Most Prominent Ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom Locations & Artifacts. (That are open to the public and easily accessible)

1. The Great Pyramids of Giza (Giza Plateau, Egypt) (Seen)

Built in the 4th Dynasty of Egypt, the big one was built by Khufu, the middle one was built by Khafre and smaller one was built by Menkaure. They used to be encased with smooth polished limestone and had golden peaks but all of that is gone now. the middle one still has some of the smooth limestone on its top. There are also small satellite pyramids next to them for the wives and mothers of the kings. Also the location where they found the buried ships and the mortuary temples. Don't forget to explore the inside of them as well when you are there.

2. The Great Sphinx of Giza and its Valley Temple (Giza Plateau, Egypt) (Seen)

Widely believed to be built by the same king who built the middle pyramid, Khafre. Most historians believe that's his face on the sphinx.

3. Step Pyramid of Djoser (Saqqara Necropolis, Egypt)

Built by Djoser, the first king of the 3rd Dynasty, he is the one who started the pyramid building era, The step pyramid is the earliest pyramid in Egypt. Before that, kings used mastabas. It was built by his vizier Imhotep, who thought it would be a good idea to build mastabas on top of each other thus making the first pyramid. There are also some smaller satellite pyramids here. Fully accessible interiors.

4. The Red Pyramid (Dahshur Necropolis, Egypt)

Built by Sneferu, the first king of the 4th Dynasty. It was the first pyramid with smooth sides and not a step pyramid. It is actually taller and bigger than Menkaure's pyramid. The Red Pyramid is 105 meters (344 feet) tall, while the Pyramid of Menkaure is 65 meters (213 feet) tall. Fully accessible interiors as well.

5. The Bent Pyramid (Dahshur Necropolis, Egypt)

Also built by Sneferu, It was an early prototype for later pyramids. Its sides are not uniform like later ones. There is also a valley temple here. Enterable as well.

6. Meidum Pyramid (Beni Suef, Egypt)

Built by Huni, the last king of the 3rd Dynasty and completed by his successor Sneferu again the first king of the 4th Dynasty. It is unique in that it was smooth like the red pyramid but there was some defect which led to it falling revealing the interior as seen in the picture. Also enterable and fully explorable. There are several mastabas near it as well like Nefermaat's Mastaba who was Sneferu's son.

7. Pyramid of Unas (Saqqara Necropolis, Egypt)

Unas was the final king of the 5th Dynasty. His pyramid is the smallest old kingdom pyramid and the first pyramid texts ever were discovered there. Accessible interiors.

8. Pyramid of Teti (Saqqara Necropolis, Egypt)

Teti was the the founder of the 6th Dynasty. His pyramid interior is accessible.

9. Giza Plateau Eastern Cemetery (Giza Plateau, Egypt)

Contains dozens of tombs for important officials and royal family members.

10. Giza Plateau Western Cemetery (Giza Plateau, Egypt)

Same with the eastern cemetery, contains hundreds of tombs most notably Hemiunu, the architect of the great pyramid and Seneb the dwarf.

11. Mastaba of Ti (Saqqara Necropolis, Egypt)

Ti was a royal architect during the 5th Dynasty who designed some sun temples for various kings.

12. Various Tombs in Saqqara (Saqqara Necropolis, Egypt)

There are a lot of tombs scattered around the Saqqara complex with fully explorable interiors, Including tomb of Kagemni, Tomb of Mehu, Tomb of Mereuka, Irukapta, Ankhmahor, Nikauisesi, Seshseshet Idut and many others. And some small mastabas as well.

13. Khufu's Solar Boats (Grand Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

The Khufu ship is an intact full-size solar barque from ancient Egypt. It was sealed into a pit alongside the Great Pyramid of pharaoh Khufu around 2500 BC, during the 4th Dynasty of the ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom. It was part of the extensive grave goods intended for use in the afterlife. It is 43.4 metres (142 ft) long, 5.9 metres (19 ft) wide, and 1.78 meters (5.83 ft) deep, and is the world's oldest intact ship. It has been described as "a masterpiece of woodcraft" that could sail today if put into a lake or a river.

14. Statue of King Djoser (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

Djoser is the first 3rd Dynasty king who also built the step pyramid, the very first pyramid. This is the only statue of him that exists. Original exists in the Egyptian Museum while a model of it is found outside his step pyramid. It is the oldest life sized royal statue.

Gallery number: 46 - Ground Floor

15. Rahotep and Nofret Statues (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

A close up of Rahotep's face and eyes.

