Abu Rawash

Abu Rawash (also known as Abu Roach), 8 km to the North of Giza, is the site of Egypt's most northerly pyramid, the mostly ruined Pyramid of Djedefra, the son and successor of Khufu. Originally it was thought that this pyramid had never been completed, but the current archaelogicical consensus is that not only was it completed, but that it was originally about the same size as the Pyramid of Menkaure - the third largest of the Giza pyramids.

View on the remains of the mortuary temple, with two of the pyramids of Giza in the background.

Its location adjacent to a major crossroads made it an easy source of stone. Quarrying - which began in Roman times, has left little apart from a few courses of stone superimposed upon the natural hillock that formed part of the pyramid's core. A small adjacent satellite pyramid is in a better state of preservation.

Geology of Abu Rawash

The sedimentary succession in Abu Rawash area ranges in age from Late Cretaceous to Quaternary but is punctuated by several unconformity surfaces. Turonian to Coniacian representing the sedimentary succession of Abu Rawash Formation that differentiated into six informal units (members) from younger to older as follows:

Basal clastic member
Rudist-bearing limestone-marl member
Limestone member
Actaeonella-bearing limestone-marl member
Flint-bearing chalky limestone member
Plicatula-bearing marl-limestone member.

Sedimentary depositional environment of Abu Rawash Formation are characterized by variable conditions and settings ranging from lower mixed to upper intertidal flat and subtidal channel for the clastic facies and calm to agitated open marine inner to middle platform for the carbonate facies. Vertical sequence or facies hierarchy display that the facies sequence of the basal clastic member indicates a progradational preitidal sequence. While those of the rudist-bearing member and limestone member represent a cyclic progradtion of high energetic / storm facies above an open marine low energetic fore shoal subtidal facies. The facies sequence of the Acteonella-bearing member reflects two facies associations comprising open marine subtidal assemblage and shoal or bank facies. The latter facies represents the bank that the robust thick shelled Durania arnaudi with the coralline sponge heads accreted local mounds in restricted areas (El-Hassana dome). The vertical facies hierarchy of the flint-bearing chalky limestone member suggests a renewed shoaling of the depositional accommodation, shifting to inner-platform setting and a progradation of mobile bioclastic shoals or banks. The stacking of the sedimentary facies in the Plicatula-bearing member indicates an accumulation in an open shallow sea (inner platform) with intermittent supply of fine terrigenous clastics and clays.

Pyramid of Djedefra at Abu Rawash

Djedefra, the 3rd ruler of ancient Egypt's 4th Dynasty and the son of Khufu, for unknown reasons, abandoned the necropolis at Giza and built his pyramid at Abu Rawash. It was called "Djedefra's Starry Sky". This move is interesting, and it is often suggested that Djedefra had some sort of falling out with his family, or at least his brothers, for this location is an odd choice. His successor immediately returned to Giza. However, this conflict with his family is far from certain, and more recent evidence suggests that there were in fact no problems at all.

The ruined Pyramid of Djedefra sits atop the plateau of Abu Rawash

Other than the ruins of Lepsius pyramid number one, Djedefra's pyramid is the northernmost of any pyramids in Egypt. Before Lepsius, Perring briefly investigated the ruins, concentrating on the substructure, and Petrie later examined the pyramid in the 1880s. However, only at the beginning of the 20th Century was this pyramid systematically investigated, first by French archaeologist Emile Chassinat, and about then years later, by his fellow countryman Pierre Montet. Later still, it was further investigated by Maragioglio and Rinaldi. In 1995, the French-Swiss team headed by Michel Valloggia began excavation at the site, and perhaps this modern effort will answer questions about the pyramid and Djedefra that have long been left unanswered.

Unfortunately, this pyramid became a popular target for early stone thieves. It has been proven that, from the end of the 19th century, stone was being hauled away at the rate of three hundred camel loads a day. Previous findings have held that the pyramid was probably never completed, but it appears that the current excavators are now refuting this claim.

We know nothing of a valley temple that might have been connected with this pyramid, and very little about the causeway leading to the pyramid complex. The Causeway was probably very long. It would have had to be about 1700 meters (5,577 ft) to have reached the pyramid complex from the valley. The causeway was very unusual for this period as well, because it run north-south at a time when most causeways ran east-west.

