The Pyramids of Abusir stand on a low bluff above the west bank of the Nile near the village of that name, roughly half way between the Pyramids of Giza and the Step Pyramid of Djoser near Saqqara. They were erected by three kings of the fifth Dynasty - Sahure (2455-2443), Neferirkare (2443-2423) and Niuserre (2416-2392). The first ruler of the
fourth Dynasty and the kings of the sixth Dynasty built their funerary monuments farther S, around Saqqara. The Abusir Pyramids, originally 14 in number, were first excavated in 1901-08 by the German Oriental Society under the direction of Ludwig Borchardt. Further investigations were carried out in 1955-57.
The solar cult reached its climax under the Fifth Dynasty. The rulers of this dynasty no longer saw themselves merely as the sons of their deified predecessor but as sons of their divine father Re, the Sun which gave life and light to the world. The mortuary temples now became temples of the sun which were the king's home after his death. The mortuary temples of Abusir are similar to those of earlier rulers: the only new feature is the extraordinary profusion of relief decoration. This has unfortunately been decimated by stone robbery; and most of the reliefs still surviving when the monuments were excavated were removed and are now in museums, mostly in Europe. These magnificent reliefs depict everyday events and special occasions in the life of the king: scenes of religious ritual are relatively rare. Built of soft limestone, often with no great care, the Pyramids and temples of Abusir have suffered much damage in the course of the centuries.
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