Editing Pyramid of Djoser (section)

=== South tomb ===
[[File:Djoser 1.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Relief of Djoser facing the temple of Horus of Behedet (modern [[Edfu]]) in a blue faience chamber of the south tomb]]

The south tomb has been likened to the satellite pyramids of later dynasties, and has been proposed to house the ka in the afterlife. Another proposal is that it may have held the canopic jar with the king's organs, but this does not follow later trends where the canopic jar is found in the same place as the body. These proposals stem from the fact that the granite burial vault is much too small to have facilitated an actual burial.<ref name="Mark Lehner 1997"/>

The substructure of the south tomb is entered through a tunnel-like corridor with a staircase that descends about 30&nbsp;m before opening up into the pink granite burial chamber. The staircase then continues east and leads to a gallery that imitates the blue chambers below the step pyramid.<ref name="Miroslav Verner 1998"/>

Current evidence suggests that the south tomb was finished before the pyramid. The symbolic king's inner palace, decorated in blue faience, is much more complete than that of the pyramid. Three chambers of this substructure are decorated in blue faience to imitate reed-mat facades, just like the pyramid.<ref name="Mark Lehner 1997"/> One room is decorated with three finely niche reliefs of the king, one depicting him running the [[Sed festival|Heb-sed]].<ref name="Kathryn A. Bard 2008"/> Importantly, Egyptian builders chose to employ their most skilled artisans and depict their finest art in the darkest, most inaccessible place in the complex. This highlights the fact that this impressive craftsmanship was not meant for the benefit of the living but was meant to ensure the king had all the tools necessary for a successful afterlife.<ref name="Mark Lehner 1997"/>