Pyramid of Ounas

The pyramid of Ounas and its complex funerary follows the architecture of the examples of its predecessors to Abousir, establishing from now on the traditional plan of the future units which will be built by the Pharaons of the following dynasty. Its ancient name was “the pyramid which is the beauty of the places”.

The funerary complex

The temple of the valley of this complex funerary which formerly bordered a channel connected to the the Nile, still accommodates the visitor at the entry of the site of Saqqarah. Built on a quay which one reaches by a slope staircase, the temple comprised three entries with columns papyriformes, of which some were rectified. A hall followed to columns, undoubtedly of the same style, which gave access to the long slope which led to the high temple, or funerary temple which is installed on the side is pyramid.

This roadway consists of a long corridor whose ceiling was duplicated leaving a narrow rectilinear opening in its center which was to bring a low-angled light inside obscure and somewhat mysterious of this long way towards the necropolis. The walls were entirely decorated with reliefs illustrating the life of the country and undoubtedly some great events of the reign as transport by boats of the large columns monoliths out of granite which were used for the construction of the temple or of the military important facts. Parts of the roadway were restored making it possible to imagine the general aspect of this monumental access to the sanctuary of Ounas.

The funerary temple comprised a large court peristyle which served several additional parts of the sanctuary and the five vaults of worships in which the king appeared in the sides of the gods. Around the mastaba and tombs of the court of the king were.

The pyramid

The pyramid dominated the whole with its fine limestone coating of which a part is visible in the south of the monument.

The access to the underground apartments and the room with the sarcophagus were done in north and they form the most spectacular aspect of the funerary whole of Ounas. Indeed they are covered with hiéroglyphes forming the first specimens of the Textes of the Pyramids which will be largely developed with. The sarcophagus of the king, carved in a block of granite is still in place along the Western wall on which figure a representation of the Enceinte to steps of the palate. The room is covered by a vault out of rafter decorated with stars with five yellow branches gold on a blue fonc harms.

It is the first time that a royal funerary room receives such an elaborate decoration and including/understanding on its walls the first known theological corpus of the history of humanity.

Photographs

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