The complex is surrounded by an outer perimeter wall that is approximately two and one half meters thick. It is somewhat oriented to the north-sough, with the causeway approaching from the north. Interestingly, in the area within the perimeter wall to the north, where the causeway leads in, is a large open space. This is the area where there should have been a mortuary temple if the causeway connected to this temple as in others, but no remains have been discovered. The problem is that until the end of the 3rd Dynasty, mortuary temples were erected on the north side of pyramids, but beginning with the 4th Dynasty onward, they were located at the foot of the east side of the pyramid. If indeed there was a mortuary temple on the north, unexplored area of the complex, then this would have been a reversion back to earlier layouts. However, it should also be noted that the corridors and burial chamber of the pyramid itself rather than in the superstructure, was also a reversion, and while the roofs of this substructure is highly damaged, it appears that the design may be similar to the earlier style of Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara.

View from inside the shaft. The internal structure of the pyramid of Djedefra is quite different from the large pyramids at Giza. It consist of an internal T-shaped room, the burial pit, with internal dimensions of 24m long and 11m wide.

There may yet be discoveries made on the north side of the pyramid. However, recent excavations have also unearthed an inner perimeter wall about six meters (20 ft) from the north pyramid base, and widening on the east, where a mudbrick structure is thought to be what remains of a mortuary temple. A covered corridor is believed to have lead from the northeast entrance of the inner enclosure to the mouth of the causeway. Just outside of this corridor, recent excavations have revealed a cache of votive pottery, which indicate the existence of sustained cult worship of this King.

The layout of this "mortuary temple" on the east side of the pyramid is very different than other known Old Kingdom examples, and was apparently completed in haste. It was formed of rather thick fieldstone walls, finished with mudbrick to form the compartments and chambers surrounding an open courtyard. In the courtyard, some of the original pavement, storehouses and other architectural elements remain today. In the middle of the northeastern part of the structure stood a row of columns, apparently inscribed with Djedefra's cartouche, if fragmentary evidence may be believed. This is interesting, because other than some columns and half columns found at the complex of Djoser at Saqqara, this would represent the only appearance of columns in a pyramid complex mortuary temple prior to the 5th Dynasty.

There is a depression in the middle of the east wall of the pyramid core. Due to the location, Egyptologists believe that this was a niche that might have held a false door, in front of which would have been an altar, all a part of an offering hall.

In the area near the columns, fragments of statues of three of Djedefra's sons and two of his daughters were discovered, along with a possible limestone sphinx. If this was indeed a sphinx, it would probably be the earliest know form of this statuary.

Map of the pyramid complex of Djedefra.

Like a number of pyramids in Egypt, this one used part of a rock outcropping that was reshaped as part of the core. The remainder of the core consists of local limestone blocks. There remains about fifteen horizontally laid layers of the limestone core, but very little of the fine, pink granite casing is left.

Originally, because of the slope of the casing blocks, it was thought that the pyramid had an extremely sharp slope. Some even believe it might have been planned as a step pyramid, as these structures had a much sharper slope than true pyramids. But with the newest investigation, it has been determined that the casing blocks were not laid horizontally, but leaned slightly towards the middle of the pyramid creating, instead of a 60 degree angle, a more standard 48 to 52 degree slope. This method was also used in the Step and Bent pyramids. Given that the baseline has been accurately determined to be 106.2 meters (348 ft), the pyramid would have risen to a theoretical height of between 57 and 67 meters (187 ft to 220 ft), much smaller than Djedefra's father's pyramid at Giza.

Though the substructure was highly damaged, we can see that the builders used the open pit method of construction, which was also a throwback to earlier times. In the north wall of the pyramid, they built a trench that now contains the remains of a descending corridor. Here, Valloggia found a copper ax blade within a part of a foundation deposit buried there when construction on the pyramid was begun. The corridor generally follows a north-south axis, and leads to an area that probably contained two rooms, an antechamber and burial chamber. Petrie, in his investigation, discovered a fragment of what he though was part of a pink granite sarcophagus in this area.

On the east side of the pyramid within the enclosure wall is a trench that, because of its form in the shape of a boat, might have originally held a royal solar boat. However, no remains of a boat were found here. Rather the fragments of some 120 statues, mostly representing Djedefra sitting on his throne, were discovered. Three more or less complete heads were found, including one now in the Louvre in Paris and one in the Egyptian Antiquity Museum in Cairo. The statues had been, it would seem, intentionally destroyed. This may have done by Khafra, his half brother and successor, who could have possibly murdered Djedefra as revenge. There is a possibility that Djedefra himself gained the throne by murdering his older half brother, Kauab.

However, this theory has lost much ground lately. The view of a majority of scholars appears to be that, because the pyramid was located in an isolated area, the local population may have vandalized the statues. This theory hold that the destruction began during the New Kingdom, and became especially intense during the Roman and Christian era. At that time, a Coptic monastery was built in the nearby Wadi Karin.

