ABSTRACT
This is the most complete temple of the period between the Old Kingdom and the great temples of the XVIIIth dynasty. It is the mortuary temple of two kings, Mentuhetep II who began the building, and Mentuhetep III who completed it. The plan is unique, for it consists of a pyramidal structure in the centre, standing on a platform cut out of the cliff and surrounded by colonnades. The pyramid, of which little remains, was only sixty feet square at the base; it was a purely architectural feature, and was not intended for use, the burial-chamber of the king for whom it was built being entered from the outer court and lying in the cliff behind the pyramid (pl. XXIX, 2).
