Unas (2375—2345)

Unas or Wenis was the ninth ruler of the fifth Dynasty. He led Egypt from 2356 till 2323 BC. Amid his rule, fruitful exchange campaigns were directed with neighboring countries. An engraving raised at Elephantine demonstrates a giraffe that was conveyed to Egypt with other intriguing creatures for antiquated Egyptians, amid Wenis' rule. Another drawing found on a found vase indicates fight scenes amid his rule. There was a noteworthy starvation amid this time. Wenis had two spouses, Queen Nebet, who was the mother of Prince Wenisakh, and Queen Khenut. The ruler was covered in Saqqara in a brilliant tomb with dividers secured with the "Pyramid Texts".

The relationship of Unas with his antecedents or successors is not known. He was hitched to Khenut and to Nebit, however their relationship to Unas' antecedents is not known either, nor are the names of any kids that he would have had with them. It has once in a while been proposed, however, that Iput I was a little girl of Unas.

Both of Unas' Queens were covered in mastaba tombs outside of Unas' pyramid complex, which, in itself is unordinary since regularly in this period the Queens would be covered in littler pyramids close to their husband's.

According to the Turin King-list, Unas ruled for 30 years, or perhaps slightly more of part of the number is in the lacuna, which is confirmed by Manetho, who recorded 33 years. The highest recorded year from this reign, however, refers to the year of the 8th cattle count, which, in a regular biennal census, would be the 15th year of Unas' reign.

Despite his long reign, not much is known about Unas. His name has been found in Elephantine, at the Southern border of Egypt (Aswan), and also on an alabaster vessel found in Byblos, the latter perhaps indicating some commercial or diplomatic activities between Egypt and the Near East during this period. He seems not to have left any apparent heirs after his death, which may have resulted in some political instability following his death.

Unas is mostly known from his pyramid complex, which he built to the North-west of Djoser's at Saqqara. It is the oldest known royal tomb to have contained religious texts, the so-called Pyramid Texts, which are a collection of spells, litanies, hymns and descriptions of the King's life after death. These texts are the oldest known religious writings known to mankind!

Unas was venerated in the Saqqara district for a long time after his passing

Wenis was the ninth lord of the fifth Dynasty. He governed Egypt from 2356 till 2323 BC. Amid his rule, effective exchange campaigns were directed with neighboring countries. An engraving raised at Elephantine demonstrates a giraffe that was conveyed to Egypt with other outlandish creatures for antiquated Egyptians, amid Wenis' rule. Another drawing found on a found vase demonstrates fight scenes amid his rule. There was a noteworthy starvation amid this time. Wenis had two spouses, Queen Nebet, who was the mother of Prince Wenisakh, and Queen Khenut. The ruler was covered in Saqqara in a grand tomb with dividers secured with the "Pyramid Texts".

Pharaoh Unas is from numerous points of view a shadowy ruler in Egyptian history. His Horus name (picture right) was Wadj-tawy, signifying: "Horus, the prospering one of the Two Lands". Science does not know a lot of his exercises amid his long rule and his passing appears to have caused some kind of disarray and precariousness at the move into the following administration.

Mastaba of Ptah-hotep and Ankhti-hotep (North Saqqara)

Ptah-hotep, a cleric o Maat amid the rule of Djedkare

Ankh-ti-hotep his child, was the visioer, judge and administrator of the silos.

Reliefs are in different phases of fruition. Not painted.

*Mural aboe the passageway demonstrates the minister being manicured and pedicured when Europe was in the stone age.

May contain the main craftsman's mark - Ankhen-ptah, the central craftsman.

Ptah-hotep was a cleric of Maat, and held an essential position amid the regin of Djedkare. Akhti-hotep was his dad, and vizier, head of the treasurey and silo and also judge.

Littler than Ti's mastaba, and not entirely brightened.

Principle passage has reliefs on each side, on the left are line drawings in red and rectified in dark.

Reliefs in the tomb chamber are very much safeguarded, a portion of the best of the old kingdom. They hold some shading.

Roofs in the tomb chamber are the impersonation trunks of palm trees.

Akhti-hotep's chamber is less enriched and littler. There is a chamberon the left that contains a unidentified mummy.

Mortuary temple of Djedkare-Isesi

Djedkare's funeral home sanctuary lies on the eastern face of the pyramid, based on inclining ground which must be leveled before development could start. Two huge towers as an arch initially fronted the sanctuary, yet their motivation is as yet hazy and it creates the impression that they didn't contain any rooms.