Interestingly, no tombs of Djedefra's family and high officials have been found within the complex, though there is a structure near the southwest corner of the pyramid that might have served as a subsidiary tomb for one of his consorts. However, Egyptologists such as Stadelmann and Janosi think that this is in fact a cult pyramid without burial. Again, future excavations will be required to answer this question.

In the northeast corner of the inner enclosure, workshops and housing have been found that apparently were used by the builders of the pyramid. Here, layers of chips remain from what was apparently a stoneyard where the pyramid blocks were worked.

It should also be mentioned that Petrie found a fragment of a diorite statue with the probable hieroglyphs representing Menkaure. Some Egyptologists believe that this king undertook restoration work on the pyramid.

Pyramid Lepsius #1 at Abu Rawash

Abu Rawash is only a few kilometers north of Giza, but it is rarely visited because there is really very little to see. Most of the monuments built there are in complete ruin. The best known of these is a pyramid built by the 4th Dynasty king, Djedefra (Radjedef). Then, perhaps, the second most noticeable ruins are those of the structure that the Lepsius expedition believed was a pyramid. As the northernmost of any pyramid ruins discovered at that time, they assigned it the number one. This is a mudbrick structure built in the easternmost hills promontory. This structure was originally discovered by J. Perring in the 1830s, and was also investigated by Vyse, who luckily didn't blow it up. Later, Bisson de la Roque also briefly examined the structure, but the most recent and comprehensive work appears to have been completed by NabilSwelim, an Egyptian archaeologist, in the mid 1980s.

There seems to remain some debate about whether this is indeed a pyramid, and if so, who built it. Verner doesn't seem altogether sure that it even is a pyramid, and while Lehner refers to the structure as a pyramid, he seems to believe it was possibly a provincial step pyramid, such as others scattered as for south as Elephantine. Provincial pyramids are most often small, step pyramid that in general are believed to have not been built as tombs.

However, many of the provincial pyramids seem to have little or no substructure, were as Lepsius number 1 does. And while some questions seem to remain about its status as a pyramid, the majority opinion among current Egyptologists suggests that it most likely was, in fact, at least meant to be.

In Swelim's view, who should by all rights be most familiar with the structure, it was indeed an enormous mudbrick step pyramid, with about one quarter of its core made up of a rock outcropping. Of course, this made the structure strong, plus quick and cheap to build. Swelim dates it to the end of the 3rd Dynasty and believes that it most likely was built on the instructions of Huni.

However, Verner brings up a number of arguments against Swelim's conclusions. To begin with, he points out that the structure is located on the farthest edge of the Nile flood zone and not in an elevated position like many other pyramids. In addition, Verner tells us that there are at least thirty rock cut tombs of the 5th Dynasty and 6th Dynasty that are honeycombed in the rock outcropping that Swelim believes was incorporated into the structures core.

If the structure was built at the end of the 3rd Dynasty, Verner remains skeptical that it would have been so destroyed at the end of the 4th Dynasty that tombs would be built in the outcropping used as part of its core. It should also be pointed out that mudbrick would have been an unusual material to have been used in a royal pyramid of the 3rd or 4th Dynasty. However, Middle Kingdom dates can be excluded by the rock cut core (this kind of substructures is out of fashion already at the end of fourth dynasty), even though mudbrick pyramids were built in that era. Of course, the tombs built in the outcropping would suggest, if anything, that it might be older then thought, rather then newer.

Yet many if not most Egyptologists do seem to think that it is a pyramid that either belonged to Huni, or possibly another king named Neferka.

In building the pyramid, mudbricks was laid over the rock outcropping and the remainder of the core, inclined inward at 75-76 degrees in accretion layers. Actually, the use of an outcropping was not unique. For example, we also find a similar structure in the pyramid of Senusret II at Dahshur, along with other kings.

When it was discovered, much of the mudbrick had been stripped away from its position, but it is estimated that the base length of the pyramid was about 215 meters. Theoretically, it should have had a height of between 107 and 150 meters, though when discovered, the rubble pile was only about 20 meters in tall. Within the structure the rock outcropping (core) was penetrated from the north by a 25 degree sloping corridor leading south before communicating with a square funerary chamber.

Within the pyramid, the burial chamber would have laid under the vertical axes of the pyramid, as was customary.

The mudbrick monument of Abu Rawash, which would have been comparable in size to the Zawyet el Aryan unfinished pyramid (Neferka, Nebkara).

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