The Valley Temple of King Khafre is a part of the Giza Pyramids Complex. The Valley of Chephren is considered one of the most famous attractions of Cairo for tourists to visit, the Valley Temple is a wonderful landmark indicating the greatness of ancient Egyptians, and it’s also a strong permanent evidence of the power and strength of the fourth dynasty, it shows how important was the fourth dynasty in the ancient Egyptian history and civilization. The Valley Temple of King Chephren at Giza Plateau is particularly one of the best-preserved temples or structures from the old kingdom of Egypt, particularly the fourth dynasty.

The temple has been buried under the desert sand until it was cleared of sand in the nineteenth century. The Valley Temple is a stunning wonder of engineering, and a brilliant indication of the never-repeated great ancient Egyptian architecture as well. The temple has a distinctive architectural style which makes it among the oldest stone structures in Egypt, if not the world.

Where is the Valley Temple of Khafre Located?

The Valley Temple of Chephren is in Giza, Egypt about 30 minutes from Downtown Cairo City. The Temple is situated east of Chephren’s pyramid of Giza Complex, closer to the well-known great Sphinx.

The Valley Temple in Giza

Who built the Valley Temple?

King Chephren or King Khafre – one of the Kings of the fourth dynasty- built the Valley Temple of Giza. The Valley Temple was built on a legendary land where the greatest kings and pharaohs of ancient Egypt chose to build their burial temples. The Valley Temple included icons related to kings, as many remains have been found inside it, which mention the names of Hathor, Bubastis, and Khafre. In the 1860s, statues of King Khafre were discovered in the Valley Temple.

King Chephren or King Khafre

The Valley Temple Design

The mortuary temple of Chephren was made in an organized and creative way to indicate the greatness and creativity of ancient Egyptians. The temple was comprised of an entrance hall, an open courtyard with some Large pillars, and five sanctuaries off the second chamber of the temple where probably the statues of the king were placed, every sanctuary of them had a storeroom behind it.

The interior sanctuary which contained a pair of stelae or upright rocks with written engraving on them, and a fake door through which the dead pharaoh was believed to pass from the burial chamber to this sanctuary to take the offerings given to him. Beyond a narrow antechamber, there is a T- shaped hall with enormous architraves supported by strong square pillars, in front of which diorite statues of Khafre are placed.

The temple’s front side was made of huge limestone blocks, covered by a layer of finer limestone and pink granite. The roofs of the entrance hall and the second rectangular hall were well-supported by thick and strapping pillars. In the courtyard, there were about 12 statues of King Khafre, some of them might have been taken over by the following kings of later dynasties.

Five boat trenches were found ahead of this mortuary temple, dug out of the rock base, which was dug out to contain the boats that brought the mortal remains of the king to be preserved as a mummy, and still preserved until now to show us how the ancient Egyptians were great, creative, and strong people.

Architectural Design of the Valley Temple

History of the Valley Temple of King Khafre

It’s a part of a funerary complex including a mortuary temple next to the pyramid on the east side and a covered causeway ending in the Valley Temple. The aim of these Valley Temples has been a point of discussion as they could have been used for the mummification process or what was known as the ” opening of the mouth” a protocol, when the “ka” entered the dead person’s body.

The Valley Temple of King Khafre was still buried under the desert sand until it was discovered by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette in 1852, which interprets its rational state of preservation. It was built of limestone and covered with polished Aswan Pink granite, roofed with granite blocks that were supplied with 16 columns, the temple was steered towards the east and opened onto a quay. There were twenty-three statues of King Khafre, which we still see the places of their bases on the floor of the temple. The first time the Valley Temple appeared was during the reign of Pharaoh Snefru, it was built where the desert confronted the green land, and water canals were built for it.

To complete some religious and spiritual ceremonials, the temple also could climb mountains and get above them. Archaeologists discovered other temples next to the Valley Temple, which was built next to the Sphinx, these temples were built for kings Menkaure, Sahure, (Niuserre), Unas, Pepi II, Senusret II, and Amenemhat III.

Temples that have the same design as the Valley Temple were built during the Middle Kingdom, related to the cemeteries in Thebes and Aswan City. In the time of the modern Egyptian state, the Valley Temple ceremonies moved to the Karnak temples. It’s thought that the Nile or the incision of canals was for it, statues of gods and Pharaoh were constructed in front of it, rituals were held in it with the arrival of parades of other gods.

Some archaeologists think the mummification process of the King’s body was taking place in these temples. It was constructed to perform the burial rituals for the dead king, such as purification of the body, mummification, and recitation of funeral prayers. After finishing the embalming or mummification and on the funeral day, the ritual of opening the mouth was also performed. This magical ritual was performed to help the dead king wake up again and enjoy the offerings in the other life he was about to start, which is more important than his first life on earth.

The Valley Temple of King Khafre was considered the place where the Pharaoh’s body was mummified and his mummy was prepared, and after that, it was transported in a large procession to the Mortuary Temple which is directly next to the pyramid. The Valley Temple was built to serve two functions: First, it was used for the purification of the mummy of the king before its burial.

Second, it was used for the aim of making the mummification process of the king. Except the roof, the Valley Temple is the most complete construction of the King’s funerary group.

The History of King Chephren’s Valley Temple