The Pyramid Temple of Khafre

Not all is clear when diving almost 5000 years into the past. A good deal is known about Khafre but where his reign lies is a little unclear. Khafre was the son of King Khufu and his queen Henutsen. Some experts say Khafre was the immediate successor of Khufu and some say Djedefre, also Khufu’s son was the immediate successor and Khafre followed his rule. Either way Khafre is known to have ruled during the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. During his rule he was married to two queens, Khamerenebty I and Meresankh. He had a son with Khamerenebty who was named Menkaure and became king after Khafre’s death. When Khafre became king seems to be lost in history. Sources I have come across believe his rule to roughly be between 2558 BC and 2532 BC. Our book however, (Art History Vol. 1) states his rule to be from 2520-2494 BCE. What I get from this is that little evidence is available for a reliable time of rule. Khafre’s pyramid which will be the main focus of my paper is one of the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids of Giza located in the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Khafre’s pyramid lays roughly a few hundred meters to the southwest of his father Khufu and Menkaure’s pyramid lays a few hundred meters further southwest of his father. (Pyramids by Joyce Filer)
It only seems natural to first discuss the creation of the pyramid temple of Khafre. To build such a monumental structure thousands of workers would be needed including stone cutters, surveyors, carpenters, mortar makers, and general laborers. These worker would work year round and would stay on site whether at the build site or in the quarries. The stones they used at the bottom of the pyramid are very large and decrease in size to twenty inches thick at the top. Larger masses were gathered to move the stone from the quarries. These were typically farmers who could not work all year around due to the fields flooding in the rainy season. The numbers that were drafted are estimated at 50,000 and up and were put to work every year between the months of July and November. A lot of the limestone came from close by, but for finer limestone and quality stone they had to look further away. They looked to Tura across the river for their better quality stone. Water travel made the transportation much easier and through the use of canals were able to get the stone fairly close before handing it over to the general laborers. Using levers, ropes, and sleds workers were able to transport the stone by land. Gathering the quality stones had boats ferrying back and forth for the next 14 years and the overall time to build the pyramid temple of Khafre is estimated around 20 to 25 years. Now that the there is an understanding of what it took to create this monumental structure I will dive into the details of what the people of the 4th dynasty created. (Pyramid by David Macaulay) Khafre’s pyramid is only slightly smaller than his father’s with a 705 square foot base and 471 feet tall. To the naked eye Khafre’s pyramid appears to be the tallest, but that is because it sits on higher ground than Khufu’s pyramid. The pyramid temple of Khafre can easily be described visually as six parts arranged east to west. The first section is comprised of a vestibule and several chambers that their use and purpose is unknown. The second section is a broad room with a door that leads to two chambers used for unknown cultic rituals. These chambers show the destruction of what were most likely grave robbers. Large holes have been knocked in the walls most likely to remove large monuments from the rooms. The third section is a pillared passage that foresees the halls of the 5th dynasty. The fourth section consists of a wide pillared court which is believed to have been surrounded by statues of Khafre. Five enormous parallel courts comprised the fifth and main section of the temple. The size and configuration of the halls suggest they may have been barques. These barques would have held statues and other valuables for the pharaoh’s journey in the afterlife. The last section is simply numerous store rooms off a main hall with a larger one at the end. Another interesting attribute of the pyramid temple of Khafre is there was once boat access directly up to the pyramid via a canal off the main river. Now that I have given a basic understanding of this structure I will dive further into the parts of Khafre’s temple that I feel are the most interesting and noteworthy. (Temples of ancient Egypt)
Khafre’s pyramid is the most preserved out of the three Egyptian Pyramids of Giza. Khafre’s pyramid is distinguishable in that the veneer or upper limestone casing of the pyramid is still fairly intact. The inside provides a single tomb chamber for Khafre in the center of the pyramid. An entrance in the north side provides access to this tomb which is located on the base level of the pyramid. A reason for the preservation of Khafre’s pyramid is due to the materials used in construction. His pyramid is constructed of thick limestone walls encased in red granite. Red granite was also used in supporting a roof with a clerestory, which allows the walls to rise above the walls of the pyramid and to allow light in to what otherwise would be a dark space. The reason for this design was to illuminate the 23 statues of Khafre placed around the edges of the room. (A world history of architecture)These 23 statues were made of diorite, slate, and alabaster and were later destroyed in the pillared hall. South of the hall were six narrow two level magazines built of pink granite. Magazines in the sense of architecture is defined as a place where military goods such as arms, provisions, and explosives could be kept. On the opposite end of the room is where the entrance to the causeway joined. From this passageway a small room is accessible where guards may have lodged and access to six different levels of the pyramid can be reached. From the roof terrace you can also see where a drainage system was designed to direct water into a cistern. Egyptologists have made many attempts to understand what the different rooms were used for, including the roof terrace. One idea that seems to be accepted is that the terrace was used for purification rituals after the passing of the pharaoh. After the purification ritual it is believed the body would have been taken to the antechamber for embalming. The antechamber can be found in the inverted “T” shaped entrance of the mortuary temple which I will discuss next. (The pyramids: Mystery, Culture, blah)
Khafre’s mortuary temple located on the base level of the pyramid is connected by a causeway, or elevated land mass, that runs at an oblique angle to the river. The temple borders the pyramid off the east wall and is divided by what would have been a wing of the courtyard. The mortuary temple is constructed of limestone and rectangle in size. At one point it was most likely encased in fine materials, but has seen many years of looting and abuse. In the center of the mortuary temple is a courtyard with large pillars, which at the base of twelve are statues of Khafre. (A world history of architecture) These statues stood about 3.75 meters high and are believed to have been statues of Khafre sitting tall looking over his courtyard. This is supported by the discovery of a small statue found in the workers lounge which shows the ruler standing in front of what looks to be a similar pillar with the crown of Upper Egypt on his head. Along its sides of the mortuary temple runs a covered ambulatory of which its roof is constructed of limestone slabs that are supported by pillars of pink granite. The discovery of drainage canals in the center of the courtyard suggests that the altar was located there. The drainage canals support the idea that the purification rituals may have taken place there instead of the terrace because much water was needed for these rituals, but all theories are exactly that. (The pyramids: Mystery, Culture, blah)
Khafre’s temple was once a testament to his power and that of the 4th dynasty. This pyramid along with those of his father and son must have been truly amazing and breathtaking in their time considering they still have that affect today on the people who lay their eyes on one of the great wonders of the world. Unfortunately through the years Khafre’s temple has seen destruction at the hands of many. It is believed that during the First Intermediate Period the destruction began with looters who found their way into the burial chamber. The First Intermediate Period followed the end of the Old Kingdom lasting around a hundred years. This was a dark time where much of the Old Kingdom was lost due to a struggle between two major powers. Destruction of Khafre’s temple also followed from the hands of other pharaoh’s who ordered the removal of materials for the use in their own statues and temples. Historians also show that materials were taken further down the road in the 1300’s for the construction of an Arabian Mosque. (The pyramids: Mystery, Culture, blah) Though much of our knowledge has been lost due to looters and from ones who use it to support their own “greatness,” Egyptologists have been able continue to learn and piece together a better understanding of Egyptian culture through the decryption of hieroglyphs and new discoveries.