Pyramid of Khendjer

The pyramid of Khendjer is of type with smooth faces and is located at Saqqarah.

The monument was excavated between 1929 and 1931 by Gustave Jéquier. The complex is strongly ruined and there remains pyramid only one small brick solid mass, the infrastructures of the principal pyramid and small pyramid as well as the foundations of two enclosures, one out of stone and the other out of bricks. The funerary temple and a small vault left only some traces, the forever found temple of the valley.

Structure

The funerary complex

The pyramid was surrounded by a first wall of Enceinte to steps out of stone and of a second brick enclosing wall, undoubtedly with steps him too. The complex of Sésostris {{III}}, Pharaon of was thus composed of two enclosures with steps, one out of stone and the other out of bricks.

A small funerary vault was coupled with the northern face of the pyramid as well as a funerary temple on the face, is delimited by the second enclosure. A small pyramid was located in the north-eastern angle between the first and the second enclosure.

The pyramid

The pyramid was to have, with its coating, a base of 52,50 meters, a 37,35 meters height and a slope of 55°. It was surmounted by a pyramidion black granite, pyramidion visible today with the museum of Cairo.

The entry of the undergrounds was located under the facing of the western face. A first staircase ends in a first system of closing with harrow. The latter is still in its housing of waiting in spite of the slope of the ground which was to enable him to slip and to enclose the passage. Then, a second staircase ends in a door with two leaves opening on a horizontal stage, stage giving on a second system of closing with harrow which did not function either. The following stage leads to an anteroom whose access to a corridor was dissimulated under the pavement of the ground. This corridor gives access the vault which is a monolith of quarzite weighing an about sixty tons, hollow so as to compartmentalize it: the coffin, the case with canopes and the site for funerary furniture.

The vault was sealed by clever system of closing such a present at the Pyramide of Hawara, with the unfinished Pyramide of southern Saqqarah like to the southern Pyramide of Mazghouna. The lid of the sarcophagus, was on standby posed on two blocks of stone, themselves posed on two sand cushions. It was enough to withdraw sand to lower the lid. It was found empty, the pyramid having been plundered as of highest antiquity.

The small pyramid

The entry was located under the facing of the face is. The undergrounds comprised two harrows whose implementation was similar to those of the pyramid of Khendjer. They sealed the access to two caveaux which was never occupied, the lids of the sarcophagi being still in their position of waiting.

Characteristics of the funerary complex

the system of closing, very elaborate, of the fleshfly of the pyramid;
systems of closing with harrows;
black the granite pyramidion discovered and reconstituted per G. Jequier;
enclosing walls with steps, typical of the funerary complexes of the Average Empire.

Bibliographical references

Two pyramids of the Means-Empire , Gustave Jequier, 1932;
pyramids of Egypt , IES Edwards, 1999;
Manual of Egyptian archeology, Flight, , J. Vandier;
The pyramid complex off Senwsret At Dahshur , Dieter Arnold, 2003.

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