The White Pyramid ( ar, الهرم الأبيض, al-Haram al'Abyad) of

Amenemhat II Nubkaure Amenemhat II, also known as Amenemhet II, was the third pharaoh of the 12th Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Although he ruled for at least 35 years, his reign is rather obscure, as well as his family relationships. Family Archaeological fi ...

is located in the

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

field at

Dahshur DahshurAlso transliterated ''Dahshour'' (in English often called ''Dashur'' ar, دهشور ' , ''Dahchur'') is a royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile approximately south of Cairo. It is known chiefly for several p ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, and is now nothing more than a pile of

rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionary ...

, having been heavily quarried for stone. The remaining

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

rubble has given rise to its modern name. The pyramid is surrounded by a large rectangular enclosure wall. A number of intact tombs were found inside this enclosure wall belonging to the relatives of Amenemhat II including the tombs of prince

Amenemhatankh Amenemhatankh (his name means “Amenemhat lives”) was an ancient Egyptian prince of the 12th Dynasty, son of Amenemhat II. Attestations Amenhemhatankh is mentioned on a false door which was originally in his tomb but was found reused in the ...

and princesses Ita, Khnumet,

Itaweret Itaweret (''Ita-the elder'') was an Ancient Egyptian king's daughter who lived in the 12th Dynasty around 1850 BC. She is known from her burial next to the pyramid of king Amenemhat II at Dahshur DahshurAlso transliterated ''Dahshour'' (in Engli ...

and Sithathormeret. A wide variety of funerary furniture was recovered from these tombs including wooden coffins, alabaster perfume jars, and

canopic chest Canopic chests are cases used by ancient Egyptians to contain the internal organs removed during the process of mummification. Once canopic jars began to be used in the late Fourth Dynasty, the jars were placed within canopic chests. Although th ...

s. There was also a large quantity of beautiful jewellery in the tombs of Ita and Khnumet. In 1894 and 1895,

Jacques de Morgan Jean-Jacques de Morgan (3 June 1857, Huisseau-sur-Cosson, Loir-et-Cher – 14 June 1924) was a French people, French mining engineer, geologist, and archaeologist. He was the director of antiquities in Khedivate of Egypt, Egypt during the 19th ...

dug in the pyramid complex, concentrating on the surrounding royal graves, with other areas not being explored. A full-scale investigation of the whole complex has yet to be undertaken.

References

Sources

* * * Buildings and structures completed in the 19th century BC Dahshur Pyramids of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt 2nd-millennium BC establishments in Egypt 1894 archaeological discoveries {{AncientEgypt-stub

See also

References

Sources