‎Sekhemkhet's Pyramid هرم سخم خت‎

عثر على تابوت فرعونى وتم فتحه أمام الكاميرات، أمام الصحافة، أمام رئيس الجمهورية بنفسه...

والجميع كان ينتظر أن يجدوا مومياء ملك عظيم، لكن عندما فتح التابوت

لم يكن بداخله غير الصمت... فالتابوت كان فارغا مجوفا.

لكن ما لا يعلمه الجميع أن هذا التابوت الفارغ كان محاط بكنز ذهبي عظيم، وإن الأثرى الذى إكتشفه مات بعدها بعدة سنوات في حادثة غامضة والبعض سماها "لعنة الفراعنة" أو "لعنة المصريين القدماء"..

ليست تلك رواية، لكنها القصة الحقيقية التى حدثت في قلب منطقة سقارة، وكان بطلها عالم الآثار المصري العظيم زكريا غنيم.

كان التابوت للملك سخم خت... وعندما علموا ذلك أصبح الصمت والتعجب أثمن وأهم من كل الذهب

ففي يوم 9 مارس سنة 1954، وبحضور الزعيم الخالد جمال عبد الناصر وكبار رجال الثورة، وقف زكريا غنيم في لحظة تأمل وتعجب ودهشة مذهلة من أعظم لحظات التاريخ المصري الحديث.

التابوت، الذى كان مصنوعا بالكامل من الألباستر المصقول النقي، لا يوجد مثيل له إكتشف من قبل بأى مقبرة أخرى.

لا يفتح من أعلى ولا يوجد به أي كسور... التابوت كان له باب جانبي منزلق عجيب، وكان مازال مقفلا ومختوما بالختم الفرعوني الأصلي.

العالم كله كان يحبس أنفاسه... وكاميرات الصحافة العالمية تصور الحدث الجلل...

الأثرى غنيم يبدأ بفتح التابوت بيديه العاريتين...

والنتيجة الصاعقة للجميع.... أنه لا يوجد مومياء، ولا أى أثر لدفينة ، ولا حتى تراب دفن ولا تمائم ولا لفوف.

لكن المدهش والغريب إن ذلك التابوت، رغم فراغه المذهل، كان محاط بكنز ملكي نادر وهام وعظيم عبارة عن:

٢١ سوار ذهبي ملكى

علبة ذهبية على هيئة صدفة

أمشاط وتمائم ومكاحل ذهبية نادرة

أدوات تجميل وأشياء شخصية كلها محفوظة حتى اليوم في المتحف المصري.

ولكن كيف كان هذا التابوت فارغا وتلك الكنوز العظيمة حوله؟

هذا كان السؤال الذى حير الجميع.

هل سرق الجثمان؟ هل تم خطف المومياء وحدها؟

بالطبع مستحيل، لإن كل ممرات الهرم كانت مغلقة ومسددة من الجهتين ولا يوجد أى أثر لإختراق أو محاولة سرقة.

هل هذا كان "تابوت وهمي"؟

نظريات كتيرة وإفتراضيات نشرت ولم توثق شيئا، لكن الأقرب للحقيقة هي إن هذا التابوت كان مصنوعا فقط لروح الملك وليس لجسده…

كمثالا على مقبرة رمزية أو "كنوتاف"، مثل التى صنعت من قبل للملك منتوحتب الثاني الذى أكتشفت مقبرته الملكية في الدير البحري.

القدماء المصريين كانوا مؤمنين بفكرة “الكا” – أو ما يعنى القوة الروحية للملك – والتى كانت تحتاج لمكان خاص تتجدد فيه وتصعد، خصوصًا في “عيد السد” الذى كان يحتفل فيه الملك بتجديد قوته الإلهية بعد سنين من الحكم.

من هو زكريا غنيم؟ ولماذا كانت نهايته مأساوية؟

زكريا غنيم، إبن قرية العبيدية بمحافظة دمياط، وهو أحد أبناء الجيل المصري الذهبى الذى كسر إحتكار الأجانب للتنقيب الأثري.

