The pyramid of Djedkare Isesi (in ancient Egyptian Nfr Ḏd-kꜣ-rꜥ (“Beautiful is Djedkare”)) is a late 25th to mid 24th century BC pyramid complex built for the Fifth Dynasty pharaoh Djedkare Isesi. The pyramid is referred to as Haram el-Shawaf (Arabic: هَرَم ٱلشَّوَّاف, romanized: Haram ash-Shawwāf, lit. The Sentinel Pyramid) by locals. It was the first pyramid to be built in South Saqqara.
Djedkare Isesi’s monument complex encompasses the main pyramid, a mortuary temple on the east face of the main pyramid, a valley temple buried under modern Saqqara, a causeway that has been only partially dug out, and a cult pyramid. The main pyramid had a six-stepped core built from roughly cut limestone bound together by clay mortar, which was then encased in fine white Tura limestone, reaching a peak height of 52.5 m (172 ft; 100.2 cu). The casing has been plundered, and the top three steps of the core have been lost, leaving the pyramid a paltry 24 m (79 ft; 46 cu) tall.
The basic dimensions of Djedkare’s pyramid were adopted by succeeding kings in their funerary monuments. Inside Djedkare Isesi’s pyramid substructure, remains of the burial have been found alongside the mummy remains of Djedkare Isesi himself. The mummy and linen wrapping have undergone radiocarbon dating, which has given an expected range of 2886–2507 BC. The substructure was poorly damaged by stone thieves quarrying the Tura limestone casing.
Adjoining the pyramid’s east face is the mortuary temple. Flanking the entrance hall to the temple are two large pylon structures. A large building with multiple long, narrow rooms was discovered west of the south pylon. Foundational blocks have preserved the outline of the building, but its structure is otherwise poorly maintained, and its floor has been lost, possibly to stone thieves. The building has no contemporaries in other Old Kingdom pyramid complexes and no companion on the north side. Its function is unknown. The mortuary temple was mostly destroyed during the Second Intermediate Period and used as a burial site in the Eighteenth Dynasty. A small cult pyramid is found in an enclosure at the southeast corner of the pyramid. It has a T-shaped substructure.
At the northeast corner of the pyramid complex’s enclosure wall, a satellite pyramid complex belonging to Queen Setibhor was built. The sub-complex is the largest one constructed for a queen during the Old Kingdom. It has its enclosure wall, a mortuary temple and offering hall, storage rooms, an antechamber carrée of unparalleled size, and a small cult pyramid. Otherwise, it incorporates features previously reserved exclusively for the complexes of the king.
Location of Pyramid of Djedkare Isesi
The last kings of the Fifth Dynasty moved their funerary building activities from Abusir back to Saqqara. Djedkare Isesi built his pyramid 6 km (3.7 mi) from the Abusir necropolis at a site in South Saqqara. It was the first pyramid to be built in that area. He also abandoned the tradition of building sun temples, indicating a shift in the religious significance from the cult of Ra to the cult of Osiris.
Excavation of Pyramid of Djedkare Isesi
The substructure of the pyramid was first explored in 1880 by Gaston Maspero. The pyramid was briefly visited by John Shae Perring and soon after that by Karl Richard Lepsius. In the mid-1940s, Alexandŕe Varille and Abdel Salam Hussein attempted the first comprehensive examination of the pyramid, but their work was interrupted, and their findings were lost. They did discover the skeletal remains of Djedkare Isesi in the pyramid. Ahmed Fakhry’s attempt at a comprehensive examination in the 1950s was equally unsuccessful. Muhammud Mursi later published relief fragments that Fakhry had discovered. Mahmud Abdel Razek excavated the area around the causeway and mortuary temple.
Vito Maragioglio and Celeste Rinaldi first published architectural plans of the pyramid complex between 1962 and 1977. These have been determined by Mohamed Megahed, Peter Jánosi and Hana Vymazalová to be inconsistent and inaccurate. Since 2010, Megahed has directed the pyramids of Djedkare Isesi and Setibhor.
