Zawyet el'Aryan
Encyclopedia
Zawyet el-Aryan is a town in Egypt
, located between Giza and Abusir
. To the west of the town, just in the desert area, is a necropolis
, referred to by the same name. Almost directly east across the Nile is Memphis. In Zawyet el-Aryan, there are 2 pyramid
complexes.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, located between Giza and Abusir
Abusir
Abusir is the name given to an Egyptian archaeological locality – specifically, an extensive necropolis of the Old Kingdom period, together with later additions – in the vicinity of the modern capital Cairo...
. To the west of the town, just in the desert area, is a necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
, referred to by the same name. Almost directly east across the Nile is Memphis. In Zawyet el-Aryan, there are 2 pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
complexes.
- The Layer PyramidLayer PyramidThe Layer Pyramid is located in the necropolis of Zawyet el'Aryan. It is thought to be the tomb of Khaba, of the Third Dynasty, but this is based upon excavations in a tomb inside the pyramid complex, and is disputed.-References:* Verner, Miroslav, The Pyramids – Their Archaeology and...
was built in the third dynasty probably during the reign of KhabaKhabaKhaba was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom and is generally considered to have reigned near the end of the Third Dynasty. He was successor to Sekhemkhet, and he was probably a son of Sekhemkhet...
. The pyramid was meant to be a step pyramid of possibly five to seven steps. No casing stones have been found, suggesting that the pyramid was never finished. The underground plan of the pyramid resembles that of the pyramid of SekhemkhetSekhemkhetSekhemkhet was a Pharaoh in Egypt during the Third dynasty. According to the Manethonian tradition, a king known as Tyris reigned for a relatively brief period of seven years, and modern scholars believe Djoserty and Sekhemkhet are the same person...
. A corridor leading into the interior has thirty-two side chambers meant for storage of the burial equipment. - Unfinished Pyramid, possibly belonging to Baka. All that stands now is a square base on which the core of the pyramid would have been constructed. A pink granite sarcophagus was found in a trench which cuts through the structure. It may date to a later time period however. It has been suspected to contain underground chambers, but excavations have not been possible as the structure is part of a military reservation. Also called the Northern Pyramid, this structure dates to the fourth dynasty.