Khefren (2518-2492)
Khefren was the second of Kheops' children to succeed his father. He moved back to the burial site of Kheops at Giza to erect the second largest pyramid in Egypt.
Khefren Quick Facts
ChronologyDynasty: 4th
Predecessor: Djedefre
Successor: Bakare (?)
Highest Year: 13th Cattle Count
Reign: 2518 - 2492 BC.
Family
Father: Kheops
Mother: Henutsen
Wives: Khamernebti I, Meresankh III
Children: Duaenre, Khamernebti II, Khenterka, Mykerinos, Nebemakhet, Nikawre, Niuserre, Sekhemkare and Shepsestkau
Biography of Khefren
Khefren was the son of Kheops and Henutsen, and thus the half-brother of his predecessor, Djedefre.He was married with his (half ?) sister Khamernebti I, with whom he had a son, Mykerinos, and a daughter, Khamernebeti II. He was also married to Meresankh III, a daughter of Kawab and Hetepheres II, with whom he had at least four sons: Nebemakhet, Niuserre, Khenterka and Duaenre, and one daughter, Shepsestkau. Other sons of Khefren’s were Nikawre and Sekhemkare, but it is not known who their mothers were.
Khefren’s most famous statue represents him seated on a his throne, protected by Horus.
It is not known why Djedefre was succeeded by his half-brother Khefren and not by his own son, Setka. It is sometimes suggested that Khefren pushed aside Setka, but it is equally possible that at Djedefre’s death, none of his sons had survived and that Khefren was the oldest surviving male descendant of Kheops. It is, however, equally possible that our notion of a father-son succession did not fully apply to the kings of the 4th Dynasty.
Khefren's marriage to Meresankh III, a granddaughter of Kheops, is often seen as a further legitimisation of his claims to the throne.
The Turin King-list records a rule of more than 20 years for Khefren, according to Manetho and Herodotos it was 66. The highest known recorded year for this reign is the year of the 13th cattle count. The cattle counts were biennal at least two times during the reign of Khefren, which means that this king ruled Egypt for at least 15. A reign of 26 years is generally accepted.
During Khefren’s reign, the solar-religion gained in importance. His predecessor had already added the title "Son of Re" to the royal titulary. Khefren continued this new tradition.The high quality and richness of private tombs built during his reign show that Egypt was a prospering country.
Khefren returned to the plateau of Giza to build his funerary monument next to his father's. Although his pyramid is slightly smaller than Kheops', it was built on a higher level of the plateau, giving the impression that it is the biggest of the three. The inner structure of the pyramid of Khefren is less complex than Kheops' as well.
Khefren's Pyramid at Giza, easily recognisable by the original limestone encasing that is still present at the top.
The mortuary temple and the valley temple connected to Khefren's pyramid are still very well preserved. Several statues representing the king seated on a throne were found inside the Valley Temple.
A view inside Khefren's Valley Temple at Giza.
Khefren's Mortuary and Valley Temples
Mortuary TempleKhefren's mortuary temple marks the final transition of the funerary chapels that stood east of the pyramids of Snofru at Dashur, to an actual temple. It is also the first mortuary temple to have incorporated the five features that would become standard for the mortuary temples to come:
- an entrance hall
- a broad columned court
- five niches for statues of the king
- five storage chambers
- an inner sanctuary that housed either a pair of stelae, a false door or both.
The temple consists of a fore part and a back part. The fore part was made of huge blocks of limestone, which were encased in a finer quality of limestone. This technique was yet another innovation that was introduced during the reign of Khefren.
The
remains of Khefren's mortuary temple, seen from his pyramid. The
distinction between the heavy fore section and the lighter back section
is very clear.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 124.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 124.
A 494.6m long causeway that connects it to the Valley Temple, enters the Mortuary Temple near the South end of the East face.The entrance hall consisted of a transversed section near the actual entrance, and a rectangular hall behind it. Both sections had columns to support the roof. A long, narrow chamber branches off at each end of the second hall, perhaps, once housing a statue of the king.The second hall opens into a large open court, surrounded by pillars In front of the pillars there once stood 12 large statues of the king some of which may have been usurped by Ramesses II many centuries later.