Mortuary complex
Old Kingdom mortuary complexes consisted of five essential components:
- (1) a valley temple;
- (2) a causeway;
- (3) a pyramid, or mortuary, temple;
- (4) a cult, or satellite, pyramid;
- And (5) the main pyramid. Djedkare’s monument has all of these elements.
The main Pyramid of Djedkare Isesi is constructed from six steps of limestone blocks. A valley temple buried under the modern houses of Saqqara. A causeway that has not yet been excavated. A mortuary temple is on the east side of the pyramid, and a cult pyramid is at the southeast corner of the main pyramid, with a standard T-shaped substructure. An associated pyramid is also situated on the northeast corner of Djedkare’s pyramid complex, belonging to Setibhor, previously known as the “pyramid of the unknown queen”.
Main pyramid
The Pyramid of Djedkare Isesi’s core was constructed in six steps composed of small irregular pieces of limestone blocks bound together using clay mortar. The length of the base step of the pyramid was 78.75 m (258 ft; 150 cu), with each step built around 7 metres (23 ft; 13 cu) high, converging to the peak at a slope of 52° giving the pyramid an original peak height of 52.5 m (172 ft; 100 cu). These proportions were used by the rulers Teti, Pepi I, Merenre I, and Pepi II for their pyramid complexes. The top three steps of the pyramid no longer exist, and the ruined pyramid now reaches a height of about 24 metres (79 ft; 46 cu). The pyramid was initially encased with fine white Tura limestone. Most of the casing has since been plundered, though some has remained intact and well preserved.
Substructure
Entry into the substructure was gained from the north side of the pyramid; unusually, however, the entrance is under the pavement of the courtyard instead of on the north face. There was originally a north chapel here; only traces of it now remain. The entry leads into a granite-lined downward-sloping access corridor. The corridor has a slight angle toward the east and is the last built. The corridor ends at a vestibule, through which a horizontal passage is accessed by a second corridor lined with limestone.
Remnants of broken vessels were discovered in the vestibule, suggesting that certain burial rituals had been performed there. Three granite portcullises guarded the horizontal passage near the beginning of the corridor, and a fourth granite portcullis near its end. The exit of the horizontal path leads into the antechamber, a room measuring 4.02 m (13.2 ft) by 3.1 m (10 ft). To the east was a room, the serdab, containing three niches for storage, a developing feature of pyramids of the era. To the west lay the burial chamber, measuring 7.84 m (25.7 ft) by 3.1 m (10 ft), which once contained the basalt sarcophagus of the ruler.
Fragments of the sarcophagus were found in a 13 cm (5 in) depression on the floor. The roof of the antechamber and burial chamber was constructed from two, or perhaps three, layers of gabled limestone blocks in the same fashion as the pyramids in Abusir. These blocks were 5.25 m (17.2 ft; 10.02 cu) long.
The rooms of the substructure have been badly damaged by stone thieves, who quarried the Tura limestone walls of the chambers, making reconstruction of the planned layout difficult. The serdab was left alone, preserving its structure and flat roof. The masonry core has been exposed in the other chambers and consists of crudely cut blocks and small limestone chips piled up to form the pyramid’s substructure. The wall separating the antechamber and burial chamber has been demolished. The substructure has been subject to significant ongoing restoration work, particularly the consolidation of the pyramid’s core and the walls of the antechamber and serdab.
Djedkare’s sarcophagus originally sat near the west wall of the burial chamber. At the southeast foot of the sarcophagus, alabaster canopic jars had once been buried in a small hole in the ground. Underneath the rubble, only fragments of the coffin and alabaster jars have been found, along with the mummified body of a man in his fifties that is presumed to be the remains of Djedkare Isesi. The mummy has been subjected to Carbon-14 dating, as have scraps of linen wrapping and charcoal taken from the tomb. These samples have provided a range of dates spanning 3340–2460 BC and a typical range of 2886–2507 BC. Miroslav Verner remarks that these results accord better with earlier proposed regnal dates than later ones but contradict previous astronomically derived dates, favouring later presented regnal dates more than earlier ones.