Parts of reliefs found in the sanctuary range propose that it was once lavishly adorned, yet it has been seriously harmed and the zone has never been totally exhumed. The symmetrical arrangement is by all accounts like that of other pyramid sanctuaries of Dynasty V with a passage corridor and a focal colonnaded court with magazines on either side. The 16 pink stone sections in the court bore the names and titles of Djedkare-Isesi. The inward and external parts of the sanctuary were isolated by a transverse hallway, and past this was a chamber with five statue-specialties, a waiting room and an offering lobby and on the western side a false entryway was fused into the substance of the pyramid.

Complex Pyramid of Djedkare Izezi

Complex Pyramid of Djedkare Izezi

Initially called "Wonderful is Djedkare" . Today called Haram el-Shawaf, the "Sentinel Pyramid". Explored by Perring, and the Lepsius campaign . Entered in 1880 by Maspero to search for pyramid writings . Not went by again until the twentieth century, but rather the exploration was lost . The valley sanctuary has never been researched . Most likely worked under the supervision of Snedjemib, administrator of works . Djedkare was Menkauhor's successor in the fifth line. Most likely his child or his cousin.

The ruins of the valley temple lie under the edg eof the houses in the nearby villageSome granite stones are incorporated into the houses Causeway is not quite east-west A nearby necropolis for sacred snakes dates from the Late Period, and is near the upper end of the causeway The foundation slopes sharply on the east side, where the mortuary temple is located. A central courtyard with columned hall and alabaster walkway. The columns are pink granite palm columns.

The western part of the temple was incorporated into the masonry of the pyramid.
Very little remains of the decoration sor structure. Small cult pyramid near the southeast corner of the main pyramid is common. It has three coresw and a single underground chamber, entered from the north side, and enclosed in a small retaining wall.

Entrance is on the north side, but not on the pyramid face, but rather in the pavement of the courtyard and covered with a chapel. Private tombs are nearby, but they do not contain his family (they were buried in Abusir) A pyramid of an unknown queen, possibly of Djedkare, is almost integrated into the pyramid.

Basalt sarcophagus, with the head oriented to the north Fragments of canopic jars Mummified body of a man about 50 years old, possibly that of Djedkare

Core of six steps, currently missing the upper three layers 49 meters (163 feet) high (Currently only 24 meters tall) . Each step is approximately 7 meters  high, built of limestone with clay mortar. Casing is long gone, but the north side is well preserved "Pyramid of the Sentinel" 25m tall, open ot visitors, but very little to see Djedkare-Isesi was the penultimate king of Dynasty V, the predecessor to Unas. He was the first pharaoh to build a pyramid in the area to the south of the main Saqqara necropolis, moving away from the chosen burial grounds of his immediate ancestors at Abusir. Although Djedkare's ancestry is still unclear, it is known that he reigned for at least three decades, during which time he was responsible for reforming the administration of Upper and Lower Egypt and reorganising the mortuary cult at Abusir.

Pyramid of Djedkare-Isesi from the north   Pyramid of Djedkare-Isesi from the north
The pyramid of Djedkare, overlooking the modern village of Saqqara, is known today as 'The Sentinel' (el-Shawaf) but was originally named 'Beautiful is Djedkare'. It was visited by Perring, and recorded by Lepsius, but was first entered by Gaston Maspero in 1880 during his search for pyramid texts. In the 1940s the pyramid was excavated by Abdel Salam Hussein, although his work was never published. It has been sporadically investigated since then, especially in the area of the causeway, but due to the damage to the pyramid complex in antiquity little remains have been found there.

The funerary complex that Djedkare built at Saqqara followed the general standards of the time. To the West there was a pyramid, with its entrance facing North. There was a small Satellite Pyramid near the Southeast corner of the main pyramid. The king's mortuary temple extented to the East of the pyramid. The only surprise comes from the structure of the Queen's Pyramid complex, which is located to the Northeast of the King's Pyramid. It is the first to have contained all the elements that were standard in the funerary complex of a king: a pyramid, be it a small one, to the West, an even smaller satellite pyramid to the Southeast and a mortuary temple to the east

Djedkare Izezi (2388—2356)

Djedkare Izezi was the eighth ruler of the fifth Dynasty and ruled Egypt from 2388 till 2356 BC. He was an exceptionally keen and vivacious lord, and he could take full preferred standpoint of all the accessible mineral assets in Egypt at Wadi Hammamat and Sinai. His name was recorded at Wadi Maghara and Wadi Halfa. His beneficiary was his child, Prince Remkuy, who passed on before he expected the position of authority.

