Getting to the Mastaba El Faraun was great fun. I initially tried to go by horse but after protracted negotiations I had to give up. So I got as near as possible by taxi which involved going through a small local village where the road suddenly ended in sand. I then walked across the desert. I also walked to the nearby pyramid of Pepi II.

I’ve visited Abu Roash twice which is one of my favourite sites. When I visited Michel Valloggia had recently finished clearing and excavating. The original pink mortar that was used in some places looked like new. In one area the marks of someone’s fingers as they smoothed on the mortar could clearly be seen and I couldn’t resist running my fingers along the track that had been made around 4,500 years earlier.