I travelled to Saqqara in ancient Egypt and went inside the Step Pyramid of Djoser to investigate the enormous underground complex concealed beneath the monument.

Below the pyramid lies a vast network of shafts, chambers and galleries carved deep into the bedrock. The central shaft descends almost 100 feet, while the underground passages reportedly stretch for several miles.

But what archaeologists discovered inside makes the story even more mysterious.

Around 40,000 stone vessels were reportedly recovered from beneath the complex. Some were made from extremely hard stone, while others carried the names of Egyptian rulers who lived before Djoser.

Why were objects connected to Egypt’s earliest dynasties stored beneath the Step Pyramid? How were these enormous underground spaces excavated using the tools attributed to the ancient Egyptians? And why can visitors only access a small section of the complex today?

In this investigation, I take you inside Egypt’s oldest pyramid and examine the tunnels, the extraordinary central shaft, the ancient stone vessels and the unanswered questions surrounding what lies beneath Saqqara.

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