The relationship of Djedkare with his antecedents or successors is not known. As indicated by the Turin King-list he administered for a long time, albeit a few Egyptologists would want to peruse the number given as 38. The most elevated known year reference for this lord is the time of the 22nd cows number. In the event that the steers checks were held at general two year interims, this would be the 43rd year of Djedkare's rule. Manetho records 44 years for this ruler.

Djedkare's name has been found in the Sinai, demonstrating a continued Egyptian interest in this rich region, Abydos and Nubia. His reign is marked by some important changes: the solar cult, although not abandoned, loses some of its importance and predominance, and the power of the central government is weakened to the advantage of the provincial administration.

Another important change that occurred during Djedkare's reign is that he returned to Saqqara to build his funerary monument. This does not mean, however, that the funerary temples of Abusir were abandoned. The larger part of the papyri found in the funerary temple of Neferirkare are dated to Djedkare.

Izezi was the eighth king of the 5th Dynasty and ruled Egypt from 2388 till 2356 BC. He was a very smart and energetic king, and he was able to take full advantage of all the available mineral resources in Egypt at Wadi Hammamat and Sinai. His name was inscribed at Wadi Maghara and Wadi Halfa. His heir was his son, Prince Remkuy, who died before he assumed the throne
Djedkare, was the eighth ruler of dynasty five and was perhaps a son or another relative to his predecessor.

His Horus-name Djedkhawu is shown in picture right and the prenomen Isesi (or Issi) to the left. He had a son and heir named Remkuy who died before him. Though his long reign of about 30 years, surprisingly few facts of him has come forward. Like the pharaoh before him he probably did not build a sun temple and choose his tomb to be placed in the royal burial ground in Sakkara.

Two expeditions are recorded going to Sinai and an expedition to the mystical country Punt is also noted for in graffiti. He kept both the commercial and diplomatically contacts with the important trade centres in Syria. A few officials from his time are known and he is mentioned in contemporary letters as well as royal ones from the next dynast. The papyri records found in the funerary temple of the older king Neferirkare are dated to his time.

Djedkare's pyramid is situated at South Sakkara and today it's called "The Sentinel Pyramid". A mummy found within it is believed to be Djedkare himself, and estimated to be from a man about fifty years old, which correspond well to his reign.

After a few pretty much expert diggings throughout the years the pyramid was analyzed in the 1980s and discovered extremely harmed and hard to uncover. The valley sanctuary have had only a couple brief examinations and some remaining parts of dividers with reliefs from the boulevard have been found. At the Nile side the geography is a substantial incline and incredible endeavors have been taken to make the establishment to the funeral home sanctuary. Flanking the passage were two square gigantic, tower-like arches. The passageway corridor had extremely monstrous dividers, maybe to bolster a vaulted rooftop. The passage was once cleared in alabaster, the distance into the sanctuary yard.

 The name of his pyramid was: "The Beautiful Pyramid" (picture left) sometimes written with the king's name in front, to spread a little beauty over the owner too. The hieroglyph for "beautiful" (nefer) was by tradition an image of a animal's belly and windpipe (the blue sign).

Menkauhor (2422—2414)

Menkauhor on a stele from Louvre

Menkauhor was the seventh lord of the fifth Dynasty. He controlled Ancient Egypt from 2396 till 2388 BC, yet never accomplished the level of distinction that whatever remains of the rulers in his tradition did. He constructed a pyramid in Dahshur, however just its vestiges remain. There is a little alabaster statue of Menkauhor situated in the Egyptian historical center in Cairo. He is rumored as having sent his troops to Sinai with a specific end goal to secure materials for the development of his tomb.

The relationship of Menkauhor with his ancestors or successors is not known. As per the Turin King-list he governed for somewhere in the range of 8 years.

His reign is validated by an engraving in the Sinai and a seal from Abusir. His sun powered sanctuary, called Akhet-Re, and his pyramid are said in writings from private tombs, yet have not yet been distinguished. On the off chance that the presumption that his pyramid is to be situated at Dashur is right, this would infer a takeoff from Abusir.

Menkauhor was most likely the seventh leader of Egypt's fifth Dynasty. Menkauhor was this current ruler's honored position name, which signifies "Interminable are the Souls of Re". His original name was Kalu. Notwithstanding, he is likely the minimum very much validated leader of this administration and can be considered as a real part of the slightest verified rulers of any non middle period.