Beyond the court there are the now badly damaged five niches for more statues of the king. Behind each niche, there is a storage chamber and at the very back of the temple, against the pyramid itself, there was the actual inner sanctuary that probably contained a false door through which the deceased king could come to collect his daily offerings.
North of the five niches, a corridor leads from the columned court to the pyramid enclosement.
Outside the Mortuary Temple, 5 boat pits and the beginning of a 6th one have been found cut into the bedrock. Two of them still retain their original roofing slabs. Shaped like boats, they once housed the boats that were used to bring the king's mortal remains to his final resting place.
Valley Temple
Like the fore section of the Mortuary Temple, the Valley Temple was built of huge blocks of stone, that were lined with finer blocks.The temple had two entrances, probably symbolising the duality of Upper and Lower Egypt, each connecting to a vestibule, from which a door led to a large hall, shaped like an inverted T. The roof of the hall was supported by 16 single-block granite pillars The walls were covered in red granite and the floor pavements were made of Egyptian alabaster. There are 23 shallow pits in the floor, each once holding a statue of the king. One of the pits is wider than the others and may have held a double-statue, setting the total statues of the king in the Valley Temple to 24. This number has led some Egyptologists to suggest that every hour of the day, a ritual was performed in front of one of the statues.In the southwest of the transverse part of this hall, there are three additional niches. In the northwest, a corridor leads to the causeway that connects the Valley Temple to the Mortuary Temple.
Khefren's Valley Temple, with his pyramid in the back, to the right.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 125.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 125.
Khefren Statuary
Several
statues bearing Khefren's names have survived to this date. This has
allowed for other, nameless statues or fragments to be identified as
Khefren's based on a stylistic comparison.
Even
though the throne was made of one block of massive diorite, its legs
are carved to resemble the paws of lions, whose heads decorate the front
of the seat.
The side panels of the throne carry the so-called sema-tawi symbol:
the heraldic plants of Upper and Lower Egypt tied together in a knot
around a hieroglyph representing the notion 'unity'. The sema-tawi symbol
thus represents the unity between Upper and Lower Egypt and would be
featured on thrones of kings throughout the Ancient Egyptian history.
Seated regally on his throne, Khefren wears the nemes headdress adorned with a (damaged) uraeus His eyes are narrow, the nose prominent and the mouth full. His round face emanates power and authority. His beard, another sign of his royalty, is chipped at the bottom.
A falcon, symbol of the god of the divine kingship, Horus, sits on the back of the throne and spreads its wings in a protective gesture around the head of the king.
The king wears a traditional skirt. His left hand is stretched out and lying on his leg. His right hand is cleched into a fist, in which he holds a cloth. His arms are very muscled and strong. His left arm and leg are slightly damaged.
This statue was found in a pit in the king's Valley Temple. It probably once stood in this temple, along with several other statues which have been found there and is likely to have served in the mortuary cult of Khefren.
This schist statue of Khefren was found in 1860 in a pit inside the Valley Temple
of the funerary complex of this king in Giza by French archaeologist
Mariette. After Khefren's funerary cult had stopped and the complex was
no longer used, many of the statues that were once the object of the
cult had been thrown in this pit, there to be found by archaeologists
many centuries later.
There can be no doubt about the identification of this king: his name is carved into the front of the throne, next to the his leg.
Khefren is represented wearing the nemes headdress, seated on a cube-shaped throne. His face has been executed with great attention to detail. The rounded face, narrow eyes and nose and fairly small mouth are typical of statues representing Khefren. The false beard confirms his royalty.
The king's left hand is resting on his knee, but his right hand is clenched into a fist, giving the statue an air of authority.
The left and right sides of the throne are decorated with the so-called sema-tawi symbol: the two heraldic plants of Upper and Lower Egypt, tied together around a central sign that means 'union', symbolising the unity between the two traditional parts of the country.
Although uninscribed, there are several indications that this head belonged to a statue of Khefren.
The fact alone that it comes from Giza and that it is clearly a representation of a king, would point to one of the three kings who built a pyramid there: Kheops, Khefren or Mykerinos.
A comparison with known statues of Kheops and Mykerinos immediately shows that their statues were executed in a different style than this, making it quite unlikely that the Alabaster Head belonged to either king.
