Village in Giza Governorate, Egypt
Photo: Axel Seedorff (de:Benutzer:Aoswch), CC BY-SA 2.0 de via Wikimedia Commons
Abusir (also spelt Abu Sir) is the name given to an Egyptian archaeological locality on the desert plateau (and its neighbouring village in the valley) 10 km (7 miles) south of Giza and 8 km north of Saqqara. About 35 km south of the Egyptian capital Cairo, Abusir is the site of a compact pyramid field, with pyramids and funerary temples dating mainly from the 5th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. It is somewhat "off the beaten track" for most visitors and therefore ideal for exploration with far less hassle and company than will be experienced at Giza, or even Saqqara.
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The northernmost pyramid at Abusir and located closest to the entrance to the site, the Pyramid of Sahure (pronounced "Sa-who-ray") - the second ruler of the 5th Dynasty - was also the first constructed at Abusir. Completing its profile as the most completely preserved pyramid at the locality, the Pyramid of Sahure once measured..... Numerous blocks carved in beautiful deep relief were revealed here when the French archaeologist Borchardt excavated between 1902-1908. On the eastern side of the pyramid, the attached mortuary temple is reasonably well-preserved, retaining numerous granite pillars and large blocks with Sahure's cartouche still clearly visible. It is possible to access the pyramid's interior: from the entrance, a 75 m long walk down a corridor leads to the burial chamber, entered by crawling through a narrow portal and 2 m long passage.
Easily the most ruinous of the 'complete' pyramids at Abusir. Nyuserre was the son of pharaoh Neferirkare and usurped the causeway of his father's mortuary temple for his own monument - it can be seen to the southeast of the pyramid. Nyuserre's monument encompass a main pyramid, a mortuary temple adjacent the east face, a valley temple on Abusir Lake, the accompanying causeway intended for Neferirkare's monument, and a cult pyramid. The main pyramid had a stepped core built from roughly cut limestone encased in fine Tura limestone. The limestone casing was stripped by stone thieves, leaving the core exposed to the elements and further human activity, reducing the once nearly 52 m tall pyramid to a ruined mound, with a substructure that is dangerous to enter due to the risk of cave-ins.
Standing 45 m now in a partially ruined state, the Pyramids of Neferirkare closely resembles the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, unintentionally, as the steps visible in its construction were designed to be filled in to achieve the classic pyramid shape. This task was never completed.
Queen Khentkaus II, wife of Neferirkare and mother of Neferefre and Niuserre.
— The pyramid belonged to a woman, likely a queen. The name of the vizier Ptahshepses appears among builders' marks, which dates the pyramid to the time of Pharaoh Nyuserre.
Likely the pyramid of a queen from the Fifth dynasty
Opened in 2016, basic but comfortable guesthouse/hotel with clean rooms near the pyramids of Abu Sir (1 km) and Saqqara (5 km).
Abusir is closed for tourism (as 11/2024), you are only permitted to take a picture at a distance.
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