Monuments and Sites of Ancient Egypt

- The Pyramid Complex of Unas -

  Saqqara Pyramid of Unas:   Unas
  Pyramid of Unas   Location and Structure    
        Mortuary Temple    
        Pyramid    
           
           


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Location
 
   

The last king of the 5th Dynasty, Unas, built his pyramid complex close to the South-Western corner of the enclosure wall surrounding complex of Djoser at Saqqara.

This pyramid complex is thus located at the opposite corner of Djoser's complex as the complex built by Userkaf, the first king of the 5th Dynasty, and between the complexes of Djoser and Sekhemkhet, both of the 3rd Dynasty, as part of the diagonal between the pyramid of Sekhemkhet in the southwest and the pyramid of Teti, which was to be built later, in the northeast.

The mortuary temple of this complex, which traditionally extends to the East of the main pyramid, was built on top of the substructure of the 2nd Dynasty tomb assigned to Hotepsekhemwi. It is very likely that almost nothing subsisted of this older tomb's superstructure at the time Unas had his monument built.

The name of this funerary complex was name of the pyramid nfr-s.wt, "the (most) beautiful of places".

Location of the Pyramid of Unas

 

Location of the tomb

Above: Map of Saqqara, highlighting the location of the pyramid of Unas.

Left:The three largest still standing pyramids in Saqqara, seen from the South.

     
Structure
 
   

The complex consists of all the standard elements: a main pyramid, to the East of which are located a mortuary temple and a small satellite pyramid.

A long causeway connects the mortuary temple to a valley temple, at some distance to the South-East of the pyramid. Parts of the valley temple are still preserved.

A Queen's pyramid has never been found, which suggests that Unas does not appear to have had a pyramid built for his queen(s).

Pyramid Mortuary Temple Satellite Pyramid

 

Below left: clickable map of the Pyramid complex of Unas at Saqqara.
The Valley temple, drawn to the right of the mortuary temple in this plan, is actually located some distance to the South-East of the main pyramid. The mortuary temple and the Valley temple were connected by means of the causeway.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 154.

Valley Temple