Mortuary Temple of Pepi I

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The Mortuary Temple

Like his pyramid, Pepi I’s badly damaged mortuary too, was built according to a standardised ground-plan.
After the entrance in the east, a transverse corridor led to magazines to the north and south and to a long entrance hall or vestibule in the west. The entrance hall opened onto a columned open court, to the west of which the inner temple was located.

The inner temple has a transverse hall, followed by the 5 statue niches. To the south of these niches, a doorway led to a chamber that gave access to an antechamber with one single column in the west. The antechamber leads to the sanctuary by a turn to the west. To the north and south of the 5 statue niches, the antechamber and the sanctuary were located several magazines.

A desolate view over the few remains Pepi I's funerary temple.

A desolate view over the few remains Pepi I's funerary temple.

Several limestone statues of bound and beheaded enemies, were found in this temple. They symbolise the enemies of Egypt -and thus of the king- rendered powerless by their decapitation and may perhaps once have lined the causeway. Similar statues have been found near the complexes of Djedkare, Teti and Pepi II. The causeway itself, like the valley temple, has never been cleared.


The Satellite Pyramid

The satellite pyramid is located at is traditional place, to the south-east of the main pyramid. Its descending corridor opens onto a high single chamber.

The archaeological remains, such as parts of statues, stelae and offering tables, discovered here show that the cult for Pepi I continued to well into the Middle Kingdom. An inscription left behind by Khaemwaset, the illustrious son of the even more illustrious Ramesses II, describes how, by his time, this complex had suffered and decayed. Nevertheless, it was this complex that would give its name, mn-nfr, to the nearby city, known today under its Greek name, Memphis.


© Jacques Kinnaer 1997 - 2023