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| Pyramid of Amenemhat III at Hawara |
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.
