Al-Fayum

- AL-FAYUM -

The Pyramid of Amenemhet III in Hawara.

The Pyramid of Senusert II in Al-Lahun .

The Pyramid of Amenemhet III in Hawara.

The Pyramid of Amenemhet III is located in Hawara, in 8 kilometers from Medinet - Al - Fayoum. The original height of the Pyramid was 58 meters, the length of the basement side was about 100 meters. The Pyramid is built of mud brick and lined with limestone slabs.

For the first time, the interior of the pyramid was studied in the years 1885 - 1889 by Flinders Petrie. Now they are flooded by the ground waters.

Entrance to the pyramid is located on its southern side. "Burial chamber" is a room, carved from a single block of yellow quartzite. Its size makes - 6,71 × 2,4 × 1,83 m. Its weight is more than 100 tons. The thickness of the chamber walls - 60 cm. Quartzite ceiling thickness makes 1.2 m and its weight is about 45 ton. The chamber is covered with a gable roof of the two limestone blocks, weighing 50 tons each. There are two sarcofagus inside. Flinders Petrie discovered them empty. According to the inscriptions, one of the sarcofagus belonged to Amenemhet III, another one - to his daughter Ptahnefru.

The Pyramid of Senusert II in Al-Lahun.

The Pyramid is built on a hill 12 meters high. The original height of the Pyramid was 48 meters and the length of its basement side - 106 meters. The Pyramid of Senusret was built of adobe. Now it is ruined and its current height makes only 15 meters. The entrance is located on its southern side. Tthe "burial chamber" is located 20 meters aside from the center of the Pyramid at a depth of 12 m. A lot of shafts around the Pyramid are leading down the underground Labytinth.

The photo below is showing one of the shafts, leading to the underground labyrinths. According to the picture taken from the top of the shaft, we can easily see the high quality structure of the underground megalithic core.

The study of the underground Labyrinth of Hawara - is the task for the future expeditions.

<< Back to Egypt Map

Discuss >>