عمل بجانب العملاق سليم حسن، وشارك في بعثات كبيرة محلية وعالمية وله إكتشافات كبرى في الأقصر وسقارة.

لكن لحظات مجده الشخصى كانت في عام  1954 عندما إكتشف الهرم المدفون الذى يعود للملك سخم خت، والذى أطلق عليه العديد إسم هرم "زوسر الثاني".

الهرم نفسه لم يكن مكتملا، لكنه كان مصمم إنه يكون أقرب في الحجم لهرم زوسر، وبه ممرات سرية داخلية، و120 مخزن حجري، ومجموعة ضخمة جدا من الأواني والمقتنيات.

لكن قصته لم تكن كلها مجد...

ففي عام 1959، وبعد أن تم ترشيحه لتولي أمانة المتحف المصري، تم إتهامه فجأة بضياع قطعة أثرية هامة جدا ونادرة من مخازن سقارة.

وبالرغم أنه لم يظهر أى دليل واحد ضده، إلا إن الضغط النفسي عليه كان قاتلا...

وغنيم من حزنه على ضياع جهوده وتفانيه بعمله لإظهار التاريخ وضياع كل جهوده عبر أعوام مضت أحس بالظلم والقهر وضاقت وإسودت الدنيا أمام عيناه وبلحظة ضعف قام بإلقاء نفسه كقربان في وسط نهر النيل.

وفقد حياته بالموت ولم يستطع أحد بأن يرد له حقه إلا بعد وفاته بعامين، عندما عثر صديقه الفرنسي "جان فيليب لوير" الأثرى العالمى وعالم المصريات على القطعة المفقودة بداخل مخزن من مخازن المتحف…

كانت مغلفة لم يلمسها أحد منذ إكتشافها وثبتت للعالم برائته ولكن وبكل أسف بعد فوات الأوان.

لغز بلا نهاية… تماما مثل الهرم الأكبر

اليوم، هذا الهرم المدفون مازال مطمور بالرمال في جنوب غرب مجمع زوسر.

لا يوجد به مومياء، لكن بداخله كنز عظيم ، وبه تابوت فارغ، وهناك قصة تقول لنا إن ليس كل المقابر يجب أن تكون مليئة بالمومياوات أو بالكنوز، وأحيانًا هذا الفراغ يصبح أعظم كشف.

وزكريا غنيم

لم يكن فقط مجرد عالم آثار…

كان رمز نبيلا ومثالا مشرفا لعلماء مصريين حلموا، تعبوا، وتركوا لنا تراث السنين لأجدادنا مع أسئلة نحاول أن نجاوبها حتى اليوم.

ربما فعلاً تابوت سخم خت لم يكن فارغا...

ربما كان مليئ بالأسرار، ومازلنا منتظرين أن نعلمها ونفك أسرارها ونفهمها.

A sarcophagus sealed for over four thousand years...

The world watched as it was opened in the presence of Egypt’s president, cameras flashing, silence heavy in the air.

Everyone expected a royal mummy.

What they found was nothing.

An empty tomb.

But few know what surrounded that emptiness — a breathtaking royal treasure.

And even fewer know the tragic story of the man who discovered it, only to be swallowed by mystery himself.

This is the true story of Zakaria Goneim and the Buried Pyramid of Pharaoh Sekhemkhet — a tale of gold, betrayal, and perhaps... a curse.

The Mysterious Sarcophagus of Sekhemkhet

On March 9, 1954, Egyptian archaeologist Zakaria Goneim stood before what should’ve been the greatest discovery of his career — a sealed alabaster sarcophagus inside an unfinished step pyramid in Saqqara.

Everything suggested this was the untouched tomb of Pharaoh Sekhemkhet, successor of the famous King Djoser.

The sarcophagus was unique — carved from a single block of alabaster with a sliding side panel, sealed with ancient gypsum.

Not a single sign of tampering.

President Gamal Abdel Nasser was present. World media crowded the scene.

Goneim gave the signal… the panel slid open…

It was completely empty.

No body. No remains. No signs of looting. Just silence.

