Djedkare (also known by his birth-name Isesi) was the first king of the 5th Dynasty to return to Saqqara after his predecessors had built their pyramid complexes at Abusir, some kilometres to the north of Saqqara. The only other 5th Dynasty king before Djedkare to have built his pyramid here was Userkaf, but even he started the move towards Abusir for the construction of his solar-temple.

Returning to Saqqara, even Djedkare did not choose to build his mortuary complex in the direct vicinity of Djoser's Step-Pyramid. Instead he moved to a location about halfway between of Sekhemkhet's unfinished Pyramid and the location where Shepseskaf, the last king of the 4th Dynasty, had his tomb constructed.

His choice for this site may have been prompted by the high plateau that, in his time, may have over-looked Memphis. This may be reflected in its modern-day Arab name, el-Shawaf, meaning 'The Sentinel'. The original name Djedkare choose for his funerary monument was nfr, 'the beautiful (pyramid)' .

Structure

The funerary complex that Djedkare built at Saqqara followed the general standards of the time. To the West there was a pyramid, with its entrance facing North. There was a small Satellite Pyramid near the Southeast corner of the main pyramid. The king's mortuary temple extented to the East of the pyramid.

The only surprise comes from the structure of the Queen's Pyramid complex, which is located to the Northeast of the King's Pyramid. It is the first to have contained all the elements that were standard in the funerary complex of a king: a pyramid, be it a small one, to the West, an even smaller satellite pyramid to the Southeast and a mortuary temple to the east.
 

Map of Saqqara, highlighting the Pyramid Complex of Djedkare.

Clickable map of Djedkare's Pyramid Complex.
Source: Lehner, Complete Pyramids, p. 153.