The passageway is located at the southern end of the west wall of chamber B1 and measures 0.7m. wide with 0.5m thicknesses and a height of just over 2 metres. The southern thickness projects about 0.15m from the line of the south walls of chambers B1 and B3. The door recess is at the B3 end, the passageway widening within the remaining 0.35m to the full depth of the wall, it also extends upwards by 0.15m. The southern side widens to the surface of the south wall of B3. On the northern side the width is 0.35m. The pivot for the door was cut into the southern end of the entry ceiling. The northern recess appears to have been further widened at a later date, perhaps to take a door pivoted at that end, a hole for such a pivot exists in the floor. This further widening is indicated by the fact that the extension was cut into the column of hieroglyphs which described the registers which are located over the entrance. The upper remains of this text column still protrude 0.16m into the top left corner. Again the two thickesses are decorated as almost mirror images. They each consist of three registers, with the action facing into chamber B3. The southern thickness (view detail) has retained more of its original colour than the north, but both have been retained to their full height. The bottom two registers of each side contain three offering bearers. They transport live geese, vegetables, lotus flowers, trays of bread, containers, sacks and jars of drink. The top register shows, in each case, a single herdsman, identified as 'the overseer of the cattle stall', who holds a bunch of vegetation in one hand and the rope which is attached to a large animal in the other. The text states that the animal is a 'young ox belonging to the stall'.
All the walls were decorated and have survived with some of the original colour. The chamber is entered at the south end of the east wall and exits to chamber B5 at the east end of the north wall. Originally, a squint hole existed in the west wall in order to look into the serdab (B4) located behind it. This will be discussed further, below.
The east wall : (line drawing) The wall is divided into two panels, each with a large image of Watetkhethor and a small one of Meryteti standing, facing towards the entrance from chamber B1. The detail of the southern most (right) panel is much reduced by the presence of the entry. In both instances the couple are portrayed in the same attitude as found on the previous walls. Previously unseen in chamber B1, it can now be noted that Watetkhethor's tight fitting dress is supported by two broad shoulder straps, but which still leave one of her breasts visible. Although difficult to see, the straps of her dress are decorated. She wears a broad necklace, bracelets and anklets. Her hair is short and somehow fastened with a ribbon, the end of which hangs down her back. Her son, Meryteti, is shown in both cases as a naked child, holding a lotus flower in one hand and a bird in the other; the two birds are different and the way he holds the stem of the lotus also differs. His identifying text is the same as on previous occasions. The descriptive column of text (the top of which is missing) for the left-hand scene states: '... which are brought for her from her estates and her towns of the Delta and the South, so that invocation offerings may come to her from there'. The five complete registers, and the lower part of a sixth, in front of the owner and her son, depict male offering bearers. These must represent her funerary estates, although no text naming them is present (see details of registers 1-3 left , reg.2 left and reg.1-2 right). In each register there are either eight or nine men laden with offerings of food and/or drink. In the right-hand panel, situated above the entry, only the legs and feet of four men have survived, which suggests that more rows of offering bearers existed higher up the wall. This panel was, however, narrower than its left-hand counterpart. From the small piece of the column of descriptive text which has survived the widening of the entrance doorway (see line drawing for detail), it was probably the same as the more complete version of this same wall. The south wall : (line drawing) Watetkhethor and her son, at the right-hand side of the wall, once more stand facing the entrance from chamber B1. She wears her usual tight dress with the two broad shoulder straps, the broad necklace, bracelets and anklets, A long ribbon hangs from her hair, but her hairstyle is still unknown. With her left hand she holds a lotus flower to her nostrils. Meryteti again holds a hoopoe bird in one hand and a lotus flower in the other, his identifying text never appears to vary and is the same as in chamber B1. This time, however, he isn't naked but wears a projecting kilt, but he does have the same hairstyle of a plait and disc. With no change to the introductory text, the couple stand watching the action in nearly five of the original registers (see view). In both of the bottom two registers, four men are binding and slaughtering an animal, whilst a second animal (to the left) has already been killed and its foreleg severed. The third register shows five men carrying the forelegs of animals and the two register above this show offering bearers carrying various items of food and drink. The detail of this wall is poorly executed. The west wall : (line drawing) This wall, like the one opposite, is divided into two panels, each