PRELIMINARY REPORT OF THE NATIONAL

The National Museums of Scotland Survey aims to produce an up-to-date archaeological and sub-surface geophysical map of the area known as the Abusir West-Saqqara Wadi. The work combines remote sensing investigation, field inspection and archival research into previous excavations and surveys with selected excavation exposures of targeted anomalies. THE concession area allows for the investigation of the bed and sides of the dry watercourse or wadi leading south-south-west from the edge of the remanent lake at AbusirBirkhet Mukhtar Pasha-to the large rectangular enclosure known as the Gisr el Mudir or Great Enclosure (fig. I).1 Two field seasons have been undertaken-from 2 to 28 November 1 990 and i 6 November to 5 December 1 99 i, the staff being David Jeffreys (archaeological advisor), Ian and Padi Mathieson (geoarchaeological surveys), Ana Tavares (survey and archival research), and Professor H. S. Smith (Egyptological advisor). The National Museums of Scotland acknowledge with gratitude the help and co-operation of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization, with whose permission the work is carried