Rahotep was the son of king Sneferu which makes him a brother or a half brother of Khufu the 4th Dynasty king who built the great pyramid, Nofret is his wife.

Gallery number: 32 - Ground Floor

16. Statue of Khafre Enthroned (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

Khafre was the 4th Dynasty king who built the middle pyramid as well as the sphinx. Made of anorthosite gneiss, a valuable, extremely hard, and dark stone, it was brought 1,000 km (620 mi) down the Nile River from the "Khafre quarries" west of Gebel el-Asr. The statue was carved for the Pharaoh's valley temple near the Great Sphinx, a part of the necropilis used in funeral rituals.

Gallery number: 42 - Ground Floor

17. Scribe statue CG 36 (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

Scribes held one of the most prestigious, coveted, and essential jobs in ancient Egypt. As the backbone of the state's bureaucracy, these literate individuals managed taxes, tracked grain, handled legal documents, and preserved historical and religious knowledge in a society where less than 1% of the population could read. This is one of the many scribe statues found with colors intact.

Gallery number: 42 - Ground Floor

18. Statue of Ka-aper (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

A close up of the details of his face and eyes.

Ka’aper, was a scribe and priest who lived between the late 4th Dynasty and early 5th Dynasty.

Gallery number: 42 - Ground Floor

19. Statuette of Khufu (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

Khufu the great pyramid builder. This is the only statue/statuette of him.

Gallery number: 37 - Ground Floor

20. Triads of Menkaure (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

These show Menkaure the builder of the smallest pyramid in the Giza plateau with the goddess Hathor and various local deities, there are 3 of them inside Egypt and 1 outside.

Gallery number: 47 - Ground Floor

21. Head of Userkaf (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

Userkaf was a king of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Fifth Dynasty. He reigned for seven to eight years in the early 25th century BC, during the Old Kingdom period.

Gallery number: 46 - Ground Floor

22. Statue of Seneb and his Family (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

Seneb was a high-ranking and wealthy court official in the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, He was also a dwarf. This group statue of Seneb and his family was found in a naos in his mastaba tomb in Giza. Seneb is represented seated, with his legs crossed, beside his wife who embraces him affectionately. His wife is of normal height. For the sake of the symmetry of the composition, the sculptor carves the couple’s two children where Seneb’s legs would have been, had he been of the same height as his wife. The children are represented naked, with their index fingers in their mouths–the standard manner in which children were typically depicted in art. The boy is seen on the viewer’s left, wearing a sidelock of youth and depicted in a darker skin than his sister’s, who stands on his left. The sidelock of youth was typically worn by male children and was cut off at puberty. The inscriptions on the base and the front of the seat tell us that Seneb was the funerary priest of the deceased kings Khufu and Djedefre, and in charge of the royal wardrobe.

Seneb’s tomb is very interesting, for it has the first ceiling dome over a square chamber.

Gallery number: 32 - Ground Floor

23. Grave goods of Queen Hetepheres (Egyptian Museum & Grand Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

Hetepheres I was a wife of one of the kings of the 4th Dynasty most likely Sneferu that also makes her the mother of Khufu. The following stuff were found in her tomb: sedan chair, Armchair, Casket with bracelets, Canopy holder and a bed.

Gallery number: 37 - Ground Floor

24. Statues of Ptahhotep (Imhotep Museum, Egypt)

Ptahhotep was a vizier during the reign of Djedkare Isesi in Egypt’s 5th Dynasty. He is best known as the author of The Maxims of Ptahhotep, one of the earliest works of Egyptian wisdom literature, intended to instruct young men in proper conduct and ethical behavior.

25. Serdab Statue of Ti (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

Ti was a mighty official during the 5th Dynasty, and he held the title “Overseer of the Pyramids of Niuserre” and “Overseer of the Sun temples of Sahure, Neferikare and Niuserre, as well as controller of the farms and stock that belonged to the royal family. This statue was found in his mastaba at Saqqara the real one is at the museum while a replica is at his tomb.

Gallery number: 42 or 47 - Ground Floor

26. Copper Statues of Pepi I (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

Pepi I Meryre was third king of the 6th Dynasty, who ruled for over 40 years at the turn of the 24th and 23rd centuries BC, toward the end of the Old Kingdom. He was the son of Teti, the founder of the Dynasty. Found around his pyramid at the Saqqara necropolis. The smaller copper statue representing Merenre his son or a young Pepi I.

