The Dashur Pyramid
On a clear day, the two pyramids built there by Snofru, the founder of the 4th Dynasty as well as the remains of the pyramid of Amenemhat III can easily be seen from Saqqara and Meidum, or even from Egypt's modern-day capital Cairo, some 50 kilometres to the North. The history of Dashur is a somewhat shorter than the history of its northern neighbour, Saqqara. The oldest traces of building activity are dated to the start of the 4th Dynasty, when Snofru, for unknown reasons, moved away from Meidum to start a new royal necropolis just South of Saqqara. This is all the more surprising since Snofru also appears to have founded the royal necropolis in Meidum. After Snofru, there was considerably less activity at Dashur, as Kheops moved the royal necropolis even more to the North, to Giza. Royal attention returned to Dashur during the Middle Kingdom, with the pyramid of 12th Dynasty king Amenemhat II. Amenemhat's immediate predecessors had preferred el-Lisht, near Meidum, as a burial ground. It is not clear why Amenemhat II moved back north again. His example was followed by Sesostris III and Amenemhat III, but the latter king chose to be buried in another pyramid, at Hawara. After the Middle Kingdom, Dashur seems to have lost its appeal as a royal necropolis. Amenemhat III's pyramid was the last royal funerary monument that was built there. Recent archaeological research, however, has revealed a private necropolis dated to the New Kingdom at North Dashur.
Abu Rawash
Location Located some 8 kilometers to the North of Giza, Abu Rawash is the northern most site of the Memphite Necropolis. It got its modern day name from the nearby village Abu Rawash and appears to have been used as a burial site since the time of Aha, at the beginning of the 1st Dynasty. The Mortuary Complex of Djedefre The most important monument in this mountainous region, however, is the mortuary complex of Djedefre, successor of Kheops and third king of the 4th Dynasty. There has been a lot of speculation about Djedefre's motivation to build his funerary monument at Abu Rawash and not next to his father's at Giza. A very common view is that Djedefre chose this remote place to distance himself from the despotic reign of his father, whereas his brother Khefren, returned to Giza because he held the same views as Kheops. The fact that Djedefre built his pyramid away from his father's would thus be telltale of some dynastic fueds in the beginning of the 4th Dynasty. The fact that Mykerinos, son of Khefren, undertook some restoration work at Djedefre's funerary monument does not fit well with the romantic theory of dynastic fueds. It must be noted that during the early 4th Dynasty, there appears to have been a move towards the North for the royal funerary complex. Snofru moved from Meidum, where he at least completed or perhaps even built a pyramid, to Dashur where he built two pyramids. His son, Kheops, moved even further North, to Giza and Djedefre completed this move by building his pyramd in Abu Rawash. The motivation behind this move North is not clear, but it is still interesting to note. Recently, it has been proposed that Djedefre moved to Abu Rawash because it was situated opposite Heliopolis, the city of the solar cult. During the reign of Djedefre, the solar cult gained a lot in importance, as is shown by the addition of the title Son of Re to the royal titulary. This could at least explain Djedefre's choice of location, but it does not explain why Kheops moved to Giza. The structure of Djedefre's funerary monument is fairly simple, but it already has all the elements that are typical for the Old Kingdom. The complex has an inner enclosure wall that rose to a height of about 6 metres.
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