The relationship of Menkauhor with his predecessors or successors is not known. However, it is likely that he was either the brother or son of Niuserre, his predecessor. If he was Niuserre's son, it would probably have been by Niuserre's chief queen, Neput-Nebu. It is also likely that he was the father of Djedkare, who followed him to the throne. If not, he was almost certainly Djedkare's brother, with Niuserre being both king's father, or Djedkare's cousin, with Djedkare being the son of Neferefre, and Menkauhor being the son of Niuserre.

According to the Turin King-list he ruled for some eight years. References fairly consistently give his reign as lasting from about 2421 or 2422 until 2414.
His solar-temple, called Akhet-Re, and his pyramid are mentioned in texts from private tombs. This dynasty was famous for their solar temples, and Menkauhor's temple is probably located at either Abusir or Saqqara. It would have probably been the last such temple built, however, because his successors appear to have drifted away somewhat from the solar cult.

Menkauhor's pyramid has not been positively identified, but if the assumption that his pyramid is to be located at Dashur is correct, this would imply a departure from Abusir. However, some Egyptologists seem to strongly believe that his pyramid is the "Headless Pyramid", located in North Saqqara east of Teti's complex. There is mounting evidence to support this conclusion. B. G. Ockinga, for example argues that during the 18th Dynasty the Teti complex may have been associated with a cult belonging to a deified Menkauhor. Wherever it is located, his pyramid was called "Divine are the (cult) places of Menkauhor".

His reign is attested by an inscription in the Sinai at Magharah, indicating that he continued to quarry stone in that location as did his predecessors and successors. Given the lack of information on this king, we can also probably make some assumptions based on the activities of those predecessors and successors. For example, while he have no inscriptions as evidence, both Niuserre and Djedkare quarried stone northwest of Aswan, so it is likely that Menkauhor did as well. It is also highly likely that he continued commercial and diplomatic relations with Byblos, as did both Niuserre and Djedkare, and in fact we do find a few objects in the area near Dorak bearing his name. It is also likely that he had some sort of dealings with Nubia, but  whether he sent expeditions to Punt, as did Niuserre and Djedkare, is unknown
Otherwise, Menkauhor is also attested to by a small alabaster statue that is now located in the Egyptian museum in Cairo and by a relief of Tjutju adoring King Menkauhor and other divinities. This relief, owned by the Louvre, has been on loan to the Cleveland Museum of Art. We also have a seal bearing his name that was found at Abusir.

King Menkauhor was the seventh king of the 5th Dynasty. He ruled Ancient Egypt from 2396 till 2388 BC, but never achieved the level of fame that the rest of the kings in his dynasty did. He built a pyramid in Dahshur, but only its ruins remain.
There is a small alabaster statue of Menkauhor located in the Egyptian museum in Cairo. He is reputed as having sent his troops to Sinai in order to acquire materials for the construction of his tomb.

In the cartouche above left we can read Menkauhor's short nomen Kaiu and the name of his pyramid is known from hieroglyphic text:
 the humble meaning is - "Divine are the (cult) places of Menkauhor" and the king himself is sitting in front of his pyramid.

Sun-altar

Before the platform stood an extensive and wonderful holy place, 6m in measurement, which was built from five squares of white alabaster. This was cut in profound help with a hover at its inside and four "hotep" images on the sides (the hieroglyphic sign speaking to 'offerings', "peace" or 'fulfilled'). This lovely sacred place still stays in situ. On the southern side of the pillar was a house of prayer which contained the 'Council of the Seasons', its reliefs portraying the reproducing power of the sun-god in nature. Lamentably some of these reliefs in Museums in Germany were obliterated amid the Second World War. At the north-east corner of the walled in area is a progression of ten alabaster bowls (nine as yet surviving) thought to be utilized as a part of conciliatory customs, either for water or blood. Outside the upper sanctuary nook dividers (which contained storage facilities), a watercraft molded pit fixed with mudbricks can in any case be seen on the southern side and which is another indication of the components of the pyramid complex.

Cartouche of Niuserre   One of nine alabaster basins

The causeway descended steeply from the walls of the terrace and like Userkaf's causeway was offset to the north-east and the valley temple which formed an entrance pylon to the complex. The scant remains of the valley temple are in boggy ground and have never been properly investigated, but its thick enclosure walls led Borchardt to believe that they were the walls of a settlement.

