Tomb of Hetepheres, Royal tomb near the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt
The Tomb of Hetepheres is a burial chamber cut into the limestone rock near the Great Pyramid of Giza, in Egypt. It sits at the bottom of a deep vertical shaft and was sealed with plaster blocks when it was found by archaeologists.
The tomb was prepared during the Fourth Dynasty for Queen Hetepheres I, wife of Pharaoh Sneferu and mother of Pharaoh Khufu. Her remains and belongings appear to have been moved here from an earlier burial site, though the exact reasons remain unclear.
Hetepheres was the mother of the pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid, which may explain why her burial was placed so close to it. The objects found inside her tomb show what daily life and comfort meant to the royal family of that time.
The burial chamber is not open to the public, but the objects found inside can be seen at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The site is located within the Giza plateau, so a visit here can be combined with the other monuments nearby.
When archaeologists opened the alabaster sarcophagus, they found it completely empty despite the sealed shaft above it showing no signs of robbery. This suggests the queen may never have been placed inside it, or that her body was removed before the tomb was sealed.
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