Gallery number: 32 - Ground Floor

27. Meidum Geese (Egyptian Museum, Egypt)

The full scene depicts six geese; three pointing to the left and three pointing to the right. Each group of three geese consists of one goose shown with head bowed down, eating, and two geese with heads held up. Each group of three animals represents many geese, as three represents the plural in Egyptian imagery. It was found in Nefermaat's tomb near the Meidum pyramid who was the eldest son of Sneferu.

Gallery number: 32 - Ground Floor

28. Statue of Irukakhufu as a scribe (Cairo International Airport Museum, Terminal 3, Egypt)

Irukakhufu was an Old Kingdom man who held many titles including, “Royal Acquaintance“, “(Royal) Wab-Priest” and “Overseer of the Pyramid-town of Khufu“. Discovered within the serdab of tomb at the Western Cemetery in Giza, known as Lepsius 21.

29. Statue of the Scribe Mitri (Grand Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

A close up of the eyes and his face.

The statue depicts Metri, an overseer of the scribes during the 6th Dynasty, sitting in the traditional pose of scribes with his legs crossed. He spreads a roll of papyrus on his lap and holds it with his left hand. In his right hand he holds a pen. It was found in his tomb at the Saqqara necropolis.

30. Narmer Palette (Egyptian Museum, Egypt) (Seen)

Actually predates the old kingdom but too important to pass on. The Narmer Palette, also known as the Great Hierakonpolis Palette or the Palette of Narmer, is a significant Egyptian archaeological find, dating from about the 31st century BC. It contains some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found. The tablet is thought by some to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the king Narmer the first king of a unified Egypt.

31. Limestone statue of Sneferu (Grand Egyptian Museum, Egypt)

Sneferu was the first king of the 4th Dynasty he was the one who built the Red and Bent pyramids and probably the Meidum pyramid as well. This statue of him was found in the valley of the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur.

32. Khafre Alabaster Statue (Egyptian Museum, Egypt)

Another statue of Khafre. It was found in his valley temple in Giza near his Pyramid.

33. Alabaster Statue of King Menkaure (Grand Egyptian Museum, Egypt)

Another statue of Menkaure but this time in Alabaster and without his arms. It was found in the valley temple of his necropolis in Giza near his Pyramid.

34. Statue of King Teti (Egyptian Museum, Egypt)

The statue of King Teti was originally represented standing with his left leg forward. The legs are now broken and missing. There are no inscriptions on the statue, but it almost certainly belongs to King Teti of the 6th Dynasty because it was found in the funerary temple of that king at Saqqara.

35. Slate statue of Neferkhau Neferefre (Egyptian Museum, Egypt)

Slate statue of Neferkhau Neferefre wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt. Originally from the pyramid complex and funerary temple of Neferefre at Abusir.

36. Statuette of Neferefre (Egyptian Museum, Egypt)

Neferefre Isi was an ancient Egyptian king of the 5th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom period. He was most likely the eldest son of king Neferirkare Kakai. It was found in his pyramid temple in Abusir.

37. Statue of Kai and his Children (Egyptian Museum, Egypt)

Painted limestone. From Western Cemetery of the Giza Necropolis. Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty, ca. 2494-2345 BC. There are a lot of family group statues from the old period like this one.

38. Diary of Merer (Egyptian Museum, Egypt)

The Diary of Merer is the name for papyrus logbooks written over 4,500 years ago by Merer, a middle-ranking official with the title inspector (shd, sehedj). They are the oldest known papyri with text, dating to the 26th year of the reign of Pharaoh Khufu (reigned in the early 26th century BC) during the 4th Dynasty. The text, written with cursive hieroglyphics or old heiratic, mostly consists of lists of the daily activities of Merer and his crew. The best preserved sections document the transportation of white limestone blocks from the Turra quarries to Giza by boat.

39. Possible Mummy Head of King Merenre (Imhotep Museum, Egypt)

Mummified head found in the burial chamber of the pyramid of Merenre, and most likely belongs to the Merenre himself. Merenre Nemtyemsaf (meaning 'Beloved of Ra, Nemty is his protection') was an Ancient Egyptian king and the fourth king of the 6th Dynasty. He ruled Egypt for six to eleven years in the early 23rd century BC, toward the end of the Old Kingdom. He was the son of Pepi I.

40. Statue of Menkauhor wearing the dress of the Sed festival (Egyptian Museum, Egypt)

Menkauhor Kaiu was an Ancient Egyptian kind of the Old Kingdom. He was the seventh ruler of the 5th Dynasty at the end of the 25th Century BC or early in the 24th Century BC (c. 2399–2390 BC). Menkauhor ruled for eight or more likely nine years.

