ABU SIR

also spelled Abusir, ancient site between Al-Jizah (Giza) and Saqqarah, northern Egypt, where several 5th-dynasty (c. 2465-c. 2325 BC) kings built their pyramids. The pyramids were poorly constructed (in comparison with Egyptian monuments of similar types) and are now in a state of disrepair. The adjoining mortuary temples are notable for their elaborate sculptured wall reliefs and columns in the forms of palm, lotus, and papyrus plants. Near their pyramids a number of the kings, including Userkaf and Neuserre, built sanctuaries with obelisks dedicated to Re, the sun god. In 1979 Abu Sir and other sites in the area-Dahshur, Saqqarah, Abu Ruwaysh, Memphis, and the Pyramids of Giza-were collectively inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Numerous excavations in the area have yielded disturbed (usually plundered) remains, but in 1998 a team of archaeologists from Charles University, Czech Republic, uncovered the intact sarcophagus of Iufaa, a priest and palace administrator who lived about 525 BC. Additional reading Zahi Hawass, "Abusir Tomb," National Geographic, 194(5):102-113 (November 1998).