Serapeum of Saqqara

The Serapeum of Saqqara was the sacred burial place of the Apis bulls, believed to be divine incarnations of the god Ptah, spanning approximately 1,400 years from the New Kingdom to the Ptolemaic Period. The site features an extensive underground network including the Great Gallery, a vaulted chamber 300 metres long housing around 24 granite sarcophagi, some weighing up to 62 tonnes. French archaeologist Auguste Mariette rediscovered the complex in 1850 after spotting a sphinx partially buried in desert sand. Each bull underwent elaborate 70-day embalming rituals, with the final two days devoted to funerary processions terminating at the Serapeum.