come from a family barely one-step above poverty, for though his father was a scribe in the employment of Pharaoh Snefru, the wage was only a moderate one. In all their dealings as Pharaoh and Royal Scribe, Pharaoh Khufu had treated the Royal Scribe Keb as an equal, at least in private. Menkah had also shown this equality to Keb in the last years of Menkah’s own time as Royal Scribe to Khufu. His words of advice to Keb on he, Menkah’s own retirement were: Never treat one who treats you fairly as a fool. Do not take advantage of this equality – it is a rare gift, one which must always be treasured.

Keb looked at the sarcophagus. The lid was in place and the servants were waiting further orders – these orders were now given. The four gold screens which would give privacy to the sarcophagus and its occupant were now put in place, thereby creating a burial chamber within a burial chamber. As he watched the servants going about their work, Rakersh the veteran soldier was also filled with his own distant thoughts.

He had served his Pharaoh well in time of war, but General Rakersh was wishing in these last months that he could have done more. The Kushites were again causing trouble in the south, and it was obvious that the peace treaty was no more. The gold from the south had also vanished to a trickle. He should have asked Pharaoh’s permission to lead an army into Kush to end this annoying problem.

However, Pharaoh Khufu’s reign would be one remembered in the years ahead, more for the magnificence of his pyramid rather than military conquests. Rakersh was remembering the words spoken to him when they were both young and when Khufu was still Co-Regent Pharaoh. I will give you command of my armies, Rakersh, but you must earn this promotion. The first order I give will be for you to conquer all lands one hundred day’s march from the borders of Kemet – to the east, to the south, and to the west. Khufu had never given this order when he became sole Pharaoh. Rakersh now regretted this. Khufu would have made a powerful Pharaoh who would have ruled wisely over all the lands conquered by him as well as the ones already under his rule. The veteran soldier also had other and more different thoughts of his Pharaoh.

Khufu could be impulsive and cruel at times. Rakersh saw this when Khufu had first placed Rakersh in command of the army. The previous commander, General Benbah had given loyal service over the years, but was instantly dismissed and without explanation. When he protested, Khufu threatened to have Benbah fed to the crocodiles. On the other hand, there was also a hidden and generous side to Khufu. Benbah’s pension, generous as it was, had been doubled, and his many military achievements were then proudly recorded on the walls of the military barracks in Ineb-hedj for all to see. It was obvious that Khufu appreciated those around him and realized their value.

Rakersh continued looking at the red granite sarcophagus, now partly hidden by the screens of gold. The screens were etched with still more images of the gods, and in his mind, he was asking himself if it would not have been better to show at least one of Pharaoh’s military victories? Hemiunu, the architect who had built the pyramid was also thinking of victories, but these were victories of a far different kind.

He knew the pyramid would conquer time itself and if the pyramid defeated this time, then mighty Pharaoh would be victorious. His body and his possessions would be safe for eternity and his place in the After Life ensured. Of course, in the long years to come, there would be those who would try to take this away from him – greedy and weak Pharaohs, and possibly even foreign invaders. Kemet could never remain strong forever. Even the priests themselves, who would in the years to come and when Khufu’s name became only a mythical one from the distant past, would view the Pharaoh’s riches as a good acquisition for their temples. The mountain of stone, however, would hopefully defeat these vagabonds and thieves. The Royal Architect was sure of this. Yet, Hemiunu had made other plans just in case.

Another and secret burial chamber had been placed inside the pyramid – a chamber known to the Pharaoh and his Royal Architect, as well as the trusted workers who had worked on this chamber. The hidden chamber was not shown on any plans, nor had it been openly discussed, and only the trusted Keb, Royal Scribe to Pharaoh was one of the handful aware of its existence. Hemiunu smiled quietly to himself. The chamber and its contents were additional insurance for Pharaoh Khufu’s existence into the After Life. The Royal Architect was sure that even the gods themselves were unaware of this secret of the pyramid.

Hemiunu had never really believed much in the gods, and though well trained in the ways of the priests, he thought the gods a waste of time simply because the people of Kemet had to serve them in all ways possible. "If the gods are so powerful and so wise, why then do they need us to do their constant bidding? They could easily build the temples themselves, and they could rule Kemet without Pharaoh; they could feed and clothe the people without much effort and this would give the people more time to pray to the gods." It was all a waste, or at least Hemiunu thought so. In the years of building the pyramid, however, these poorer views of the gods had slowly changed, or perhaps it was Hemiunu himself who was changing – he was a few years older than Khufu, and did not have much more time himself. He would soon also be making the cosmic journey and he suddenly felt envious of the departed Khufu.

Khufu now knew the answers to life and death wherever he was, while Hemiunu would have to wait a little while longer to find these answers.