showing Watetkhethor and her son Meryteti standing as on the east wall, and again they face south. Both times she again has the strapped, tight-fitting dress, broad necklace, bracelets and anklets. Her son is shown as a naked child, but in the left-most instance he only holds a lotus flower, whilst in the other he holds the flower in one hand and a bird in the other. The scene in the right-hand panel is described as on the facing wall, with four registers surviving. Unlike the opposite wall, the offering bearers are all female, presumably again representing funerary estates. This time however the names of a few have been written in front of them. The named estates are: • top (fourth) register: 'the milk of Seshseshet', 'the lotus of Seshseshet', 'the nurse of Seshseshet', 'the nurse of Seshseshet' and 'the wine of Seshseshet'; • third register: 'the babat-fruit of Seshseshet'. There are five women on each register, all carrying items of food and drink in their hands and/or in baskets held on their heads. Some also bring small animals, most of which are on leashes. These small animals are: • first register, a scimitar-horned oryx, a calf and possibly a gazelle; • second register, a calf, a Nubian ibex, a gazelle and a scimitar-horned oryx; • third register, a Nubian ibex; • top register, a gazelle. Behind this wall is located chamber B4, the serdab, discussed below. A restored section of this north area of the wall, measuring 0.10m wide by 0.50m high, corresponds to the position of the squint hole, recorded by Duell in his 1936 publication, which was the only access to view its interior. See the line drawing of the west wall for the location, shown as a blue rectangle. It can be seen from the line drawing that the female figures on either side of this area are spaced further apart. The hole was filled during the restoration in the 1920's. But fortunately Duell recorded its position, and together with the spacing of the figures there is no doubt of its existence.
The animals in the top register are labelled 'young curved-horned oryx', while all the animals in the registers below are described as 'young oxen'. The layout of all of the registers is very symmetrical, with all the men and all the animals arranged in vertical columns. Note: placing your pointer over the thumbnail opposite produces an overlay, whereas clicking it produces the larger version as a popup. The north wall : (line drawing) This wall finally provides a glimpse of Watetkhethor's full hairstyle, seen on of the upper of the two fragments above the entrance to chamber B5. The total area above this doorway is taken over by a representation of Watetkhethor seated, facing west, on a chair with lion's legs and a cushioned backrest. She wears the usual tight dress, broad necklace and anklets; although her wrists are missing, they were almost certainly adorned with bracelets. With her right hand she holds a perfume jar close to her nose. The hairstyle and adornment, which can now be seen in full, is (as elsewhere) short. It has a long ribbon fastened around it and tied in a bow, which is secured by a circular ornament. One end of the ribbon is short, whilst the other end is long and hangs down her back; this can be seen in many of her incomplete images. A single horizontal line of hieroglyphs identifies her as '[the king's eldest daughter of] his [body] Watetkhethor, her beautiful name, Seshseshet'. This is also the first time that her title has survived. It should be noted here that there is no mention of Mereruka, her husband. Also it should be noted that she is not accompanied by her son. The scene in front of her was described in a vertical column of text, of which only the last few signs remain. These read: '... which is done for her'.
The registers may portray the groups of girls performing different dances, with reference (according to the text) to aspects of religion, birth or even funerary rituals. It has been postulated that they could all be representing successive movements from the same dance. These registers abound in hieroglyphic texts, all of which are conversations between the girls. Note: it is possible that the second from the left person, in the bottom register, is male; he does not have the plait and disk hairstyle and he is not shown dancing. The translation of the text is somewhat confusing, but examples are worthy of note: • Bottom register: 'Her hand is strong in snapping because she is young'; probably referring to keeping the beat of the rhythm by snapping her fingers. • Second register: 'See, it is the secret of birth'. • Third register: 'See the secret of every performer'. • Fourth register: 'See the celebration of the audience-hall'. • Top register: 'Here is the dance, made by the golden one'.
This chamber has an approximate size of 2.0m north-south by 1.0m east-west. This was a special area set aside and fully closed off from the other rest, and is located behind the west wall of B3. Its only access would have been a narrow rectangular squint hole located in the west wall of B3, already discussed above. The serdab would have been left undecorated, being only intended for statues of the owner, observations of which were thus only possible through the narrow aperture. These statues provided reserve bodies which the owner might occupy when needed, it is not known if anything of these statues remained, as nothing has been recorded of such.
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