Zawyet El Aryan
Zawyet El Aryan | |
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Zawyet El Aryan (زاویة العریان) is a town in the Giza Governorate, located between Giza and Abusir.[1] 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 two pyramid complexes and five mastaba cemeteries.
Pyramids
Layer Pyramid
The Layer Pyramid was built in the
Unfinished Pyramid
This unfinished pyramid belongs to a king with an illegible name and comprise little more than a massive descendry. 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, although it may date to a later time period. The existence of underground chambers has been suspected, but excavations have not been possible as the structure is now part of a military restricted zone. Also called the "Northern Pyramid", this structure dates to the Fourth Dynasty.[1][2]
Necropolis
The area of Zawyet El Aryan is surrounded by a total of five cemeteries dating to the
Zawyet El Aryan today
Since 1960, much of the area near Zawyet El Aryan has been restricted for use as a military base. Access to the pyramids has been restricted since 1964. No excavations are allowed, the original necropolis is overbuilt with military bungalows, and the shaft of the Unfinished Pyramid has allegedly been misused as a trash dump. The condition of both burial shafts is uncertain and most possibly disastrous.[4][5]
References
- ^ ISBN 0-8021-3935-3, p. 270.
- ^ ISBN 3-8053-1142-7, p. 140-144.
- ^ G.A. Reisner and C.S. Fisher: The Work of the Harvard University - Museum of Fine Arts Egyptian Expedition (pyramid of Zawiyet El Aryan. (= Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts (BMFA); vol. 9, no. 54), Boston 1911, pp. 54-59.
- ^ a b Rainer Stadelmann: King Huni: His Monuments and His Place in the History of the Old Kingdom. In: Zahi A. Hawass, Janet Richards (Hrsg.): The Archaeology and Art of Ancient Egypt. Essays in Honor of David B. O’Connor, vol. II. Conceil Suprême des Antiquités de l’Égypte, Kairo 2007, p. 425–431.
- ISSN 1438-7956, p. 26–30.