Zawyet El Aryan (زاویة العریان) is a town in the Giza Governorate, located between Giza and Abusir. To the west of the city, 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.
Location of Zawyet El Aryan
The town of Zawyet el Aryan near Giza in north-eastern Egypt contains the remains of two relatively obscure Egyptian pyramids, the Layer Pyramid and the Unfinished Pyramid. The pyramids were likely built during the Third Dynasty, therefore dating construction sometime around 2700 and 2600 BC.
Layer Pyramid
The Layer Pyramid was built in the Third Dynasty, probably during the reign of Khaba. The pyramid was meant to be a step pyramid of five to seven steps. No casing stones have been found, suggesting that the pyramid was never finished. The layout of the underground chambers resembles that of the Buried Pyramid. A corridor leading into the interior has thirty-two side chambers for storing the burial equipment.
Unfinished Pyramid
This unfinished pyramid belongs to a king with an illegible name and comprises little more than a massive descender. All that stands now is a square base on which the pyramid’s core 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 period. The existence of underground chambers has been suspected, but excavations have not been possible as the network is now part of a restricted military zone. Also called the “Northern Pyramid”, this structure dates to the Fourth Dynasty.
Necropolis
The area of Zawyet El Aryan is surrounded by a total of five cemeteries dating to the 1st Dynasty, 2nd Dynasty, late 3rd Dynasty, 18th Dynasty and Roman Period. Of these cemeteries, only the one dating to the late 3rd Dynasty contains large tombs and four mudbrick mastabas. Reisner and Fisher observed that this is expected of the necropolis surrounding the pyramid of a pharaoh, the large tombs being those of the royal family and court officials. In particular, around 200 metres (660 ft) north of the Layer Pyramid is a considerable mastaba, today known as “Mastaba Z500”, which yielded eight marble bowls inscribed with the serekh of king Khaba. Reisner and Fisher, therefore, conclude that “if the mastabas belong to people connected with the king who built the pyramid, it is probable that the king’s name was Khaba”. This opinion is shared by most Egyptologists who attribute the Layer Pyramid to Khaba.
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 banned 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.