The purpose of the sun-temples has never really been satisfactorily explained and suggestions for their significance are numerous. What they do seem to symbolise is the union of the king with the solar deity, which had become almost a state god during this period. At least by mid-Dynasty V they seem to have had a close connection to the pyramids at Abusir, although we know that the temples had their own donations, lands and maintenance staff.

Sun Temple at Abu Ghurab

Sun Temple at Abu Ghurab:

At the western end stood a benben (stone monument) as tall as a pyramid. Just the base remains.

Fixated on an alabaster alterwhere steers were sacrificd

Block model of a sunlight based watercraft toward the south

indistinguishable to the Sun Temple of Userkaaf

Search for channels cut into the clearing which course the blood of penances to the ten alabaster bowls. Nine survive.

Userkaf's successor Sahure was the principal ruler to site his pyramid at Abusir, yet there has so far been no sun-sanctuary found at Abu Ghurob in his name. The main different stays of a sun-sanctuary has a place with Niuserre, the 6th ruler of Dynasty V, which is situated around 500m north-west of Userkaf's sanctuary. This landmark was referred to early voyagers as the pyramid of 'Righa', however was first uncovered by Borchardt and Schaeffer's German archeological undertaking in the vicinity of 1898 and 1902. Niuserre's sun-sanctuary, which was named 'Enjoyment of Re', is vastly improved safeguarded than that of Userkaf and many pieces of alleviation enrichment were recuperated, some delineating the heb-sed celebration (now in Berlin Museum).

Sun-temple of Niuserre   Remains of chapel on the south side of the temple
Niuserre used similar elements in the construction of his sun-temple as those reconstructed from Userkaf's monument and which had become common in pyramid complexes. The upper temple was on a levelled terrace, its rectangular walls first constructed in mudbrick and later encased in yellow limestone. A vestibule led into a courtyard which was dominated on its western side by a large obelisk constructed from limestone blocks and which stood on a flat-topped pyramid-shaped pedestal, around 15m high. The obelisk probably symbolised the 'ben-ben' stone on which the sun's rays first shone in the Heliopolitan creation myth.

Pyramids of Niuserre Izi

Pyramid of Niuserre Izi

A trade off – the remainder of the pyramids worked here, and worked between different structures, practically against the north mass of neferirkare's funeral home sanctuary, so it is fairly enclosed

Caleld "The spots of Nisuerre are persevering"

Valley sanctuary exists, however is exceptionally destroyed. The flor was initially around 5m underneath the present ground level and manufactured aopon an establishment initially alid by Neferirkare just like the boulevard.

Thoroughfare has not been completely uncovered and part of it prompts the funeral home sanctuary and lower segment to Neferirkare's pyramid.

Funeral home sanctuary is little and molded as a L, althoug it is in the typical place. External dividers are somewhat disposed with a curved cornice.

Numerous reliefs from the inside of the sanctuary were found, as a rule the standard "destroying" scenes.. enormous structures on the nothereast and southeast corners reference Sahur'e sun sanctuary (never found). These towers may have been the forerunner of the arches in later sanctuaries.

The pyramid has a seven step corre of local limestone. Originally 52m tall, with base length of 81md. The corners of the pyramid are anchorered to the foundation and the pyramid was cased in white limestone.

Entrance on the nother at ground level with a limestone-lined corridor reinforeced with pink granite at each end. No remains were found in the pyramid.
Burial chamber is slightly beneath ground level and under the foundation stones. Both antechamber and burial chamber have saddle ceilings – 3 layers of limestone blocks set in place from above.

A paved courtyard around the pyramid is narrower on the south side (due to the mortuary temple of neferirkare). Also a cult pyramid. Blocked with rubble, cannot be entered Niuserre was the sixth king of Dynasty V and built his pyramid complex at Abusir, to the north-east and very close to that of his father Neferirkare. This king had a long reign - at least 10 years but possibly as much as 30 years or more, suggested by heb-sed reliefs in his Abu Ghurob sun-temple. It was probably Niuserre who completed the mortuary monuments of his father Neferirkare, his mother Queen Khentkawes and his brother Neferefre.

