Hawara

Pyramid of Amenemhat III at Hawara

Hawara  was  a  royal  necropolis  in  the  south area  of  the  Faiyum used  by  the Dynasty 12.  The pyramidal  complex  of  Amenemhet III (1844–1797 B.C.E.), a monument named the Labyrinth that served as the mortuary temple of the pyramid, was raised on the site.  The  temple  reportedly  contained  3000  chambers related by ranging passages, shafts, and corridors on subterranean  levels.  The  burial  chamber  was  designed out of a single part of quartzite, estimated by Herodotus in Egypt c. 450 B.C.E., as weighing different tons.

The  Labyrinth  had  twelve  covered  courts,  facing  south and north. Herodotus toured the upper and lower levels and named the complex. All of the walls were decorated with reliefs, and white marble columns were used throughout. No causeway or valley temple was erected. Sobekneferu (1787–1783  B.C.E.),  a  manageable  daughter  of Amenemhet  III,  completed  the  pyramid  for  her  father. Little rests of the structure. A nearby necropolis contained wax portraits and tombs dating to the later Greco-Roman Periods.

Hawara is the place of the massive pyramid of Amenemhat III, a twelve Dynasty (Middle Kingdom, 1204–1604 B.C.E.) pharaoh. The complex  was  knew in ancient times for its great labyrinth, a temple complex peripheral the pyramid, described by ancient travelers as a vast, obscure maze of streets and buildings.  According to legend, it inspired Dedalus  to create the labyrinth of Crete.  Among other things, the Hawara labyrinth was the location of a temple to Sobek, the feared  local crocodile deity.  

Hawara was also a necropolis – nowadays famous for its strikingly realistic funerary portraits.  Funerals were apparently a major business in Hawara, and most of the people involved in the takes in this case were connected to this industry.  Calling themselves “god’s sealants and embalmers,” they owned parts in the necropolis  of Hawara and nearby burial grounds, these parts were, in fact, transferable, just like real property.