Valley Temple of Khafre
The Valley Temple of Khafre is a part of the Pyramids of Giza Complex. A very popular destination for tourists visiting Egypt, the Valley Temple of Khafre is a great mark of ancient Egyptian civilization and living proof of how important was the fourth dynasty in the history of Egypt and civilization itself. The Valley Temple of Khafre at Giza complex is remarkably one of the best preserved temples or structure from the Old Kingdom in Egypt, particularly the Fourth Dynasty. After being buried by desert sand, it was cleared of sand in the nineteenth century. Such an absolute wonder of engineering it is, and a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian monumental architecture as well. Its distinctive architectural style identifies it as being among the oldest stone buildings in Egypt, if not the world.
Where is the Valley Temple of Khafre Located?
It’s located to the East of Chefren's pyramid in the Pyramids of Giza Complex, closer to the Nile and the famous great Sphinx temple.
The Valley Temple of Khafre is part of a legendary land where once the biggest Kings and Pharaohs of Egypt chose to build their burial temples.Many remains have been found in the Valley Temple that mentions the names of Hathor and Bubastis, and also Khafre. Statues of Khafre were discovered in the temple in the 1860s.
Who built the Valley Temple of Khafre?
Valley Temple of Khafre Giza is attributed to King Khafre, one of the kings of the 4th Dynasty.
Temple Design
The mortuary temple of Khafre was made in an organized way and it was comprised of an entrance hall, an open courtyard with some large pillars, five niches off the second chamber of the temple where probably the statues of the Pharaoh were placed, five storerooms behind these five niches and finally an innermost sanctuary that contained a pair of stelae or upright rocks with written inscriptions on them and a false door through which the dead Pharaoh was believed to enter from the burial chamber to collect the offerings given to him. The front side of this temple was made of large limestone blocks, which were covered by a layer of finer limestone. The roofs of the entrance hall and the second rectangular hall were supported by thick and sturdy pillars. There were supposedly 12 statues of Khafre in the courtyard, some of whom might be seized by the kings of the later dynasties. Five boat pits are found before this mortuary temple, dug out of the rock-base, which contained the boats that brought the mortal remains of the Pharaoh to preserve as a mummy in the pyramid.
