There is probably not a single person in this world that does not know about the Great Pyramid of Giza, as the most famous one of them all. However, most of the general population is not aware of the existence of the so-called “Unfinished Pyramid”, located just 5 miles away from the Great Pyramid, in a southwestern direction. There lie the remains of another smaller pyramid, which according to its basis indicates that it should have been a stepped pyramid with five to seven stepped levels.
The “Unfinished Pyramid” has several names, depending on who and how interprets its origin and purpose, so it is also called “Baka’s Pyramid” (Baka, Prince of Ancient Egypt), “Bikheris’ Pyramid” (Bikheris, Hellenized version of the name of ancient Egyptian Pharaoh from the 4th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom), and the most common name being the “Northern Pyramid”, as well as the “Unfinished Northern Pyramid of Zawyet El Aryan” (by the name of the city).
It is estimated to date from the period 2613-2494 BC (4th Dynasty, Old Kingdom period). In terms of its history and purpose, opinions are strongly divided. Egyptologists claim that it was never built to its fullest and should have been a tomb, so they force the name “The Unfinished Pyramid” accordingly, while independent researchers and a part of popular science think the pyramid was deliberately destroyed and accordingly forced just the name “Northern Pyramid” (suggesting its former integrity and significance).
The first official introduction to the Unfinished Pyramid was made by German Egyptologist Carl Richard Lepsius between 1842-1846, which did not produce many results. A deeper study was later conducted by the Italian archaeologist Alessandro Barsanti between 1904 and 1905 and continued between 1911 and 1912. He passed away in 1917.
The base of the Unfinished Pyramid is 200m x 200m (by comparison, the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza is 230m x 230m), which would make it one of the largest pyramids in the world. However, the greatest curiosity of this pyramid is the oval tub. Egyptologists refer to it as a sarcophagus, although it is never mentioned in the Barsanti’s official report in this context, but only as “une cuve ovale” (oval tub, in french). It is 2 meters long and 1 meter deep, made of pink granite and polished to have a mirror-like shine.
In 1954, with the permission of the Egyptian authorities, the Unfinished Pyramid was set to shoot the Hollywood film “Land of the Pharaohs,” and the film was released in 1955 by Howard Hawks. The stars of the film were Jack Hawkins as “Pharaoh Khufu”, and the famous Joan Collins as “Princess Nellifer” (to broader audience known for the role of Alexis Carrington in the series “Dynasty” from the eighties). When that site became known to almost the entire world, and when new explorations were expected, something the world did not expect happened. From the ’60s a kind of “closure” of the facility began, and in 1964 the whole complex became a completely “militarized zone” without any access, not only to the public, but also to scientists, researchers, archeologists, Egyptologists… Since then, all kinds of exploration have been banned, and the complex itself is deliberately filled with rubbish, while the nearby “Necropolis” (belonging to the complex) is filled with military installations (tents, bungalows, equipment, warehouses, etc.).
To Egyptologists, this decision was very strange, because Egypt generally likes to popularize and promote its ancient culture and its ancient heritage, becoming big part of their national identity, so this kind of vetoing any further exploration of the Unfinished Pyramid (surprising to them at least) only pushed the wind in the back to the creation of a new generation of Egyptologists who are re-examining everything we know about the Egyptian pyramids and looking at it with some “new eyes” without paying too much attention to the so-called “scientific dogmas”. The reasons for the closure of this complex remain unknown, with only questions remaining… Like those about ancient but advanced technology.
Yet, the Unfinished Pyramid, as its name suggests, remains a mystery after so many years.
The Unfinished Pyramid is located in the city of Zawyet El Aryan in Egypt (between Giza and Abusir), and is only 5 miles away from the Great Pyramid of Giza. The city belongs to the Giza area, and even the Unfinished Pyramid itself belongs to the pyramidal complex of Giza Plateau. Once an important part of many Egyptian dynasties, it is nowadays completely truncated and forgotten. No explorations and excavations have been carried out at the site for a long time, as the pyramid is within the militarized zone and is under military jurisdiction.
Photo credit: “Une cuve ovale” (1905) / Monnier Franck / Wikimedia Commons / CC-PD-Mark
Note: The article had its first press release on 7th August 2019.
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