A number one best-seller in Britain, The Orion Mystery is the story of a secret, hidden for thousands of years, that will forever change our understanding of the meaning and purpose of the most fascinating wonder of the ancient world: the Pyramids of Egypt. What purpose did these massive structures -- one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken -- serve? Why were they scattered across the desert in a seemingly random pattern? The pyramid mystery deepened in 1993 when Rudolf Gantenbrink discovered a secret door in the Great Pyramid -- a door unopened for 4,500 years. Robert Bauval has spent the last ten years investigating the pyramids themselves and the Pyramid Texts, the oldest writings known to mankind. He and Adrian Gilbert have uncovered for the first time the key to the plan that governed the construction of the pyramids. They reveal that the pyramids were much more than just tombs: they were nothing less than a replica of heaven on earth. With great astronomical precision, the pyramids were created to serve as the pharaohs' gateway to the stars. Dramatic and compelling, The Orion Mystery leads us step-by-step through these remarkable discoveries. The book will be hailed as a historic achievement by all who are intrigued by the world's ancient mysteries. Absorbing and fascinating work of archaeological detection... clearly and rivetingly told... the book is highly and compulsively readable." -- London Sunday Times ROBERT BAUVAL was born in Egypt in 1948. A construction engineer with a long-standing interest in Egyptology, he developed a line of study linking the pyramids and the commonly called Pyramid Texts with astronomy. This is his first book. ADRIAN GILBERT is an author and independent publishing consultant. He has been researching Ancient Egypt for more than twenty years.