Among the many remains found near that mastaba were several items inscribed with the name of Khefren. This again would point to Khefren as the king represented here.
The king is represented with narrow eyes, a narrow nose and a fairly small nose. The nose is partially damaged, and only the lobe of the king's right ear is still present. The eyebrows are clearly marked.He wears the nemes headdress, most of which has been lost. A uraeus on his brow indeed confirms his royal status, as well as the remains of a false beard.
This
head has been reconstructed from 6 fragments that were found near the
pyramid of Khefren at Giza. Even though it bears no inscriptions, it can
safely be identified as Khefren's, based on the archeological context
as well as stylistic criteria.
The shape of the eyes, nose and mouth are reminiscent of other statues of Khefren. The sculptor paid a lot of attention to detail, resulting in a very high quality statue. It is a shame that only parts of the head were recovered.
This
granite head of unknown provenance has been credited to Khefren due to
the close resemblance of this statue's facial features t other,
identified statues of the same king. The shape of the nose, mouth and
face as well as the way the king's headdress, the nemes have been executed in a way that is very similar to other statues of Khefren.
It has even been suggested that this statue might originally have stood in the king's mortuary temple at Giza.
This
limestone head was reportedly found near the funerary complex of Khefren
at Giza. Despite the damage to its nose and absence of a name
identifying the king, the facial features suggest it was part of a
statue of Khefren.
This
fragment of a statue, made of limestone and inlaid with copper, was
found near the Valley Temple of the funerary complex of Khefren at Giza.
The identification as being a statue of Khefren is based mainly on its
archaeological context and, to a lesser degree, its stylistic features.
The king is represented wearing the Red Crown, associated with Lower Egypt. Particularly interesting is the fact that the contours of the eyes are made of inlaid copper, while the eyes themselves where inlaid with white and black stone, giving this statue a very unique expressiveness.
The area surrounding the nose and mouth is slightly weathered, but not too much, making it possible to compare this lovely statue to others of the same king.
Horus Name
Africanus: Suphis (II)
Eusebius: Eusebius doesn't mention Khefren.
Alternative names in modern-day literature
Chefren, Chephren, Chéfren, Khéfren, Khephren, Khépren, Khafre, Khaefre, Khafra, Khaefra
Location
After Kheops, Khefren was the second king to choose Giza as the location for his funerary monument. Kheops' eldest surviving son and immediate successor, Djedefre, had not followed in his father's footsteps and moved away from Giza to the more mountainous area of Abu Rawash, some 8 km to the North, thereby establishing the Northernmost part of the Memphite necropolis.
The reasons for Djedefre's move north and Khefren's return are not known. Theories about this being the result of some dynastic feuds are, no matter how romantic they may sound, mere speculation. Practical or religious considerations may as easily have been the reason behind both the move away from Giza as the move back.
Whatever the motivation of both Djedefre and his brother Khefren, the latter built his pyramid at some distance to the Northwest of his father's at Giza. The diagonal of Khefren's pyramid is an almost perfect continuation of the diagonal of Kheops', a tribute to the craftsmanship of the architects and builders of the monument.Although Khefren's pyramid appears to be taller than Kheops', it is, actually, some 3 metres smaller. Its taller appearance is the result of the fact that it was built on a higher plateau than the pyramid of Kheops.
Structure
The pyramid complex of Khefren shows a further evolution in the structure of this type of monument. A Valley Temple in the East, located right next to an artificial lake, was connected to the actual mortuary temple by a covered causeway.
Judging by its size, the mortuary temple appears to have gained in prominence. The structures East of the pyramids of Snofru at Dashur, were nothing more but chapels. With Kheops, these chapels were extended into a small temple, but it was with Khefren's mortuary temple that most of the elements that would later become traditional were incorporated into the edifice.
A small Satellite Pyramid is located to the South of the king's main pyramid. No Queens' Pyramids appear to have been built.
The Sphinx and its temple, located North of the causeway and Valley Temple respectively, may also have played an important part in the funerary cult of the deceased king.
Click on the thumbnails below to learn more about Khefren' funerary complex.