Meritates was also pondering questions and answers. Why had Khufu been taken away so suddenly? He had much more work to achieve for himself and for Kemet. She had grown apart from him in recent years and in her sorrowful mind, she searched for the reasons and the answers to this separation.

Djedefre, her son and heir was prominent in her thoughts. Khufu had not been happy with Djedefre’s impulsive and unthinking attitude. Yet, in some ways this reflected the character of the young Khufu all those years before. It seemed as if only the names were changed – Khufu being the older Snefru and Djedefre the younger Khufu. Meritates was forever defending her son in the eyes of Pharaoh and this defence had caused many arguments.

Something else troubled her. This was Isis, Khufu’s lesser wife. Isis was young and had her looks as well as being very intelligent. Khufu seemed to pay more attention to Isis in these later years. The young girl’s devotion to Pharaoh also upset Meritates, for complete love was one thing, which Meritates could contend with, but not the complete love and devotion Isis showed to her Khufu. Meritates’ allegiance was a divided allegiance between Khufu and Djedefre. She wiped the tears from her eyes and felt embarrassed by the show of emotion, knowing that others would be watching. She was the first Queen and now the Queen Mother and had to be strong. She watched in silence as the last of the screens was put in place and then she glanced sideways at Henutsen who was standing quietly beside her. Henutsen too had tears in her eyes.

Henutsen had also felt distanced by Khufu in these later years. She had ignored this distance, but it had always been there. Khufu seemed more involved with pyramid building than with his personal life, and this involvement had quickly become an obsession. He often visited the pyramid and stayed in his plateau palace – but only rarely did he take his family with him. The palace corridors on the plateau must have been lonely ones. Then there was the annoying and immature Djedefre.

He was always fighting with Khafre, Henutsen’s eldest son. It seemed to Henutsen that Khufu preferred Djedefre simply because he was the eldest son of Pharaoh. If Prince Kawab had been alive, things would have been far different. Kawab had been more mature and easy-going. If Snefru had not sent her away all those years before – it would have been Henutsen’s son who would be the first Prince of Kemet. Henutsen closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Perhaps she was being too harsh on her Khufu.

She listened in silence as the servants quietly departed the room, their work done. Meritates stood beside her and the first Queen’s hand now took her own. Perhaps she was also being harsh on Meritates?

Do you notice the gods on the screens protecting our Khufu? said Meritates. Henutsen studied closely these figures etched finely into the gold. She recognized Nut, the Sky Goddess; Hathor, the Goddess of Love; Thoth, the Scribal God as well as several others.

They are the gentler gods, she replied. They will look kindly on Pharaoh and will not be too demanding, for he is new to the After Life. Henutsen studied the image of Hathor and wished that it were herself etched on the protective gold screen.

We should leave a gift for Khufu, said Meritates finally. It must be a simple gift given from the heart. We will place these gifts on the alabaster box nearest the sarcophagus. Without a further word, Meritates knelt down, taking the left sandal from her foot and placed it on top of the alabaster box.

"He cannot walk in the After Life with only one sandal, said Henutsen. She reached down, gently taking the right sandal from her own foot and placed it beside Meritates’ sandal. He will now have two sandals for his journey into the After Life."

Pharaoh Djedefre was standing nearby lost in his own thoughts. He was saddened by Khufu’s sudden and unexpected death, but also excited by his own speedy promotion to Pharaoh. There were many things to be done and Djedefre had little time to mourn his father. He would immediately make plans for his own House of Eternity, because who was to know if his own death would be a sudden and an unexpected one? Only the gods knew this.

He was aware of Khufu’s grand plans to build the twenty new temples and he would continue with this plan, as Djedefre wished to appease the gods and have them look more kindly upon him. He had many enemies and one of them was standing nearby. The new Pharaoh glanced towards Khafre who in turn was watching his mother placing the sandal gift on the box. Djedefre smiled.

Djedefre was a strong and powerful Pharaoh, or at least he thought so in his own mind. He had always been rivals with the younger Khafre, but he had no wish to harm his step-brother or bring disrespect in the eyes of the priests and scribes on the position of Pharaoh. He would simply arrange to send his brother away from Ineb-hedj. The Kushites were causing trouble again, and perhaps a lengthy military campaign would solve this problem. One could easily die in battle. Djedefre turned his attention back to the chamber and to thoughts of his dead father.

The thirteen-year old Khafre was saddened by the sudden loss. He was thinking far more deeply than his slightly older half-brother – pondering the reasons for the death of his father. Many thoughts filled his troubled mind, and these thoughts were questions without answers. Khafre, however, was determined to find the answers to the questions – to all the questions in his mind. He would make this his life’s work and would dedicate himself to finding the secrets of the After Life, even if this meant becoming a priest. Which god would he serve? There were many, and yet, in his mind, he was sure that even the gods did not know the answers he sought.

