Bust of Prince Khaemweset. Photo: Keith Schengili-Roberts Ramesses II was one of the most famous rulers of ancient Egypt from 1279 to 1213 BC. He was the third Pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty. He had 50 sons and between 40 and 53 daughters. During this period, Egyptian princes held important positions in the court, such as becoming high priests or commanders of the army, and Khaemweset was no exception. Khaemweset’s childhood is detailed on reliefs in three temples in Nubia. He grew up during a tumultuous period in ancient Egyptian history, when his grandfather and father waged war against the Hittite Empire to restore and expand the territory. During the famous Battle of Kadesh – the battle between Ramesses II and the Hittite king Muwatalli II – Khaemweset was also present and acted as an important assistant to his father. He was even tasked with managing prisoners of war. In temple paintings and hieroglyphs, we see him participating in many other major campaigns such as the Battle of Dapur to conquer Syria and the Siege of Qode. In 1263 BC, Khaemweset became a priest of the Temple of Ptah in Memphis when he was only 18 years old. The priest was a very important position in the temple system. They are responsible for performing sacrifices, worshiping and reciting funeral mantras. As a priest, Khaemweset presided over many important ceremonies, including the embalming and burial of several Apis bulls. This is a sacred animal worshiped in Memphis, because the Egyptians believed that they were the sons of the goddess Hathor. Khaemweset was responsible for overseeing the daily rituals in Memphis, mainly in honor of the god Ptah. He redesigned the Serapeum temple in Saqqara, where Apis bulls were buried. He dug a long and wide tunnel beneath the temple. There are many burial chambers on both sides of the tunnel [một dạng phòng trưng bày], where Apis bulls would be buried in a lavish and rich manner. In 1850, the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette thoroughly excavated the temple of the Serapeum. However, most of the rooms built on Khaemweset’s orders were empty, and most likely they were looted in ancient times. During his time, Khaemweset restored the famous pyramid of Djoser. Photo: Charles James Sharp. Khaemweset left an important mark on the history of ancient Egypt, not only in his time but also in the present day. During his lifetime, he repaired and restored countless temples, ancient ruins, and burial sites. Because the history of Egypt spans many centuries, many old monuments and burial places of early Pharaohs or courtiers are lost and ruined. Khaemweset spent a lot of time and effort identifying their identities and restoring these monuments and structures, making them as magnificent as before. The most prominent of them is the tomb of Pharaoh Shepseskaf [người cai trị Ai Cập khoảng năm 2510 trước Công nguyên]; pyramid of Pharaoh Unas [người trị vì Ai Cập năm 2345–2315 trước Công nguyên]; pyramid of Pharaoh Sahure in the early 25th century BC; Userkaf’s pyramid; and the famous pyramid of Djoser. This is how he revived the history of Egypt and kept it from being forgotten. Khaemweset’s great merits are recorded on the walls of the pyramids he restored. Some hieroglyphic texts also describe him bringing gifts and offerings to the deceased gods and pharaohs. This shows his understanding of the importance of worship in ancient Egypt. In many ways, Khaemweset is known as the first Egyptologist, as well as one of the first archaeologists in history. Miriam Lichtheim, the famous translator of many ancient Egyptian texts, wrote of Khaemweset as follows: “Khaemweset was an archeology enthusiast. As a priest, he inspected many damaged tombs and rebuilt them. We know him as a wise scholar, dedicated to the study of ancient monuments and documents.” So far, archaeologists have not been able to determine Khaemwese’s final resting place. It is also not known exactly when or how he died. He most likely died before his father, around 1225 BC. He was about 55 years old then. During excavations of the Serapeum temple in Saqqara, French archaeologist Auguste Mariette discovered the collapsed part of a tunnel. After blowing away debris with gunpowder, he found a coffin, inside was a mummy with a gold mask that seemed to represent a dead man. The rich jewelry accompanying the mummy all bears the name of Prince Khaemweset, son of Ramesses II. However, this mummy is not human but a mass of myrrh and some scattered bones, most likely belonging to a bull. It is therefore speculated that this mummy was essentially a sacrificial Apis bull. It was created to look like a human body, specifically Prince Khaemweset. This leads scholars to believe that this is not the exact burial place of the prince. After his death, Khaemweset and his deeds lived forever in the memory of the Egyptian people. He became the central figure of several heroic stories in later centuries of Egypt, mainly during the Hellenistic period, such as “Setne Khamwas and Naneferkaptah”, “The Tale of Setne Khamwas”, “The Story of Setne Khamwas”. and Si-Osire”. In these stories, Khaemweset is called Setne Khamwas.

