World Tourism / The Best Pyramids in the World / The Pyramid of Djedefre

The most northern pyramid in Egypt belongs to Khufu’s son, Djedefre. It is not too much remaining of the pyramid but  tourists can find a lot of information from what is left. It is still not known why Djedefre chose to raise up his own pyramid at Abu Roash rather than next to his father’s pyramid on the Giza plateau. Many scientists suggested that it might have  chosen this spot because it was nearer to the centre of the sun cult. Djedefre was considered the first pharaoh who  took the title ‘Son of Re’. Many casing stones that still surround the wonderful site feature a very steep angle of about 60 degrees.

The Pyramid of Djedefre nowadays consists mostly of ruins. Initially people believed  that this pyramid had never been completed, but the current exploration of the archaeologists proved that not only was it completed under Djedefre supervision, moreover it had originally the same size as the Pyramid of Menkaure, which is the third largest of the Giza pyramids. Some explorers  believed that  this pyramid was originally the most spectacular of the pyramids, featuring an exterior of polished, imported granite, limestone.

The first piers of the pyramid can still be admired, coming along with a large trench which was the descending corridor that took people to the burial chamber and is now opened. The rectangular burial chamber was founded at the end of the descending passage in an open pit, which represented an important  return to one older concept of the construction and it is believed to have included an antechamber.
An external enclosure wall surrounds the complex, offering many open spaces in front of the pyramid. On the eastern side of the pyramid are situated some ruins of a structure erected in mud brick, featuring an axis to the north-east, maybe because it was supposed to be a mortuary structure, distinguished by  other mortuary buildings through its style. It is a little bit confused, as the causeway does not coincide with this structure, but actually runs to the northern perimeter wall. The wonderful structure, that comprises a courtyard and store-rooms looks like has been very quick changed to appear as a mortuary temple at the king’s death .
A boat-shaped pit, that features a length of about 35 meters, was discovered to the southern side of the eastern structure, where Chassinat found a lot of  fragments of red quartzite statuary  along with three painted heads from statues of the king, that are now displayed in the Louvre and Cairo Museum. One of these heads is thought to belong to the earliest royal sphinx.

The French-Swiss team have been excavating around the enclosure wall and around the imposing pyramid. The team discovered an inner enclosure wall from which appeared a covered corridor from the north-east going  directly  to the causeway. The causeway has a length of about 1,7 meters , created  to reach better an area where a valley temple would be situated, but still no valley was found. Not only  its length  was unusual, as it was oriented towards the north-east rather than  to the east to west and this was normal. The excavations made on the northern side of the structure  discovered a foundation bed with an angle of 18 degrees, that means when the casing stands in its place it’s angle would be reduced to 48 degrees.

During some earlier excavations was found a satellite pyramid, located at the south-west corner of Djedefre’s pyramid within the enclosure wall. It was debated if it was a cult pyramid  or a queen’s pyramid. The French-Swiss team, in April 2002, found the existence of another previously satellite monument at the south-east, that was unknown until that moment. In the substructure a shaft runs straight to a corridor and three chambers. The eastern one includes a lot of fragments of a great limestone sarcophagus. Many other treasured artifacts are now recovered from this pyramid, for example a large complete alabaster jar with its lid. There were also fragments of an alabaster plate that included the inscription with Khufu’s Horus name.

The Pyramid of Djedefre  is definitely a marvelous destination for tourists who love to enjoy the experience of an unforgettable exploration. It features a wonderful interior that preserves interesting events and unique legends, surrounded by treasured chambers, artifacts. The atmosphere is absolutely gorgeous, where the tourists can spend lovely moments in tranquility and relaxation.

 

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Maps of The Pyramid of Djedefre