The Second Solar Boat of the God Amon and Benadir
How many mysteries remain hidden in the depths of the pyramids? Countless, without a doubt. Despite the fact that for at least two centuries, hordes of adventurers, thieves, scientists, and scholars have explored the tunnels, corridors, and royal chambers of the most famous of these structures, we are far from uncovering everything they conceal. The mysteries held by the pyramids are of a scientific nature, touching upon the culture, daily life, and religious aspects of ancient Egyptian society, but they go beyond that. Inside these astonishing constructions lie even more complex enigmas, resisting formal explanation—perhaps mysteries that are unsolvable.
It’s unlikely that humans 5,000 years ago possessed scientific knowledge superior to that of today. Those who suggest otherwise indulge in fanciful flights of imagination, to put it kindly, or deliberately spread falsehoods. However, the realm of the magical, the occult, and the esoteric is a different matter: it’s safe to say we know no more today than they did then. In fact, the opposite may be true. Today’s emphasis on rationality—perhaps excessive—often dismisses or outright denies paranormal phenomena.
This preface sets the stage for discussing the discovery of the second solar boat in the pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu, who reigned around the mid-third millennium BCE. The finding is of scientific significance, as were related experiments, such as analyzing the air trapped in the sealed chamber. The solar boat is thought to have been used to transport the deceased pharaoh’s remains from the place of death to the pyramid, though this isn’t certain. What is clear, however, is the religious significance the boat likely held in the burial ceremony.
This account is not focused on the boat itself or its discovery but rather on a fascinating and mysterious event that unfolded during the process.
The first solar boat was discovered roughly seventy years ago, between 1952 and 1954. It has since been restored and is now displayed in a museum near the pyramid. A certain Benadir M. participated in the excavation and recovery efforts. Benadir was a simple man with little to no education, about thirty years old at the time.
Two decades later, Benadir—now widowed and living alone, as his children had gone their separate ways—began to exhibit erratic, if not outright insane, behavior. The breaking point came one night when he was found crouched beside the pyramid, digging barehanded into the sand with a wild grin lighting up his gaunt face. When asked what he was doing, he claimed that the god Amon had appeared to him in a dream, bathed in a celestial glow. According to Benadir, the god revealed that his sacred boat was still buried within the Great Pyramid and promised immense wealth, great prosperity, and happiness for seven generations to whoever unearthed it.
Benadir spent the rest of his days in an asylum. However, what shocked everyone was that the newly discovered solar boat was found precisely at the spot where the laborer had been digging years earlier after claiming to have seen the vision of Amon in his dream.
How can such a coincidence be explained?
