The Pyramids of Nyuserre Ini and Neferirkare Kakai at Abusir, viewed from the south-east

Abusir or Abu Sir is the name given to an Egyptian archaeological locality - specifically, an extensive necropolis of the Old Kingdom period, together with later additions - in the vicinity of the modern capital Cairo. The name is also that of a neighbouring village in the Nile Valley, from whence the site takes its name. Abusir is located several kilometres north of Saqqara and, like it, served as one of the main elite cemeteries for the ancient Egyptian capital city of Memphis. pyramids at abu sir File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... pyramids at abu sir File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Geometric shape created by connecting a polygonal base to an apex A pyramid is a geometric shape formed by connecting a polygonal base and a point, called the apex, by triangular faces. ... Nyuserre Ini was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Fifth dynasty. ... Neferirkare Kakai was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Fifth dynasty. ... A necropolis (plural: necropolises or necropoleis) is a cemetery or burying-place, literally a city of the dead. Apart from the occasional application of the word to modern cemeteries outside large towns, the term is chiefly used of burial grounds near the sites of the centers of ancient civilizations. ... The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization complexity and achievement - this was the first of three so-called Kingdom periods which mark the high points of civilisation in the Nile Valley (the... Although technically in Giza, The Great Pyramids have become a symbol of Cairo internationally Cairo (Arabic: القاهرة; transliterated: al-Qāhirah) is the capital city of Egypt (and previously the United Arab Republic) and has a metropolitan area population of approximately 15. ... ... Saqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, featuring the worlds oldest standing step pyramid. ... Memphis was the ancient capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt from its foundation until around 1300 BC. The ruins are 19 km (12 mi. ...

Just one, relatively small segment of the extensive "pyramid field" that extends from north of Giza to below Saqqara, the locality of Abusir took its turn as the focus of the prestigious western burial rites operating out of the then-capital of Memphis during the Old Kingdom 5th Dynasty. As an elite cemetery, neighbouring Giza had by then "filled up" with the massive pyramids and other monuments of the 4th Dynasty, leading the 5th Dynasty pharaohs to seek sites elsewhere for their own funerary monuments. Giza (Arabic, الجيزة, transliterated al-ǧīzah; pronounced in the Egyptian Arabic dialect of Cairo al-Gīza; also sometimes rendered in English as Gizeh, Ghizeh, or Geezeh) is a town in Egypt on the west bank of the Nile river, some 20 km southwest of central Cairo and now part of... Saqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, featuring the worlds oldest standing step pyramid. ... The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization complexity and achievement - this was the first of three so-called Kingdom periods which mark the high points of civilisation in the Nile Valley (the... The Fifth Dynasty of Egypt is considered part of the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. ... Giza (Arabic, الجيزة, transliterated al-ǧīzah; pronounced in the Egyptian Arabic dialect of Cairo al-Gīza; also sometimes rendered in English as Gizeh, Ghizeh, or Geezeh) is a town in Egypt on the west bank of the Nile river, some 20 km southwest of central Cairo and now part of... The Fourth dynasty of Egypt was the second of the four dynasties considered forming the Old Kingdom. ... The Fifth Dynasty of Egypt is considered part of the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. ...

Abusir was the origin of the largest find of Old Kingdom papyri to date — the Abusir Papyri: in the late nineteenth century, a number of Western museums acquired collections of fragmentary papyri from the administrative (temple) records of one Abusir funerary cult, that for king Neferirkare Kakai. This discovery was supplemented in the late twentieth century when excavations by a Czech expedition to the site revealed papyri from two other cult complexes, that of the pharaoh Neferefre (also read Raneferef) and for the king's mother Khentkaus II. Blank papyrus. ... Neferirkare Kakai was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Fifth dynasty. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ... Neferefre was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Fifth dynasty. ...

Necropolis

There are a total of seven pyramids at this site, which served as the main royal necropolis during the Fifth Dynasty. The quality of construction of the Abusir pyramids is inferior to those of the Fourth Dynasty — perhaps signalling a decrease in royal power or a less vibrant economy. They are smaller than their predecessors, and are built of low quality local limestone. Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ...

The three major pyramids are those of Nyuserre Ini (which is also the most intact), Neferirkare and Sahure. The site is also home to the incomplete Pyramid of Neferefre. All of the major pyramids at Abusir were built as step pyramids, although the largest of them — the Pyramid of Neferirkare — is believed to have originally been built as a step pyramid some seventy metres in height and then later transformed into a "true" pyramid by having its steps filled in with loose masonry. Nyuserre Ini was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Fifth dynasty. ... Neferirkare Kakai was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Fifth dynasty. ... Sahure was the second king of ancient Egypts 5th Dynasty. ... Neferefre was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Fifth dynasty. ... The Step Pyramid The Pyramid of Djoser was built for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser by his Vizier Imhotep. ...

External links

• Waseda University Expedition to Abusir South
• the Tomb of Qar at Abusir - Czech Institute of Egyptology