With a height of 143.5m and only 3m smaller than Kheops', the pyramid of Khefren is the second tallest to have been built in Egypt. Khefren built his pyramid on a higher part of the Giza plateau, which makes his pyramid look higher, but whether this was a coincidence or the result of Khefren's desire to outdo his father, is not known.
The bedrock on which the pyramid was built had a natural slope of 3 to 6°. In order to compensate for that, the ancient builders cut away some 10 m of rock where the northwest corner of the pyramid would be, and they added some large blocks for the southeast corner.
Aside from the bottom course, which was done in granite, the entire pyramid was encased in limestone from the quarries of Turah. Most of the outer casing has been stripped over the centuries by stone robbers, leaving only the top part of the original stone. This has given the pyramid its distinctive modern-day look.
The casing blocks that were used for the top courses of the pyramid are a lot smaller than those remaining at the bottom. These blocks are often staggered rather than flush, suggesting that they were cut before they were laid, either because it was more practical to do so, or as a result of the fact that the lower courses of outer casing were stolen.
This does, however, suggest that even at the time of Khefren, the building of pyramids was still somewhat experimental.
The pyramid's internal structure is less complex than those of the pyramids of Kheops and Snofru.There are two entrances, both slightly off-centre and, following tradition, in the north. The first entrance is at ground level, the second one some 11.54m above the ground. Both entrances are followed by a descending passage that ends in a horizontal section.
A subsidiary room opens off the horizontal section to the west of the lower passage. It was cut into the bedrock, and has a pented roof. The purpose of this room is not clear. It may simply have served as a storage room for offerings, or it could have been a serdab room, where the deceased king could come and collect his daily offerings.
At the end of the horizontal section of the lower passage, a second passage leads back up, finally meeting with the horizontal section of the upper descending passage. From there, a horizontal corridor leads to the burial chamber, located at ground level and not exactly at the centre of the pyramid.
The burial chamber opens to the west of the corridor. It measures 14.15 by 5 m and is 6.83 m high. Its roof is made of limestone and is pented.
A pit cut into the floor may probably have been used for the canopic chest.
The sarcophagus, made of black, hard granite, was set at the far end of the burial chamber. It was found to contain the bones of a bull, most likely part of an offering made at a later date, when the king's body had already been robbed and lost.
Satellite Pyramid
Only the outlines of the foundations of the small satellite pyramid, built to the South of the main pyramid, have been found, the rest probably being dragged off by stone robbers.
The satellite pyramid has two descending passages one of which extends beyond the pyramid and leads to a small niche. In this niche, a wooden box was found containing the remains of a shrine that was ritually chopped up into different regular sized pieces. This shrine may have held a statue of the king's Ka, confirming the similarity with the South Tomb in the complex of Netjerikhet at Saqqara, which is believed to have been intended as a tomb for the king's Ka.
Khefren's Mortuary and Valley Temples
Mortuary Temple
Khefren's mortuary temple marks the final transition of the funerary chapels that stood east of the pyramids of Snofru at Dashur, to an actual temple. It is also the first mortuary temple to have incorporated the five features that would become standard for the mortuary temples to come:
The temple consists of a fore part and a back part. The fore part was made of huge blocks of limestone, which were encased in a finer quality of limestone. This technique was yet another innovation that was introduced during the reign of Khefren.
A 494.6m long causeway that connects it to the Valley Temple, enters the Mortuary Temple near the South end of the East face.The entrance hall consisted of a transversed section near the actual entrance, and a rectangular hall behind it. Both sections had columns to support the roof. A long, narrow chamber branches off at each end of the second hall, perhaps, once housing a statue of the king.The second hall opens into a large open court, surrounded by pillars In front of the pillars there once stood 12 large statues of the king some of which may have been usurped by Ramesses II many centuries later.
Beyond the court there are the now badly damaged five niches for more statues of the king. Behind each niche, there is a storage chamber and at the very back of the temple, against the pyramid itself, there was the actual inner sanctuary that probably contained a false door through which the deceased king could come to collect his daily offerings.
North of the five niches, a corridor leads from the columned court to the pyramid enclosement.
Outside the Mortuary Temple, 5 boat pits and the beginning of a 6th one have been found cut into the bedrock. Two of them still retain their original roofing slabs. Shaped like boats, they once housed the boats that were used to bring the king's mortal remains to his final resting place.
