Aserdab (Persian:سرداب,romanized: Sardāb,lit. 'cold water'), which became a loanword in Arabic for 'cellar', is anancient Egyptian tomb structure that served as a chamber for theka statue of a deceased individual. Used during theOld Kingdom, the serdab was a sealed chamber with a small slit or hole to allow the soul of the deceased to move about freely. These holes also let in the smells of the offerings presented to the statue.[1]
The termserdab is also used for a type of undecorated chamber found in many pyramids.[2] Owing to the lack of inscriptions it has been impossible to determine the ritual function of this chamber, but many Egyptologists view it as a storage space, akin to the underground storehouses in private and royal tombs of theSecond Dynasty.[3] It is most easily recognized by its position in the east end of the pyramid's internal chamber system and the three niches in its outer wall. The earliest serdab of this type is found in thepyramid of Menkaure, but it was during the reign ofDjedkare Isesi that it became a part of the standard pyramid layout.[citation needed]