He heard nearby voices and turned his attention back to the chamber in which he was standing, standing alone throughout the ceremony, or at least it seemed to him that he was alone and that there were no others inside the burial chamber. He listened to the words of a nearby voice…

I wish to say goodbye, said Meritates. She stepped forward and reached out, suddenly trying to move one of the heavy gold screens. There was deep anguish in her voice. She seemed confused and disorientated. Keb immediately called for the servants waiting outside the room, waiting patiently to prepare its final sealing.

They hurriedly moved the screen and Meritates fell on her knees before the red granite sarcophagus. The trembling hand reached up and touched the cold stone of the Pharaoh’s coffin. When she spoke, her words were surprisingly strong ones, but they drifted like the soft and distant music of a flute throughout the chamber. "We do not need to be touched by other gods, for we are in the presence of one who is a far greater god than these others. The wisdom and love of Pharaoh Khufu will continue to guide those he loved for all of eternity – long after Kemet itself has been swallowed up by the desert sands and our own bones are the dust of the earth..."

The junior scribe was working very hard. He had been carefully painting in black ink the lengthy script on the outside wall of the mortuary temple at the foot of the pyramid. This was the last piece of work that would complete the nearly twenty years of work on the pyramid complex. He was the junior scribe to a more experienced scribe who had entrusted him with this important work, and the young and slightly inexperienced scribe, not even born when Pharaoh Khufu had first begun his House of Eternity had failed in his duties. "You must have the work finished prior to the burial of Pharaoh, which will be in five days’ time. Do not fail me!" the older scribe had ordered the young scribe. The five days were now up.

The junior scribe stopped his work momentarily and looked up. He could see the royal party departing the pyramid, The Horizon of Khufu, and knew they would be coming to the mortuary temple in a matter of minutes to say final goodbyes to the gold statues of Pharaoh. The linen screen hiding the unfinished writing on the wall during the earlier ceremony held in the mortuary temple only hours before had now been removed – the tardiness of the junior scribe revealed to all. He quickly returned to his work, hopeful that it could be completed in time. His black scribal pen now filled in the carefully etched outline on the wall, filling in final words...

"We will meet you there."

*(from The Pharaoh - Book 1 of the Giza Trilogy)

Chapter 2. Reflections

The burial was complete... The air outside the pyramid, though hot and dusty, was still far easier to breathe than the air inside the narrow and stuffy corridors and chambers of the pyramid. When Keb, the Royal Scribe was standing once more in the outside courtyard at the base of the pyramid, Horizon of Khufu, his eyes returned to the entrance high up in the polished limestone of the nearby mountain of stone. This entrance would eventually be sealed so it would blend completely with the limestone skin of the pyramid. None would know how to enter the pyramid, or would they?

The work is finally done, sighed an elderly priest who had walked from the nearby mortuary temple and was now standing beside the Royal Scribe. It would be the plateau priests who would continue to serve the dead pharaoh in the long years ahead. The mortuary temple, the house of these priests on the plateau contained all the scrolls recording the daily prayers which had to be spoken so that Khufu could enjoy his place in the After Life. The temple beneath the pyramid also contained something else of far more importance...

All plans for the pyramid, including its corridors and chambers as well as the location of the hidden entrance high up on the north face of the pyramid were kept in the most important room inside the mortuary temple: the holy of holies. Only the high priest of the plateau and a small and select group of senior priests could enter this special room. Keb though, had misgivings about allowing the priests to have control of the precious plans of the pyramid. You must protect your After Life, he had argued with Khufu when he was alive. The pyramid must remain an enigma and a barrier to any wishing to defile it. Khufu at first had agreed, but the determined priests persisted in wishing to hold all power over the pyramid. We will be there to serve mighty Pharaoh for all of eternity, they promised Khufu, before adding, There should be no secrets hidden from us. Khufu, in his old age finally agreed.

I came here as a very young man, the priest standing beside Keb now told him. "I had only been a priest for less than a year. I always thought of Khufu as a god-king, but when I saw the pyramid rising up from the plateau, I think this was in Year 3 of the construction, I now thought of him only as a god — one who could easily stand beside Horus or Isis, and even Ra himself." The priest sighed deeply and lifted his weary head towards the pinnacle of the pyramid encased in its gold sheeting, reflecting in blinding brilliance the light from the late afternoon sun.

We are the custodians of mighty Pharaoh Khufu, continued the priest. His secrets, all of them, will be well-guarded. The dedicated priests on the plateau and their sons, and their sons, and the long line of priestly sons to follow will continue their loyal devotion to mighty Pharaoh Khufu. Keb though had misgivings.

It was easy to give one’s self to a known and loved pharaoh. However, in a hundred years time when other god-kings, other pharaohs had ruled over Kemet, would this devotion to a faded memory still exist? The plans of the pyramid, hiding its many undreamed-of