The Serapeum of Saqqara, or Serapeum of Memphis, is the underground necropolis, north of Saqqara, near Memphis, where sacred Apis bulls were buried.
These sacred bulls were buried in sarcophagi made with monolithic stone blocks. The Serapeum is excavated to twelve meters deep and consists of three passages; the principal is 68 m long, 3 m wide and 4.5 m high, with 24 side chambers carved into the rock, from 6 to 11 m long and 6 m 3 width.
In each chamber a huge basalt sarcophagus, black granite, pink, or limestone, weighing between sixty and eighty tons, most about 4 m long and 2.3 m wide and 3.3 m high was deposited with its respective lid of the same material. Some have carved inscriptions.
The archaeologist Auguste Mariette discovered this legendary place in 1850. It also found on this site the famous statue of "Write sitting" Which is Considered one of the most beautiful Egyptian sculptures. Further excavation revealed an older gallery and then a another. The first of These galleries was blocked by a huge rock and Were used explosives to open.
Beneath the rock was found the mummy of a man, the prince Khaemwise, a son of Ramses II, who was governor of Memphis and a high priest of Ptah, and had asked to be buried with the sacred bulls, rather than in a own grave.