Saqqara, City of the Dead - North Court of the Netjerikhet Complex

The North Court

The large area North of the Northern temple has not yet been fully examined. There are some subterranean galleries underneath this court, but their function and date are unknown pending further research.

It is also unknow if this court once housed dummy chapels like in the Heb-Sed Court, or platforms as is the case in the South Court.

Against the Northern end of the wall surrounding the complex, an altar shaped like the hieroglyph for offering was built. The precise function of this altar is not known but may probably have been connected with any other structures that may have been built in the Northern area. The fact that it is located in the North, thus sharing the same orientation as the entrance to the Step Pyramid, may perhaps suggest a connection with the Pole Stars, which the Ancient Egyptians believed would receive the spiritual essenced of the deceased king.

The altar in the North Court