Valley Temple
The valley temple to Djedkare’s complex has not been excavated. It is lost, buried under the modern houses of Saqqara.
Causeway
The causeway that leads up to the mortuary temple has not been excavated. It is known to have a straight sloped path, running slightly southwards for 220 m (722 ft; 420 cu). The ground where the mortuary temple was constructed sloped sharply down towards the desert, needing extensive preparation before laying the foundation. Dimensions for the causeway are speculative, based only on the trace remains of existing foundations. It had walls approximately 2.4 m (7.9 ft) thick, with a path between them no more than 2.6 m (8.5 ft) wide. Its height remains unknown, though it is clear that it was covered based on blocks found painted with stars, a typical motif for the ceiling. It appears to have been made entirely of white limestone, the same material that makes up the causeway to Sahure’s pyramid, with walls decorated with raised relief.
The causeway connects to the temple entrance hall between two large pylon structures, an innovation from Nyuserre’s pyramid, which was square with slightly inclined walls. The pylons were once 6 m (20 ft; 11 cu) tall but have been reduced to 4.5 m (15 ft). Stairs may have led to the terrace but likely had no rooms inside. Their function is unclear. A water drain of crudely cut and carelessly set quartzite blocks was discovered alongside the causeway.
Mortuary temple
The layout of Djedkare Isesi’s mortuary temple. In order:
- 1) Causeway leading to the temple between two pylons;
- 2) Entrance hall; Storerooms;
- 4) Courtyard;
- 5) Transverse corridor;
- 6) Five niche chapels;
- 7) Vestibule;
- 8) Antichambre carrée
- 9) Storerooms
- 10) Offering hall,
- 11)Pyramid courtyard;
- 12) Cult pyramid and enclosure;
- 13) Large structure of unknown purpose;
- 14) Portico;
- 15) Cemetery.
Outer Temple
The Mortuary Temple of Djedkare Isesi’s entrance hall had an alabaster paved floor and likely a vaulted ceiling, as indicated by the size of the walls. It terminated into an open courtyard paved with alabaster and adorned with sixteen pink granite palm-form columns. As in Sahure’s mortuary temple, the columns bore the names and titles of the complex’s owner, Djedkare Isesi. The courtyard measures 23.45 m (76.9 ft; 44.75 cu) by 15.7 m (52 ft; 30.0 cu). It supported an ambulatory whose ceiling was decorated with stars. Stone thieves have damaged or removed the room’s columns, walls and pavement. The courtyard also had a water drain built of red quartzite along its axis and a relief-decorated alabaster altar.
Twelve storage rooms accessed from the transverse corridor are flanking the entrance hall—a pair of corridors separated by a doorway leading to the southern storage rooms. The western corridor is poorly preserved; the eastern corridor is in better condition. The east corridor is 1.6 m (5.2 ft) wide, and its preserved sections are 14.25 m (46.8 ft) long. The passage was built of limestone, though only the paved floor has been kept. A 2 m (6.6 ft) thick wall separated the corridor from the southern pylon. The storage rooms had walls around 1.05 m (3.4 ft; 2.00 cu) thick and measured about 2.6 m (8.5 ft; 5.0 cu) wide by 8.75 m (28.7 ft; 16.70 cu) long. The storage rooms north of the entrance hall are similar in size but are in far worse condition.
Inner Temple
The courtyard connects to the transverse corridor, with a low staircase in its west wall leading into the inner temple. The inner temple occupied an area of 29.55 m (96.9 ft; 56.39 cu) by 41.56 m (136.4 ft; 79.31 cu), built on a raised platform some 66 cm (26 in; 1.26 cu) high. The chambers of the inner temple were initially paved with alabaster, but only the limestone-paved storage rooms had any original floor remaining.
