Pyramid of Seila
Western and southern sides of the pyramid of Seila
Owner uncertain, possibly Snefru
Coordinates	29°22′57″N 31°3′13″E / 29.38250°N 31.05361°E / 29.38250; 31.05361
Constructed	Fourth Dynasty ?
Type	Step pyramid
Material	limestone
Height	~6.80 m
Base	~25.00 m
Location within Egypt

The pyramid of Seila is one of a group of seven small step pyramids which are very similar to one another, along with the Edfu South pyramid, the pyramid of Elephantine, the pyramid of El-Kula, the pyramid of Naqada, the pyramid of Saujet el-Meitin, and the pyramid of Sinki. These pyramids were all built far from the major centres of Egypt and very little is known about them. The pyramid is located on an outcrop between the Faiyum Oasis and the Nile Valley, about 6 km north of the motorway from Wasta to Faiyum. Its builder may have been Snefru, the founder of the Fourth Dynasty. It was discovered in 1889/1890 by Flinders Petrie^[1] and revisited in 1898 by Ludwig Borchardt.^[2]

Description

The pyramid is about 25 m long on each side and now stands 6.5-6.8 m tall. It is not oriented exactly to the cardinal directions, but diverges about 12° to the northwest. The reason for this orientation is that, like the pyramids at Elephantine, Naqada, and Saufet el-Meitin, the structure was oriented to be parallel to the course of the Nile, which would have been difficult to accomplish given the great distance of the pyramid from the river. The pyramid originally had four steps and consisted of three layers, which encased an inner core. The building material was local limestone, with a mixture of Nile mud and sand being used for mortar. There does not seem to have been a burial chamber.

Construction and function

In 1987, fragments of an offering table, two stele and the remains of a causeway were found on the east side of the pyramid. One of the steles bore the name Snefru, which may indicate that he was the builder. The purpose of the structure remains unclear. Jean-Philippe Lauer suggested that it might have been the original tomb of the queen Hetepheres I, but this is unlikely given the absence of a burial chamber. Egyptologists generally consider the group of seven step pyramids named above to have been a unified project, but have not reached an agreement on what the purpose of the group was. Different scholars have suggested that they were representations of the primeval mound, symbols of the political and religious unity of Egypt, or monuments commemorating the royal wives.