But the Gold Spoke Louder

Next to the sarcophagus, in an adjacent chamber, a treasure waited quietly:

21 solid gold bracelets

A gold shell-shaped box, likely for cosmetics or perfume

Fine gold pins, ceremonial tools, amulets, and funerary charms

Delicate combs, vessels, and artifacts fit for a king

All untouched. All preserved. Now housed in the Egyptian Museum.

So why was the burial chamber empty?

A Tomb for the King’s Soul?

Some believe Sekhemkhet was never meant to be buried there.

Instead, the chamber was built for his Ka — his spiritual essence — to reside, renew, and reign in the afterlife through ritual cycles like the Sed Festival.

This idea fits Egyptian beliefs: other pharaohs had symbolic tombs, like Mentuhotep II’s cenotaph in Deir el-Bahari.

Even Djoser had dual burial spaces. Perhaps Sekhemkhet’s pyramid was never intended to house a body… but to preserve a soul.

Zakaria Goneim: A Hero Fallen Too Soon

Goneim was born in 1905 in Damietta. 

A student of Egypt’s legendary archaeologist Selim Hassan, he helped reclaim Egyptian archaeology from foreign hands.

His discovery of the Buried Pyramid made headlines worldwide.

But his triumph turned to tragedy.

In 1959, as he was being considered for a top post at the Egyptian Museum, he was accused of misplacing an artifact from Sekhemkhet’s tomb.

There was no evidence. But the accusation shattered him.

That same year, he was found dead in the Nile — reportedly suicide.

Some whispered of depression. Others whispered of the curse of the king whose mummy was never found.

Two years later, Goneim was proven innocent.

His friend, French archaeologist Jean-Philippe Lauer, found the missing artifact in a forgotten museum storeroom.

But by then, it was too late.

The Pyramid Still Waits

Today, Sekhemkhet’s unfinished pyramid lies buried beneath the sands of Saqqara.

It holds no mummy. But it holds a question.

A sealed sarcophagus.

A royal treasure.

An absent king.

And a man who gave everything for the truth.

نقش بارز لسخم خت من وادي المغارة

Goneim’s story reminds us that in Egypt, even emptiness is full of meanings.

An ivory plaque bearing the form of Sekhemkhet's Saqqara King List name of "Djoserti" found in the remains of his step pyramid tomb.

The duration of Sekhemkhet's reign is believed to have been six to seven years.

The royal Turin Canon attributes six years of reign to Sekhemkhet, a figure also proposed by Myriam Wissa based on the unfinished state of Sekhemkhet's pyramid.

Using his reconstruction of the Palermo Stone (5th Dynasty), Toby Wilkinson assigns seven years to this king.

This figure is based on the number of year registers preserved in Cairo Fragment I (de), register V.

Wilkinson states that "this figure is fairly certain, since the [king's] titulary begins immediately after the dividing line marking the change of reign.".

Similarly, the historian Manetho lists Sekhemkhet under the name of Tyreis and indicates that he reigned for seven years.

Nabil Swelim, by contrast, proposed a reign of nineteen years, because he believed that Sekhemkhet might be the Tosertasis mentioned by Manetho.

However, such a long reign is at odds with the unfinished state of the buried pyramid and this view is generally rejected by Egyptologists.

Little is known about activities conducted during Sekhemkhet's reign.

The only preserved documents showing Sekhemkhet are two rock inscriptions at Wadi Maghareh in the Sinai peninsula.

The first one shows Sekhemkhet twice: once wearing the Hedjet crown, another wearing the Deshret crown.

The second inscription depicts a scene known as "smiting the enemy": Sekhemkhet has grabbed a foe by its hair and raises his arm in an attempt to club the enemy to death with a ceremonial sceptre.

The presence of these reliefs at Wadi Maghareh suggests that local mines of copper and turquoise were exploited during Sekhemkhet's reign.

These mines were apparently active throughout the early 3rd Dynasty since reliefs of Djoser and Sanakht were also discovered in the wadi almaghara وادي المغارة.

Several clay seals presenting an unusual Nebty name together with Sekhemkhet's Horus name were found at the eastern excavation site on the island of Elephantine.

