serdab

[ ser-dahb ]

/ sərˈdɑb /

a chamber inside a mastaba containing a statue of the deceased.

Origin of serdab

1835–45; < Arabic sirdāb underground chamber < Persian sardāb cellar for ice, equivalent to sard cold + āb water

The interior of a mastaba is composed of three parts—the chamber, the serdab, and the well.

A history of art in ancient Egypt, Vol. I (of 2) |Georges Perrot
As the dolmen is a crude copy of the serdab it can be claimed as one of the ultimate results of the practice of mummification.

The Evolution of the Dragon |G. Elliot Smith
So that the function of the serdab was to afford a safe and final asylum to the statues.

A history of art in ancient Egypt, Vol. I (of 2) |Georges Perrot
Serdab, ser′dab, n. a secret chamber within the masonry of an ancient Egyptian tomb in which images of the deceased were stored.

Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) |Various

Once the statue was made a stone-house (the serdab) was provided for it above ground.

The Evolution of the Dragon |G. Elliot Smith

serdab

/ (ˈsɜːdæb, səˈdæb) /

a secret chamber in an ancient Egyptian tomb

C19 (earlier, in the sense: cellar): from Arabic: cellar, from Persian sardāb ice cellar, from sard cold + āb water