Abusir Pyramids

Abusir was the royal cemetery of the Fifth Dynasty, around 2500 BC, and holds fourteen pyramids of which four belong to kings, all built with a rubble-and-mortar core that has weathered far worse than the fine masonry at Giza, so they now read as steep heaps of stone rather than clean geometry. The interest is in what surrounds them: the mortuary temple of Sahure produced some of the finest relief carving of the Old Kingdom, the papyrus archive found at Neferirkare's temple is one of the earliest administrative records anywhere, and the Czech mission that has worked here for decades keeps finding intact material, including the shaft tomb of Iufaa. Nearby stands the sun temple of Nyuserre at Abu Ghurab, part of a building type unique to this dynasty. Visitor numbers are very low.

What you actually see

• Four royal pyramids - Fifth Dynasty cores weathered into rubble mounds.
• Sahure's mortuary temple - Old Kingdom relief carving of the first rank.
• The Abu Ghurab sun temple - an open-air altar unique to this dynasty.
• An empty desert site - almost no other visitors on most days.

When to go

October to April, and mornings for the low light that brings out the reliefs. Access has opened and closed over the years, so confirm the site is admitting visitors before making the trip. Two to three hours.

Honest expectations

The pyramids are heavily ruined and unimpressive next to Giza; come for the temples and the emptiness, not the silhouettes. Access to some structures depends on a guard with a key and a tip. There is no shade, no facilities and no signage. A car and a driver who knows the desert track are effectively required.

Nearby

Saqqara is immediately south; Abu Ghurab is a short walk north across the sand.