The Egyptologist Jean Pierre Pätznik reads the Nebty name as Ren nebty meaning The two ladies are pleased with his name.

It is not entirely clear whether this is indeed Sekhemkhet's nebty name or that of a yet unknown queen.

Clay seal from the island of Elephantine showing Sekhemkhet horus and nebty names.

Sekhemkhet's wife may have been Djeseretnebti, but this name appears without any queen's title, and Egyptologists dispute the true meaning and reading of this name.

The name has alternatively been read as Djeser-Ti and identified with the cartouche-name Djeser-Teti presented in the Saqqara King List as the direct successor of Djoser.

Sekhemkhet surely had sons and daughters, but up to this date no personal name was found.

Some consider Sekhemkhet to be the brother of Djoser, making him another son of Khasekhemwy, who was the final king of the Second Dynasty.

If this is true, his mother would be Nimaathap.

Sekhemkhet's pyramid is sometimes referred to as the "Buried Pyramid" and was first excavated in 1952 by Egyptian archaeologist Zakaria Goneim.

A sealed sarcophagus was discovered beneath the pyramid, but when opened was found to be empty.

Sekhemkhet's pyramid was planned as a step pyramid from the first. Its base was a square measuring 378 ft x 378 ft (220 x 220 cubits).

If the pyramid had been completed, it would have had six or seven steps and a final height of 240.5 ft (140 cubits).

These proportions would have given the pyramid an angle of elevation of 51˚50', identical to the pyramid at Meidum and the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Like Djoser's pyramid, Sekhemkhet's was built of limestone blocks.

The monument was not finished, possibly because of the pharaoh's sudden death.

Only the first step of the pyramid was completed, leaving a monument in the shape of a large square mastaba.

اسم خرطوش تتي من قائمة الملك بأبيدوس.

The entrance to Sekhemkhet's burial lies on the northern side of the pyramid.

An open passage leads down for 200 ft. Halfway down the track a vertical shaft meets the passage from above.

It opens on the surface and its entrance would lie at the second step of the pyramid, if the monument had been completed.

At the meeting spot of the passage and shaft another passageway leads down to a subterranean, U-shaped gallery containing at least 120 magazines.

The whole gallery complex has the appearance of a giant comb.

Shortly before the burial chamber is reached the main passage splits into two further magazine galleries, surrounding the burial chamber like a "U" (similar to the big northern gallery), but they were never finished.

The burial chamber has a base measurement of 29 ft x 17 ft and a height of 15 ft.

It was also left unfinished, but surprisingly a nearly completely arranged burial was found.

The sarcophagus in the midst of the chamber is made of polished alabaster and shows an unusual feature: its opening lies on the front side and is sealed by a sliding door, which was still plastered with mortar when the sarcophagus was found.

The sarcophagus was empty, however and it remains unclear whether the site was ransacked after burial or whether King Sekhemkhet was buried elsewhere.

A shell shaped container made of gold was found by an Egyptian Antiquities Service excavation team in 1950.

The object has a length of 1.4 in and is currently on display in Room 4 of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Because the necropolis of Sekhemkhet was never finished, it is hard to say which planned cultic building had already existed.

The pyramid courtyard was surrounded by a niched enclosure wall facing north-west. It was 1.850 ft long, 607 ft wide and 33 ft high.

The only archaeologically preserved cultic building is the Southern Tomb, its base measurement is estimated to be 105 ft x 52 ft.

The subterranean structure included a tight corridor, beginning on the western side of the tomb and ending in a double chamber.

In this chamber in 1963 Jean-Philippe Lauer excavated the burial of a two-year-old toddler.

The identity of this child remains a mystery.

The only fact known for certain about it is that it cannot be king Sekhemkhet himself, since the king was always depicted as a young man.

No further cultic buildings were detected, but Egyptologists and archaeologists are convinced that once upon a time a mortuary temple and a serdab existed but were destroyed due to the looting of stone from his cult buildings in antiquity.

And sometimes, the quietest tombs are the ones that scream the loudest.