Valley Temple
Like the fore section of the Mortuary Temple, the Valley Temple was built of huge blocks of stone, that were lined with finer blocks.The temple had two entrances, probably symbolising the duality of Upper and Lower Egypt, each connecting to a vestibule, from which a door led to a large hall, shaped like an inverted T. The roof of the hall was supported by 16 single-block granite pillars The walls were covered in red granite and the floor pavements were made of Egyptian alabaster. There are 23 shallow pits in the floor, each once holding a statue of the king. One of the pits is wider than the others and may have held a double-statue, setting the total statues of the king in the Valley Temple to 24. This number has led some Egyptologists to suggest that every hour of the day, a ritual was performed in front of one of the statues.In the southwest of the transverse part of this hall, there are three additional niches. In the northwest, a corridor leads to the causeway that connects the Valley Temple to the Mortuary Temple.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 129.
A
close geological study of the sphinx and the nearby temples has revealed
that the large blocks which were used to build the Valley Temple of
Khefren's complex were most likely quarried from the layers that run
through the upper part of the Sphinx's body.
The core blocks that were used to build the Sphinx Temple, on the other hand, came from just below the chest height of the Sphinx's body.
This means that the Sphinx was sculpted at almost the same time as when the Valley Temple and temple in front of the Sphinx were built. As the Valley Temple was built as part of Khefren's Pyramid Complex, it thus stands that the Sphinx was sculpted out of the rock during Khefren's reign as well.
Regardless
of the reasons why the Sfinx and it temple were built, later
generations would consider it to be a statue of the god Harmakhis, Horus at the Horizon, or Horus as a solar god, as is shown by the Dream Stela, erected in front of the Sfinx by Thutmosis IV of the 18th Dynasty.
Although it is possible that the Sfinx was associated with Harmakhis by
later generations, it is probable that this was already the case at the
time this enigmatic and emblematic statue was created.
Statue of Khefren and Horus
This 168cm high diorite statue, found in 1860 in the Valley Temple of Khefren's funerary complex at Giza by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette, represents Khefren, seated on an elaborate throne. It is one of many examples of high craftsmanship from the Old Kingdom.
Khefren’s most famous statue represents him seated on a his throne, protected by the god Horus.
The sema-tawi symbol between the legs of Khefren's throne.
Source: Schultz - Seidl e.a., Egypte. Het land van de farao's, p. 67.
Source: Schultz - Seidl e.a., Egypte. Het land van de farao's, p. 67.
Seated regally on his throne, Khefren wears the nemes headdress adorned with a (damaged) uraeus His eyes are narrow, the nose prominent and the mouth full. His round face emanates power and authority. His beard, another sign of his royalty, is chipped at the bottom.
A falcon, symbol of the god of the divine kingship, Horus, sits on the back of the throne and spreads its wings in a protective gesture around the head of the king.
The king wears a traditional skirt. His left hand is stretched out and lying on his leg. His right hand is cleched into a fist, in which he holds a cloth. His arms are very muscled and strong. His left arm and leg are slightly damaged.
This statue was found in a pit in the king's Valley Temple. It probably once stood in this temple, along with several other statues which have been found there and is likely to have served in the mortuary cult of Khefren.
Khefren on a Throne
Schist statue of Khefren on a throne.
Source: Ziegler e.a., Art Egyptien, pp. 216-217.
Source: Ziegler e.a., Art Egyptien, pp. 216-217.
There can be no doubt about the identification of this king: his name is carved into the front of the throne, next to the his leg.
Khefren is represented wearing the nemes headdress, seated on a cube-shaped throne. His face has been executed with great attention to detail. The rounded face, narrow eyes and nose and fairly small mouth are typical of statues representing Khefren. The false beard confirms his royalty.
The king's left hand is resting on his knee, but his right hand is clenched into a fist, giving the statue an air of authority.
The left and right sides of the throne are decorated with the so-called sema-tawi symbol: the two heraldic plants of Upper and Lower Egypt, tied together around a central sign that means 'union', symbolising the unity between the two traditional parts of the country.
This statue is one of many examples of the high craftsmanship during Khefren's reign.
Source: Ziegler e.a., Art Egyptien, pp. 216-217.