A small passage leads into the chapel with its five statue niches, followed by a vestibule to a small square room with a single granite column at its centre – the antechamber carée – before terminating at the offering hall. The chapel has disintegrated; its dimensions are indeterminable, as are the dimensions of the red granite-lined statue niches. South of the chapel is the remains of a vestibule measuring 6.33 m (20.8 ft; 12.08 cu) by 6.90 m (22.6 ft; 13.17 cu). This room is connected to the antechamber carrée and a series of rooms further south.
The antichambre carée measures 4.7 m (15 ft; 9.0 cu) by 4.2 m (14 ft; 8.0 cu). Its north, east, and part of the south walls are lost. Its central column supported the room’s ceiling and bore the names and titles of Djedkare Isesi and an image of Nekhbet, the goddess of Upper Egypt. The column is palm-shaped; it was made of red granite with a diameter of 0.65 m (2.1 ft) at the top and 0.73 m (2.4 ft) at its bottom. Some previously discovered relief fragments may have come from this room. They depict scenes of deities possessing Was-sceptres and ankh symbols, Upper and Lower Egypt shrines, acts of slaughter, and bowing officials.
Once, a red granite doorway on the north wall of the antechamber allowed access to the offering hall. The offering hall of the temple is similar to other contemporary offering halls in different complexes, except that the false door was carved into the masonry of the pyramid. The hall’s walls are the thickest of any room in the inner temple at 2.6 metres (8.5 ft; 5.0 cu) deep, owing to two rows of limestone blocks carved into a vault. The ceiling, of which little remains, was painted dark blue and decorated with yellow stars
The chamber measured between 15.7 metres (52 ft; 30.0 cu) and 18 metres (59 ft; 34 cu) deep by 5.25 m (17.2 ft; 10.02 cu) wide, indicating that it might have been larger than typical for the period. It can be inferred from contemporary sources that the hall contained an alabaster altar, table, basin, and drainage system. However, nothing of these installations remains except a few scraps of alabaster that may belong to the altar.
Surrounding the inner temple were storage rooms on either side. The southern storage rooms were accessed from the vestibule. The four magazines measured 12.2 m (40 ft; 23.3 cu) deep but narrowed in width from 2.1 m (6.9 ft; 4.0 cu). Most notably, these storage rooms extend into the main pyramid. The northern storage rooms were divided into rows. The eastern row was accessed from the statue chapel. The western rows were accessed from the offering hall. They were not interconnected.
The east row probably comprises eight chambers, with six storage rooms reconstructed, each measuring 3.6 m (12 ft; 6.9 cu) by 2.06 m (6.8 ft; 3.93 cu). The layout of these rooms appears to be particular to this temple. The western rows comprised four rooms each. Each room was 6.3 m (21 ft; 12.0 cu) deep and 2.1–2.6 m (6.9–8.5 ft; 4.0–5.0 cu) wide. As in the southern storage rooms, the westernmost row of the northern storage rooms extended into the pyramid. It is unclear whether the storage rooms of the temple were two stories high, as attested in other mortuary temples, as the walls are poorly preserved.
Archaeological findings
The temple was mostly destroyed during the Second Intermediate Period and was used as a burial site in the Eighteenth Dynasty. Relief decoration is incomplete, as extensive damage was done to the walls of the temple by stone thieves. The remnants indicate that the quality of execution in design and artistry is comparable to other contemporary works.
Four Djed pillars, three of which were preserved, were recovered from the mortuary temple. These pillars were each 93 cm (3.05 ft) tall, carved on two sides into Djed signs, and appear to have been used as an architectural element in one of the temple chambers. Their smooth tops indicate that they may have held some artefact. Two similar but smaller pillars were found in Unas’ mortuary temple.