Pyramid of Niuserre   Pyramid of Niuserre showing construction
Niuserre's pyramid, called 'The Places of Niuserre are Established', was originally constructed in seven steps and encased in fine white limestone. Today it is badly deteriorated, but originally reached a height of around 51.5m. The corners of the structure, which had a base measurement of about 80m, were reinforced and some of the casing blocks still survive on the south-east corner. The entrance to the pyramid is on the northern side at ground level and from here a trench was dug out for the access corridor which descended down to a vestibule and was blocked by three granite portcullis slabs. Beyond the vestibule the passage descended less steeply, turning slightly towards the east and was blocked in the centre by more granite slabs. The passage led into an antechamber with the burial chamber to the west, both with vaulted ceilings of huge limestone blocks.

Lying directly under the pyramid's vertical axis, and slightly below ground level, the antechamber and burial chamber were robbed for their stone and are now virtually destroyed. Niuserre's monument was first visited by Perring, Lepsius and then Ludwig Borchardt, who excavated there in the early 1900s but due to the poor condition of the subterranean chambers, found no trace of the burial or funerary goods.

Both the limestone asphalt encompassing the pyramid and the lord's funeral home sanctuary are unpredictably set, most likely to a great extent because of the confinements of space and geography. The funeral home sanctuary on the eastern side of the landmark was based on a raised establishment in view of the inclining ground and is moved toward the south, with just the asylum and false entryway stela in the conventional eastern position. Five statue specialties and magazines flanked the offering corridor, whose vaulted roof was initially finished with painted reliefs of stars, with scenes and engravings on the dividers. Toward the south of the offering lobby was a square enlivened chamber with a solitary section in its middle which a short time later ended up noticeably standard in funeral home sanctuaries. This driven into a five-niched house of prayer and toward the north of these Borchardt discovered pieces of a stone statue of a prostrate lion (now in Cairo Museum). A transverse corridor had steps driving down to another transverse lobby and the external parts of the sanctuary.


Mortuary temple of Niuserre   Looking south towards the pyramids of Niuserre and Neferirkare
The outer area of the temple consisted of a large open courtyard with a pavement of black basalt and surrounded by sixteen granite papyrus columns which supported the ambulatory ceiling. The columns were inscribed with the king's name and titles and representations of the goddess Wadjet in the northern half and Nekhbet in the southern half. The ceiling slabs were decorated with golden stars on a deep blue background and traditional reliefs of the king decorated the side walls. A long entrance hall, also paved with basalt and decorated with reliefs, had five magazines on either side and a staircase leading to a roof terrace. Only fragments of the rich reliefs from the mortuary temple have been found because this area was also badly damaged by stone robbers.

Two large towers appear at the south-east and north-east corners of the pyramid, innovative structures which appear to be the precursors of pylon gateways which were a major part of all later Egyptian temples. Builders inscriptions from these structures suggest that stone from Sahure's unfinished sun-temple may have been used in their construction.

Niuserre fabricated a satellite pyramid at the south-east corner inside its own fenced in area divider. Borchardt had found an unexplained square stage on the north-eastern edge of the lord's pyramid, connecting one of the "arch" structures. In unearthings close-by amid the 1970s the Czech group found a huge stone pyramidion which had initially been sheathed in copper and proposed that it might have originated from a monolith for which the stage was a base. This likewise may have originated from Sahure's sun-sanctuary as it is one of a kind in funeral home sanctuary engineering.

Niuserre usurped the establishments which had been set up for Neferirkare's interstate and valley sanctuary. Niuserre's boulevard measures around 365m long and driven from his funeral home sanctuary running first towards the south-east and after that towards the east to utilize Neferirkare's establishments in the lower half. Amid Dynasty XII the high base of the upper portion of the highway was utilized to build tombs of the clerics of Niuserre's morgue faction, which Borchardt researched amid his unearthings.

The valley temple is now completely covered by sand but it was situated, like the other lower temples on the edge of a canal known as 'Abusir Lake'. The causeway led into the temple which may have contained statues of the king in niches and there have also been other statue fragments found, including an alabaster head of Queen Repetnebu and a large granite lion. A staircase led to the roof and a central portico with eight columns gave entrance to the harbour ramp on the eastern side.
Lepsius recorded two badly destroyed small pyramids to the south of Niuserre's pyramid (Lepsius XXIV and XXV). In the past few seasons the Czech Institute have carried out consolidation of crumbling masonry and trial diggings at these two badly ruined pyramids. The first (Lepsius XXIV) is thought to belong to a consort of Neferefre or Niuserre. The second pyramid (Lepsius XXV) is also thought to belong to a consort of Niuserre and here remnants of Graeco-Roman burials have been found. Work on these two pyramids is still continuing.