Source: Ziegler e.a., Art Egyptien, pp. 216-217.
Alabaster Head
Alabaster head of a king, often assumed to be Khefren.
Source: Ziegler, Art Egyptien, p. 219.
Source: Ziegler, Art Egyptien, p. 219.
The fact alone that it comes from Giza and that it is clearly a representation of a king, would point to one of the three kings who built a pyramid there: Kheops, Khefren or Mykerinos.
A comparison with known statues of Kheops and Mykerinos immediately shows that their statues were executed in a different style than this, making it quite unlikely that the Alabaster Head belonged to either king.
Among the many remains found near that mastaba were several items inscribed with the name of Khefren. This again would point to Khefren as the king represented here.
The king is represented with narrow eyes, a narrow nose and a fairly small nose. The nose is partially damaged, and only the lobe of the king's right ear is still present. The eyebrows are clearly marked.He wears the nemes headdress, most of which has been lost. A uraeus on his brow indeed confirms his royal status, as well as the remains of a false beard.
Fragment of a Head
Fragments of the head of a statue presumed to belong to Khefren.
Source: Ziegler, Art Egyptien, p. 218.
Source: Ziegler, Art Egyptien, p. 218.
The shape of the eyes, nose and mouth are reminiscent of other statues of Khefren. The sculptor paid a lot of attention to detail, resulting in a very high quality statue. It is a shame that only parts of the head were recovered.
Granite Head
Granite head of a statue assumed to represent Khefren.
Source: Ziegler e.a., Art Egyptien, pp. 221-222.
Source: Ziegler e.a., Art Egyptien, pp. 221-222.
It has even been suggested that this statue might originally have stood in the king's mortuary temple at Giza.
Limestone Head
Limestone head of a statue assumed to have belonged to Khefren.
Source: Ziegler e.a., Art Egyptien, pp. 222-223.
Source: Ziegler e.a., Art Egyptien, pp. 222-223.
Khefren Wearing the Red Crown
Head of a small statue assumed to represent Khefren.
Source: Ziegler e.a., Art Egyptien, p. 220.
Source: Ziegler e.a., Art Egyptien, p. 220.
The king is represented wearing the Red Crown, associated with Lower Egypt. Particularly interesting is the fact that the contours of the eyes are made of inlaid copper, while the eyes themselves where inlaid with white and black stone, giving this statue a very unique expressiveness.
The area surrounding the nose and mouth is slightly weathered, but not too much, making it possible to compare this lovely statue to others of the same king.
Titulary of Khefren
Horus Name
- Hr wsr ibHorus, strong of heart
- wsr m nb.tjThe one who is strong with the Two Ladies
- sxm bik nbwThe golden falcon is strong
- xa=f raKhephren
- wsr ib xa=f raStrong of heart, Khephre
- xa=f raKhephren
- xaw=f raKhephren
Africanus: Suphis (II)
Eusebius: Eusebius doesn't mention Khefren.
Alternative names in modern-day literature
Chefren, Chephren, Chéfren, Khéfren, Khephren, Khépren, Khafre, Khaefre, Khafra, Khaefra
Pyramid Complex at Giza
Khefren's pyramid at Giza, with the Great Sphinx in the foreground.
Location
After Kheops, Khefren was the second king to choose Giza as the location for his funerary monument. Kheops' eldest surviving son and immediate successor, Djedefre, had not followed in his father's footsteps and moved away from Giza to the more mountainous area of Abu Rawash, some 8 km to the North, thereby establishing the Northernmost part of the Memphite necropolis.
The reasons for Djedefre's move north and Khefren's return are not known. Theories about this being the result of some dynastic feuds are, no matter how romantic they may sound, mere speculation. Practical or religious considerations may as easily have been the reason behind both the move away from Giza as the move back.
Whatever the motivation of both Djedefre and his brother Khefren, the latter built his pyramid at some distance to the Northwest of his father's at Giza. The diagonal of Khefren's pyramid is an almost perfect continuation of the diagonal of Kheops', a tribute to the craftsmanship of the architects and builders of the monument.Although Khefren's pyramid appears to be taller than Kheops', it is, actually, some 3 metres smaller. Its taller appearance is the result of the fact that it was built on a higher plateau than the pyramid of Kheops.
