Pyramid Complex of Djedkare

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Location

Djedkare (also known by his birth-name Isesi) may have followed his predecessor’s move back to Saqqara
In doing so, Djedkare did not choose to build his mortuary complex in the direct vicinity of
Netjerikhet’s Step-Pyramid. Instead he moved to a location about halfway between of Sekhemkhet's unfinished Pyramid and the location where Shepseskaf, the last king of the 4th Dynasty, had his tomb constructed.

His choice for this site may have been prompted by the high plateau that, in his time, may have over-looked Memphis. This may be reflected in its modern-day Arab name, el-Shawaf, meaning “The Sentinel". The original name Djedkare choose for his funerary monument was nfr, “the beautiful (pyramid)”.


Structure

The funerary complex that Djedkare built at Saqqara followed the general standards of the time. To the west there was a pyramid, with its entrance facing north. There was a small Satellite Pyramid near the southeast corner of the main pyramid. The king’s mortuary temple extended to the east of the pyramid.

Interactive map of the funerary complex of Djedkare at Saqqara. Click or tap the circles to learn more about the different elements of this monument.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 152.

The only surprise comes from the structure of the Queen's Pyramid complex, which is located to the northeast of the King's Pyramid. It is the first to have contained all the elements that were standard in the funerary complex of a king: a pyramid, be it a small one, to the west, an even smaller satellite pyramid to the Southeast and a mortuary temple to the east.

Click the thumbnails below to learn more about Djedkare’s Pyramid Complex.


© Jacques Kinnaer 1997 - 2023