A false door dated to 2,400 BC. Photo: Sharron Mollerus. What is a fake door? False doors were one of the most common architectural features in ancient Egyptian tombs, mainly royal tombs, dating back to the Egypt’s Old Kingdom period. False doors first appeared in the Mastaba . tombs [loại mộ cổ hình chóp cụt] It belonged to the Third Dynasty and was widely used in tombs of the Fourth to Sixth Dynasties. False doors are usually made from a monolithic limestone rock, sometimes painted red with black spots. Its shape resembles a real door with an outer frame but is longer and narrower, such as the false door in Sean Khui Ptah’s tomb located in the Teti cemetery in Saqqara, Egypt. However, in the tomb of Hesire lăng [bác sĩ của Pharaoh Djoser] and many others, false doors can be made of wood. The fake door is almost always fixed in place. But in rare cases, they can be teleported. The original form of the false door was just a small alcove facing the west. Then, the ancient Egyptians carved out a square or rectangle at the top where they believed that gods or dead relatives would appear to receive offerings. The sides of the door are stone and linoleum [bộ phận nằm trên khung cửa có tác dụng đỡ mảng tường gạch phía trên] where the Egyptians wrote hieroglyphs. During the nearly 150-year rule of Sixth Dynasty pharaohs including Pepi I, Merenre and Pepi II, the false door underwent a series of design and layout changes. Based on that, historians can date many tombs based on the characteristics of the false doors. After the First Intermediate Period, the popularity of false doors in tombs dwindled. During the New Kingdom period, false doors became simpler, just drawings on the flat surface of a wall or stele engraved with hieroglyphs. Sometimes, fake doors are painted on the sides of the stone coffin. A grave may consist of two false doors, one for the owner of the grave and the other for his or her spouse. Also, in some cases of extended family graves, each member has their own false door. Gateway to the afterlife For the ancient Egyptians, false doors were considered a gateway between the world of the living and the world of the dead. They believe that the souls of deceased relatives can pass through this door to receive offerings or offerings. The false door is usually located on the west wall of the main room in the chapel, or altar room. It is meticulously decorated, bearing the name and title of the owner of the tomb. The hieroglyphic content on the false door also refers to offerings for the deceased. Sometimes it was a curse meant to protect the mummy and their spiritual journey after death. Anyone who dares to enter or tamper with the mummy’s tomb will be met with bad luck and inevitable death. However, those with good intentions who come to make offerings will be blessed. For example, the false door in Redi-ness’s tomb at Giza (Egypt) records the following: “I never wanted to harm anyone. But anyone who dares trespass on my resting place will be punished by the gods.” The life-sized statue is walking through the fake door. Photo: Wikimedia In some of the tombs, life-sized statues were created walking out of the center of the false door. On either side of the door were painted two servants accompanying them to show their noble status. Usually, in front of the fake door there will be a stone table – where offerings for the dead are placed. Offerings can be real food or symbolic food carved directly on the table such as bread, beer, chicken, beef, etc. Currently, fake doors are one of the unique architectural features of the ancient Egyptians that are interested and studied. Although many fake doors still exist in the mausoleum grounds, there are a few that have been removed and displayed in different museums around the world. Fake door outside Egypt Egypt is not the only place where strange fake doors can be found. In 1996, tour guide Jose Luis Delgado Mamani accidentally discovered a stone gate 7m high, 2m wide in the mountains of Hayu Marca, about 35 km from the Peruvian city of Puno. It was named the “Gate of Gods”, or “Gate of the Gods”. According to legend, anyone who walks through the Gate of God will become immortal. The native Indians believe that the great heroes of the past passed through this gate to enter the land of the gods and enjoy eternal life. Gate of God in Peru. Photo: Alamy In addition to the Divine Gate in Peru, there are many ancient structures that are said to be portals to other worlds. For example, the Stonehenge stone circle in England; Gate of the Sun in Tiahuanaco, Bolivia; The Star Gate in Sri Lanka, … In January 2018, archaeologists discovered a fake door in a Greek tomb at the Al-Abd archaeological site in Alexandria. Dr Ayman Ashmawy, an expert in Egyptian antiquities, said that the fake door in this case played a role in misleading thieves, making it impossible for them to find the real door of the tomb.