Mortuary Temple of Teti

Next

The Mortuary Temple

Although stone-robbers badly pillaged Teti's mortuary temple, the remaining parts have allowed archaeologists to asses that the basic plan of this structure conformed to the scheme that appears to have become standard since Djedkare.

Contrary to the standard plan, the entrance to the mortuary temple was not in the middle of the eastern wall, along the temples east-west axis, but almost in the south corner of the eastern wall.
This resulted in the causeway being shifted more to the south, which may perhaps have been an attempt to avoid the smaller pyramid to the northeast of Teti's, known today as Lepsius 29.

From the entrance, a traverse corridor leads to the entrance hall which is located along the temple's axis.  The entrance hall leads to a colonnaded open court. 
A second variation to the standard plan is made by the return to the square granite pillars that were typical in 4th Dynasty mortuary complexes, instead of the round columns with adorned capitals.

The altar in the centre of the open court was made of alabaster and still showed some traces of decoration.

A second traverse corridor after the open court allows access to the magazines located to the north and the south of the court and entrance hall. The satellite pyramid lies to the south of this corridor, which also separates the front from the inner temple. Following the temple's axis, an entrance and a small alabaster stairway lead to the 5 statue niches. Each of the niches had a granite framed doorway inscribed with the king's titulary.

From the 5 statue niches, a vestibule to the South allows access to a square antechamber, in the centre of which was located a single pillar. The antechamber opened to the north to the offering hall. Against its western wall, a false door rested on a quartzite foundation block. It was here, in this offering hall with its vaulted ceiling, that the cult of the deceased Teti was maintained.

Very little remains of Teti’s Mortuary Temple.

Very little remains of Teti’s Mortuary Temple.
Source: EgyptSites.


The Satellite Pyramid

The satellite pyramid is located in its usual place, next to the south corner of the inner part of the mortuary temple. It measured 15.7 metres square. Its entrance was located to the north of the pyramid, at ground level. From there a descending passage leads to the single chamber under the centre of the pyramid.


Queens’ Pyramids

At least two women connected to Teti's court had their own pyramids: queen Iput, the mother of Teti's son, Pepi I, and Khuit. They are located in separate enclosures to the north of Teti's pyramid, behind the mastabas of the 6th Dynasty courtiers. Due to their location, they are somewhat different from the usual Queen's pyramids, that were built close to their king's monument.

The pyramid of Iput was originally conceived as a mastaba, but it was converted into a pyramid by Iput's son, Pepi I. This pyramid, which measured 15.75 metres to a side and had a steep slope of 65°, was built over a vertical mastaba shaft, at the bottom of which was located the burial chamber. The pyramid itself had no entrance. A false door on its North side was part of a fake entrance chapel. To the East of the pyramid was a smaller version of a mortuary temple: a chapel with a court, a chamber with 3 niches and an offering hall with a false door made of limestone and an offering slab made of granite. Despite the lack of an entrance, this tomb was desecrated, but the skeleton of the queen was found intact, along with five crude canopic jars. A necklace and a bracelet belonging to the queen were also found.


© Jacques Kinnaer 1997 - 2023