The Hawara Pyramid is the intended burial monument of Amenemhat III, a late 12th‑Dynasty king whose reign is often associated with prosperity,
large‑scale agriculture projects in the Faiyum, and major royal building.
Compared to the Old Kingdom pyramids at Giza, Hawara is smaller—but it belongs to a different architectural moment: Middle Kingdom pyramids were often brick cores
with carefully engineered stone interiors and complex security systems.
Hawara is a Middle Kingdom royal pyramid famous for a “maze‑like” interior and the nearby Labyrinth mortuary complex remembered by classical authors.
- Two pyramids: Amenemhat III began a pyramid at Dahshur (the “Black Pyramid”) and later shifted his burial to Hawara.
- Security: long corridors, portcullises, and misleading passages reflect heightened concern about tomb robbery.
- Faiyum focus: royal attention moved toward the Faiyum and its water management, linking monument building with landscape engineering.
Period: Middle Kingdom (12th Dynasty)
Size (approx.): 105 m base, 58 m high
Condition: mound; interior often flooded
“Hawara” is the modern village name. Ancient sources often connect the region with Crocodilopolis (the cult center of Sobek) and the lake/irrigation system of the Faiyum.
Hawara follows a Middle Kingdom pattern: a brick pyramid with a carefully engineered stone interior.
The original casing (fine limestone) is mostly gone, but publications preserve the plan and the remarkable substructure concept.
- Core: mudbrick (rapid construction, but vulnerable once casing is removed).
- Casing: limestone (largely quarried away in later periods).
- Dimensions (approx.): ~105 m base; ~58 m original height; slope ~48°45′.
Why the slope matters:
Hawara’s angle is often described as lower than the earlier Dahshur project—possibly reflecting lessons learned from structural problems at Dahshur.
The entrance is typically described on the south.
Inside, corridors descend, turn, and pass through rooms with portcullis blocks—heavy stone slabs meant to seal access.
Many routes are intentionally confusing (blind corridors, turns, and “false” directions), which is why Hawara is sometimes discussed as a “maze” even before the Labyrinth temple enters the story.
The burial chamber itself was built from large stone elements (including quartzite), forming a strong “box” chamber.
In modern times, groundwater has made the substructure difficult (and often unsafe) to access.
Classical authors describe a huge complex near the pyramid with many halls and corridors. Most scholars connect these descriptions with the mortuary temple area at Hawara—
not a literal underground maze, but an extensive built complex whose scale and repetitive rooms could feel labyrinthine.
While the temple is now largely destroyed, its memory shaped later impressions of Egypt and gave Hawara a special place in the “Seven Wonders”‑adjacent imagination of the ancient Mediterranean world.
Hawara is unusual because it sits at the intersection of pharaonic royal architecture and later Greek/Roman fascination.
What we “know” comes from a mix of (1) excavation reports and (2) classical descriptions that likely refer to the temple complex.
- Herodotus describes a “Labyrinth” with countless rooms and courtyards near the lake region.
- Strabo and Pliny also mention the Labyrinth, reinforcing the idea that it was a famous monument even in their time.
These writers are not “site reports,” but their accounts suggest that a major, complex structure still existed (or was remembered) in the Faiyum long after the Middle Kingdom.
- Plans of the pyramid substructure and temple zone.
- Stone architectural fragments and inscriptions tied to Amenemhat III.
- Nearby cemeteries that produced important papyri and Faiyum mummy portraits (Roman period).
The wider Hawara area is linked to the Roman‑period “Faiyum portraits”—painted panel portraits attached to mummies.
Many are now in major museums. This is not a Middle Kingdom feature of the pyramid itself, but it makes Hawara an important node in Egypt’s long funerary history.
Hawara’s location is part of the point. The Faiyum is a naturally low basin connected to the Nile, shaped by canals and lake‑edge management.
Middle Kingdom kings invested heavily here—so the pyramid is both a tomb and a statement about controlling water, land, and resources.
- Lahun Pyramid (Senusret II) and the workers’ town at Kahun.
- Medinet el‑Fayoum (ancient Crocodilopolis / Shedet), center of the Sobek cult.
- Lake Qarun (often connected in modern discussion with the ancient lake system).
If you’re already making the trip into the Faiyum, Hawara works best as part of a loop:
Lahun → Hawara → desert edge sites (depending on permissions) → back to Cairo.
This turns Hawara from a “single mound” into a story about Middle Kingdom kingship and landscape engineering.
The most rewarding approach is to treat Hawara as an archaeological footprint:
note the pyramid’s scale, the relationship to flat temple ground, and the desert edge.
Photos + a published plan can help you “reconstruct” the complex mentally.
Hawara has been known for centuries, but modern understanding comes largely from 19th‑ and 20th‑century survey and excavation.
Always cross‑check details between classic reports and modern syntheses, because terminology and measurements can vary.
- 19th century: early surveys and documentation (including Lepsius’s expedition era).
- 1880s: Flinders Petrie’s work at Hawara and nearby sites produced major publications and finds.
- 20th–21st century: continued study of the Middle Kingdom pyramid system and the Faiyum landscape; occasional geophysical attempts to understand the Labyrinth area.
One of the most cited works is Petrie’s Hawara, Biahmu, and Arsinoe (1889), which documents the pyramid zone and associated discoveries.
Even when modern interpretations differ, the drawings and data remain essential.
Many important objects and papyri from the region entered museum collections through this era of excavation.
You’ll sometimes see headlines claiming the Labyrinth was “found” or “mapped.”
In reality, the temple area is heavily damaged, and geophysical data can be ambiguous.
The safest approach is to treat the Labyrinth as a well‑attested ancient tradition supported by a temple footprint—
but not as a single intact underground maze waiting to be entered.
Hawara is usually visited as part of a Faiyum day trip (or a broader itinerary).
Facilities can be minimal, and access conditions change—so plan with flexibility.
- From Cairo: typically around 1.5–2.5 hours by car depending on traffic and route.
- Best approach: combine Hawara with Lahun (and other Faiyum highlights) for a more rewarding day.
- Local knowledge: ask on the day about tickets, guards, and photography rules.
- Go early: heat builds quickly, and shade is limited.
- Bring water, sun protection, and offline maps.
- Expect the interior to be closed; focus on the exterior footprint and nearby context.
Unlike the accessible interiors at some Old Kingdom pyramids, Hawara’s substructure is generally not open.
Groundwater and conservation concerns limit entry. The visit is therefore about landscape reading:
visualizing the original pyramid form, imagining the lost limestone casing, and placing the mortuary temple/Labyrinth in its setting.
Tip: take wide‑angle photos from multiple sides, then compare to plans at home—you’ll “see” more in hindsight.
If you want to connect “site” and “object”: look for Faiyum mummy portraits (many museums worldwide) and Middle Kingdom objects linked to Amenemhat III.
Petrie‑era material is often associated with institutions like the Petrie Museum (UCL) and major national collections.