Statues of a lion and two sphinxes have been found in the complex. The lion statue, which was carefully sculpted and detailed, is 105 cm (3.44 ft) tall and 107 cm (3.51 ft) long. It is postured into a seated position with paws extended. It is broken but otherwise very well preserved. By contrast, the two sphinx statues are only partially preserved. They represent recumbent lions, but the faces of both sphinx statues have been damaged. They appear to decorate a wall or form part of another feature, as suggested by the fact that they rest on rectangular pedestals. Sphinx statues in the Old Kingdom are rare. A parallel exists in Unas’ complex. A reference to Djedkare’s sphinx exists in a biographical inscription of a Kaemtjenenet, who was responsible for organizing the placement of the sphinx and its base in the mortuary temple.
Limestone sculptures of kneeling captives have been found in the temple. These are common and have been attested to in the temples of Neferefre, Nyuserre, Unas, Teti and Pepi I. The likely providence of these statues is the causeway or entrance hall of the temple, where scenes of enemies being trampled would typically be found. Fragments of an alabaster statue of Djedkare were found in the temple, one of which bears an inscription.
Cult pyramid
The complex includes a typical cult pyramid at the southeast corner of the pyramid. The pyramid was constructed with a core three steps high. The length of its base was 15.5 m (51 ft; 30 cu), inclined towards the apex at 65°, giving it a peak height of 16 m (52 ft; 31 cu). Entry into the substructure was gained through a door in the middle of its north face. The substructure had a standard T-shaped layout, consisting of a downward sloping corridor leading to a single rectangular chamber slightly beneath ground level, oriented east-west. A small perimeter wall enclosed the cult pyramid.
The purpose of the cult pyramid remains unclear. It had a burial chamber not used for burials and appeared to have been a purely symbolic structure. It may have hosted the pharaoh’s ka or a miniature statue of the king. Or it may have been used for ritual performances centred around the ka spirit’s burial and resurrection during the Sed festival.
Structure of unknown purpose
South of the main mortuary temple was a significant 21.8 m (72 ft; 41.6 cu) by 19.85 metres (65.1 ft; 37.88 cu) building of unknown height. There were five north-to-south oriented, rectangular rooms 14.3 m (47 ft; 27.3 cu) long by 2.15 metres (7.1 ft; 4.10 cu) wide. Blocks from the foundation of the building have been preserved, but no blocks from a potential floor have been found. The floor may have been victim to stone quarrying for calcite, as elsewhere in the temple, but physical evidence suggests that a limestone floor is much more likely. In this case, quality limestone must have made up the base of the building.
No doors or connecting passages have been found, rendering it challenging to identify the access point to the building. A corridor has been identified stretching from the southwest corner of the pylon, past the south side of the building, and to the enclosure wall of the cult pyramid, where it may have turned north to connect to the transverse corridor. A second potential corridor has been identified running along the east side of the building. It appears that this building was separate from its neighbouring counterparts. The structure is otherwise poorly preserved, and its purpose is unknown. No similar facility has been located at other contemporary pyramid complexes of the Old Kingdom, and no companion building on the north side of the mortuary temple either.
Cemetery
In 2018, a large area constrained between the northern pylon, the mortuary temple and enclosure wall, and Setibhor’s pyramid complex was excavated. Clearing of the site revealed three layers of debris. The top layer consisted of windswept sand and limestone chips. The middle layer contained burials of limestone ceramic coffins and pottery. The bottom layer had two distinct sectors: west and east. The western sector mostly contained accumulated trash from the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period, including pottery, clay seals, and other small finds.
There were a few burials in this layer. The east sector contained burials and pottery from the Second Intermediate Period and the New Kingdom. Beneath these layers of debris was the ground level. Here, multiple burial pits were discovered between 0.2 m (0.66 ft; 0.38 cu) and 0.4 m (1.3 ft; 0.76 cu). These contained the oldest burials in the area, estimated to date to the funerary cult of Djedkare Isesi from the late Fifth Dynasty to the First Intermediate Period.