Structure
The pyramid complex of Khefren shows a further evolution in the structure of this type of monument. A Valley Temple in the East, located right next to an artificial lake, was connected to the actual mortuary temple by a covered causeway.
Judging by its size, the mortuary temple appears to have gained in prominence. The structures East of the pyramids of Snofru at Dashur, were nothing more but chapels. With Kheops, these chapels were extended into a small temple, but it was with Khefren's mortuary temple that most of the elements that would later become traditional were incorporated into the edifice.
A small Satellite Pyramid is located to the South of the king's main pyramid. No Queens' Pyramids appear to have been built.
Hover over or tap
the map of Khefren's Pyramid Complex at Giza and click or tap on the
little circles on the map to learn more about the different
architectural elements that made up this complex.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 124.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 124.
The Sphinx and its temple, located North of the causeway and Valley Temple respectively, may also have played an important part in the funerary cult of the deceased king.
Click on the thumbnails below to learn more about Khefren' funerary complex.
Khefren's Pyramid at Giza
PyramidWith a height of 143.5m and only 3m smaller than Kheops', the pyramid of Khefren is the second tallest to have been built in Egypt. Khefren built his pyramid on a higher part of the Giza plateau, which makes his pyramid look higher, but whether this was a coincidence or the result of Khefren's desire to outdo his father, is not known.
The bedrock on which the pyramid was built had a natural slope of 3 to 6°. In order to compensate for that, the ancient builders cut away some 10 m of rock where the northwest corner of the pyramid would be, and they added some large blocks for the southeast corner.
Aside from the bottom course, which was done in granite, the entire pyramid was encased in limestone from the quarries of Turah. Most of the outer casing has been stripped over the centuries by stone robbers, leaving only the top part of the original stone. This has given the pyramid its distinctive modern-day look.
Built
on a higher part of the Giza plateau, Khefern’s pyramid appears to be
the highest pyramid at Giza, while it is actually 3 metres smaller than
Kheops'.
The casing blocks that were used for the top courses of the pyramid are a lot smaller than those remaining at the bottom. These blocks are often staggered rather than flush, suggesting that they were cut before they were laid, either because it was more practical to do so, or as a result of the fact that the lower courses of outer casing were stolen.
This does, however, suggest that even at the time of Khefren, the building of pyramids was still somewhat experimental.
The pyramid's internal structure is less complex than those of the pyramids of Kheops and Snofru.There are two entrances, both slightly off-centre and, following tradition, in the north. The first entrance is at ground level, the second one some 11.54m above the ground. Both entrances are followed by a descending passage that ends in a horizontal section.
A subsidiary room opens off the horizontal section to the west of the lower passage. It was cut into the bedrock, and has a pented roof. The purpose of this room is not clear. It may simply have served as a storage room for offerings, or it could have been a serdab room, where the deceased king could come and collect his daily offerings.
At the end of the horizontal section of the lower passage, a second passage leads back up, finally meeting with the horizontal section of the upper descending passage. From there, a horizontal corridor leads to the burial chamber, located at ground level and not exactly at the centre of the pyramid.
The burial chamber opens to the west of the corridor. It measures 14.15 by 5 m and is 6.83 m high. Its roof is made of limestone and is pented.
A pit cut into the floor may probably have been used for the canopic chest.
The sarcophagus, made of black, hard granite, was set at the far end of the burial chamber. It was found to contain the bones of a bull, most likely part of an offering made at a later date, when the king's body had already been robbed and lost.
Satellite Pyramid
Only the outlines of the foundations of the small satellite pyramid, built to the South of the main pyramid, have been found, the rest probably being dragged off by stone robbers.
The satellite pyramid has two descending passages one of which extends beyond the pyramid and leads to a small niche. In this niche, a wooden box was found containing the remains of a shrine that was ritually chopped up into different regular sized pieces. This shrine may have held a statue of the king's Ka, confirming the similarity with the South Tomb in the complex of Netjerikhet at Saqqara, which is believed to have been intended as a tomb for the king's Ka.
