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Lisht: Temple of Senusret I (12th Dyn.)

Fig.1: Plan of the Temple of  Senusret I at Lisht (British School of Archaeology 1913).

The Temple of Senusret I was built in the early part of the 12th Dynasty just before 1926 BC, about 1 km south of the pyramid of Senusret's father, Amenemhet I. The temple, excavated in 1913 by the British School of Archaeology,  was approached from the east by a causeway, entrance hall, and colonnaded court. Senusret's actual burial, located to the west under the main temple, has not been excavated due to high ground water (Clayton 2006).

In the northeastern part of Senusret's compound, just outside the enclosure walls, are tombs of his retainers. These include a large mastaba tomb for Imhotep, his chief financial officer.  Other burials were identified during excavations in the 1920s by the Metropolitan Museum.

At least nine small pyramids for royal women are located south of the pyramid of Amenemhet I, of which two are shown in this plan. Among those buried in these pyramids are Queen Nefru, wife of Amenemhet I, and their daughters, the Princesses Itekuyet, Nufru-Sobek, Nefru-Ptah, and Nenseddjedet (Clayton 2006).

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