Sector of the Pyramid of Unas
Unas was the last king of the 5th dynasty and choose
to build his pyramid near the southwest corner of Djoser's complex. A departure
from the 5th dynasty necropolis at Abu Sir. It is here that we find the oldest
religious text in the the world. It is also the first time the pyramid text
appear, although evidence suggest that they date to the beginning of Pharaonic
Egypt c. 3200 BCE. It is the smallest pyramid from the old kingdom, but the
finest in terms of bas relief's. Unas ruled Egypt for ~32 years. There is
an inscription on the north face of the pyramid by Khaemwaset, son of Ramses
II and High Priest at Memphis, referring to his restoration work. Thus causing
the name of Unas to live again. On the south side of the causeway ramp, at
the first bend there are two boat pits lined with limestone. The causeway
terminates near the ticket entrance of the Saqqara necropolis and the recently
reconstructed Valley Temple. There are several very beautiful 5th and 6th
dynasty mastabas in the immediate vicinity of the the Pyramid. The most famous
is the double mastabas of Nian-Khum and Khum-Hotep ('the twins') and the tomb
of Irukaptah ('the butchers tomb').