GIZA /
Mortuary Complex of Khafre
Khafre's mortuary temple was larger and more elaborated than earlier pyramid temples. Unfortunately there is little to find here now, most of the granite in the interior and much of the carrying structures have been robbed since long. I have seen photos taken from up the pyramid; from here you see how it was, but nobody is allowed to climb the pyramids. The most notable element of the temple was the extensive use of statues of Khafre himself. There were 52 life size or larger statues, but nothing has been found in modern times. Most of the statues were removed and reused by later kings, perhaps mainly by Ramses 2. There were as many as 5 boat-pits on the two sides of the temple. This has survived better than the mortuary temple, and some of the roofing slabs are still in place. The mortuary temple is connected to the valley temple by a causeway. The causeway is bent slightly south, and almost 500 metres long. The valley temple is in unusually good condition, and tells us a lot about what the mortuary temple must have looked like. But it is dramatically simple in its lay-out. With my last visit I stopped and watched tourists, and noted that people either quickly glanced at the simple columns, others just passed quickly through.
Inside the valley temple belonging to the pyramid complex of Khafre.