Khefren's Mortuary and Valley Temples
Mortuary Temple
Khefren's mortuary temple marks the final transition of the funerary chapels that stood east of the pyramids of Snofru at Dashur, to an actual temple. It is also the first mortuary temple to have incorporated the five features that would become standard for the mortuary temples to come:
- an entrance hall
- a broad columned court
- five niches for statues of the king
- five storage chambers
- an inner sanctuary that housed either a pair of stelae, a false door or both.
The temple consists of a fore part and a back part. The fore part was made of huge blocks of limestone, which were encased in a finer quality of limestone. This technique was yet another innovation that was introduced during the reign of Khefren.
The
remains of Khefren's mortuary temple, seen from his pyramid. The
distinction between the heavy fore section and the lighter back section
is very clear.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 124.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 124.
A 494.6m long causeway that connects it to the Valley Temple, enters the Mortuary Temple near the South end of the East face.The entrance hall consisted of a transversed section near the actual entrance, and a rectangular hall behind it. Both sections had columns to support the roof. A long, narrow chamber branches off at each end of the second hall, perhaps, once housing a statue of the king.The second hall opens into a large open court, surrounded by pillars In front of the pillars there once stood 12 large statues of the king some of which may have been usurped by Ramesses II many centuries later.
Beyond the court there are the now badly damaged five niches for more statues of the king. Behind each niche, there is a storage chamber and at the very back of the temple, against the pyramid itself, there was the actual inner sanctuary that probably contained a false door through which the deceased king could come to collect his daily offerings.
North of the five niches, a corridor leads from the columned court to the pyramid enclosement.
Outside the Mortuary Temple, 5 boat pits and the beginning of a 6th one have been found cut into the bedrock. Two of them still retain their original roofing slabs. Shaped like boats, they once housed the boats that were used to bring the king's mortal remains to his final resting place.
Valley Temple
Like the fore section of the Mortuary Temple, the Valley Temple was built of huge blocks of stone, that were lined with finer blocks.The temple had two entrances, probably symbolising the duality of Upper and Lower Egypt, each connecting to a vestibule, from which a door led to a large hall, shaped like an inverted T. The roof of the hall was supported by 16 single-block granite pillars The walls were covered in red granite and the floor pavements were made of Egyptian alabaster. There are 23 shallow pits in the floor, each once holding a statue of the king. One of the pits is wider than the others and may have held a double-statue, setting the total statues of the king in the Valley Temple to 24. This number has led some Egyptologists to suggest that every hour of the day, a ritual was performed in front of one of the statues.In the southwest of the transverse part of this hall, there are three additional niches. In the northwest, a corridor leads to the causeway that connects the Valley Temple to the Mortuary Temple.
Khefren's Valley Temple, with his pyramid in the back, to the right.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 125.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 125.
The Sphinx and its Temple
Location and date
The Great Sphinx at Giza, one of the many monuments that we have come to consider an icon of the Ancient Egyptian civilisation, lies northwest of the Valley Temple of the Pyramid Complex of Khefren.
Right in front of the Sphinx, and directly north of the Valley Temple, an open structure was erected. As this structure appears to be very closely related to the Sphinx, archaeologists consider it to be the Sphinx Temple, but the precise function of this unique structure remains unclear to this date.
The Great Sphinx at Giza, one of the many monuments that we have come to consider an icon of the Ancient Egyptian civilisation, lies northwest of the Valley Temple of the Pyramid Complex of Khefren.
The Great Sphinx of Giza, with Khefren's pyramid in the background, to the left.
Right in front of the Sphinx, and directly north of the Valley Temple, an open structure was erected. As this structure appears to be very closely related to the Sphinx, archaeologists consider it to be the Sphinx Temple, but the precise function of this unique structure remains unclear to this date.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 129.
The core blocks that were used to build the Sphinx Temple, on the other hand, came from just below the chest height of the Sphinx's body.
This means that the Sphinx was sculpted at almost the same time as when the Valley Temple and temple in front of the Sphinx were built. As the Valley Temple was built as part of Khefren's Pyramid Complex, it thus stands that the Sphinx was sculpted out of the rock during Khefren's reign as well.
Two views of the sphinx: recent and after extensive restoration (left), and captured in an early 20th century picture (right).
Source for the picture to the right: Free Historical Stock Photos.
Source for the picture to the right: Free Historical Stock Photos.
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