Ancient site · Giza
Abusir
An Old Kingdom royal necropolis between Giza and Saqqara, with the ruins of four kings' pyramids.
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The story
Abusir is an archaeological complex holding the ruins of four Old Kingdom royal pyramids and forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Memphis and its Necropolis. It lies on the edge of the Western Desert plateau beside the cultivated land, between the Giza pyramids to the north and Saqqara to the south, and its village belongs to the Badrashin district of Giza. With Giza already crowded by Fourth Dynasty monuments, the Fifth Dynasty kings chose Abusir for their own burials. The site also yielded the largest known group of Old Kingdom papyri, the Abusir Papyri.
Good to know
- The name derives from an ancient Egyptian phrase meaning the resting place of Osiris.
- The site produced the largest known collection of Old Kingdom papyri.