Pyramid of Setibhor
A satellite pyramid complex is located at the northeast corner of the wall of the complex of Djedkare’s pyramid. Except for a valley temple and causeway, the satellite pyramid has the standard elements typically found only in the king’s pyramid. The complex is enclosed within its perimeter wall. It consists of a pyramid, a collonaded court, a statue chapel, a mortuary temple with its offering hall, storage rooms, an antechamber carrée with a single column, and a small cult pyramid. The antechamber carrée of this complex is notable due to its unparalleled size of 7 m (23 ft; 13 cu) by 6 m (20 ft; 11 cu). Its column and base appear to be limestone instead of the typical granite.
Relief fragments found on limestone blocks may also originate in the chamber. Due to its being intentionally incorporated into the pyramid complex of Djedkare Isesi, the pyramid is believed to have belonged to a consort of Djedkare Isesi. The owner’s identity remained a mystery until 2019, when the name and titles of Queen Setibhor were found inscribed on a column in the complex. Setibhor’s pyramid complex is thus the largest one built for a queen in the Old Kingdom and incorporates elements previously only used in the complexes of the king.
Later history
Burials
In 1952, Fahkry explored a necropolis containing seventeen mudbrick tombs south of the causeway and adjoining the east side of the mortuary temple. He briefly summarised that the tombs had been robbed of their contents. In 2016, one of those tombs, mastaba MS1, was partially excavated and explored. The structure is dated to the Sixth Dynasty. The tomb measures approximately 5.5 m (18 ft) by 4 m (13 ft) and has six compartments arranged in two rows. The tomb is also connected to another tomb further east.
The first compartment at the northwest corner is accessed through a 4.73 m (15.5 ft) deep shaft leading into a vaulted burial chamber of dimensions 2.64 m (8.7 ft) by 0.85 m (2.8 ft). The room and shaft are made of mudbrick. The tomb has been emptied, except for some human remains. Two 2.8 m (9.2 ft) deep shafts, one directly south of the first and the other to its southeast appear to have been built simultaneously. They each lead into burial chambers of very similar proportions, both 3.5 m (11 ft) long by 0.95 m (3.1 ft) wide. The south burial chamber contained fragments of human remains. These, too, were constructed entirely from mudbrick. They are connected by a 1 m (3.3 ft) vaulted passage.
The middle compartment of the north row is arrived at by a 4.96 m (16.3 ft) deep. It contains a vaulted mudbrick burial chamber with dimensions of 2.62 m (8.6 ft) by 1.05 m (3.4 ft). A wall has blocked this chamber. The southeast compartment contains a sizeable vaulted mudbrick burial chamber, 1.2 m (3.9 ft) by 1.3 m (4.3 ft). It was included as an apparent afterthought. Remains of multiple individuals were found in the chamber, but their origin is unclear. Other items recovered had faience beads and a seal stamp with a seated lion facing a crouching enemy. This seal can be dated to the Sixth Dynasty or the First Intermediate Period.
The northeast compartment is the largest and most significant of the tomb. It is accessed by a 4.75 m (15.6 ft) shaft. The vaulted mudbrick burial chamber here is 3 m (9.8 ft) long, 1.3 m (4.3 ft) wide, and 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall. It contained a decorated limestone burial chamber 2.9 m (9.5 ft) long, 1.02 m (3.3 ft) wide, and 1.07 m (3.5 ft) tall, which was initially closed with limestone slabs.
The ceiling of the limestone burial chamber was painted black and red to imitate red granite. Its side walls were decoratively painted with scenes of offerings and a palace façade motif and have been well preserved, except for its southern section. Lines of inscription above the decorations identify the owner of the burial: Pepyankh Setju. Above the burial chamber, in the space with the vaulted mudbrick ceiling, an offering table bearing the name Isesi was found.