41. Old Kingdom Reserve Heads (Egyptian Museum, Egypt)

Reserve heads are distinctive sculptures made primarily of fine limestone that have been found in a number of non-royal tombs of the 4th Dynasty; primarily from the reigns of pyramid-building pharaohs Khufu to Khafre, circa 2551–2496 B.C. While each of the heads share characteristics in common with each other, the striking individuality of the pieces makes them some of the earliest examples of portrait sculpture in existence. Their purpose is not entirely clear; the prevalent theory is that the head was to serve as an alternate home for the spirit of the dead owner should anything happen to its body.

Gallery number: 31 - Ground Floor

42. Everyday Items and other Funerary Relics

A lot of less important Old Kingdom relics and monuments like false doors, eating utensils, figurines, sacrophagi, kohl jars, mirrors, Ushabtis, pottery, scarabs, stone vessels, jewelry and models exist all over the museums in Egypt.

Old Egyptian Museum at Tahrir: Old Kingdom Gallery numbers are 31, 32, 36, 37, 41, 42, 46, 47 and 51 in the ground floor.

Grand Egyptian Museum: Halls 01-03.

43. Palermo Stone (Antonino Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum, Palermo)

The Palermo Stone is one of seven surviving fragments of a stele known as the Royal Annals of the Old Kingdom of Ancient Kingdom. The stele contained a list of the kings of Egypt from the 1st Dynasty (c. 3150–2890 BCE) through to the early part of the 5th Dynasty (c. 2498–2345 BCE) and noted significant events in each year of their reigns. It was probably made during the Fifth Dynasty. First of many artifacts outside of Egypt.

44. King Menkaure and his Queen (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

The two figures stand side-by-side on a simple, squared base and are supported by a shared back pillar. They both face to the front, although Menkaure’s head is noticeably turned to his right—this image was likely originally positioned within an architectural niche, making it appear as though they were emerging from the structure. The broad-shouldered, youthful body of the king is covered only with a traditional short pleated kilt, known as a shendjet, and his head sports the primary pharaonic insignia of the iconic striped nemes headdress and an artificial royal beard.

45. The Seated Scribe (Louvre Museum of Arts, Paris)

A close up of his eyes.

The sculpture of the Seated Scribe is a famous work of ancient Egyptian art. It represents a figure of a seated scribe at work. The sculpture was discovered at Saqqara, north of the alley of sphinxes leading to the Serapeum of Saqqara, in 1850, and dated to the period of the Old Kingdom, from either the 5th Dynasty, c. 2450–2325 BCE or the 4th Dynasty, 2620–2500 BCE

46. Triad of Menkaure (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

The only complete Menkaure triad outside Egypt (One of four originally found). This is the only one where Hathor the goddess is in the middle and not Menkaure.

47. Statue of Hemiunu (Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum, Hildesheim)

Hemiunu, was an ancient Egyptian prince who is believed to have been the architect of the Great pyramid of Giza. As vizier, succeeding his father, Nefermaat, and his uncle, Kanefer, and the pharaoh's chosen seal-bearer, Hemiunu occupied a position of power second only to the monarch himself, overseeing all royal works by Khufu's decree. His tomb lies in the Giza West Field, adjacent to the Great Pyramid itself.

48. Bust of Prince Ankhhaf (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

Ankhhaf was an Egyptian prince and served as an overseer during the reign of the Pharaoh Khufu, who is thought to have been Ankhhaf's half-brother. One of Ankhaf's titles is also as a vizier, but it is unknown under which pharaoh he would have held this title. He lived during Egypt's 4th Dynasty. He is also mentioned in "Diary of Merer" papyrus which is the oldest proof/records we have of building the great pyramid of Khufu.

49. King Sahure Accompanied by a Divine Figure (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City)

This is the only preserved three-dimensional representation that has been identified as Sahure, the second ruler of Dynasty 5. Seated on a throne, the king is accompanied by a smaller male figure personifying the local god of the Coptite nome, the fifth nome (province) of Upper Egypt.

50. Seated statue of Khent with her son Rudju (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)

Khent was the wife of a high official in whose tomb the statue depicting her with one of her children was found. Her son Rudju is shown nude (typical for representations of children); his head is shaved except for a youth lock, and he raises one finger to his mouth.

51. Pink granite head possibly depicting Huni (Brooklyn Museum, New York)

Huni was an ancient Egyptian king, the last pharaoh of the Third Dynasty during the Old Kingdom period.

52. Djedefre Sphinx Head (Louvre Museum of Arts, Paris)

Djedefre was an ancient Egyptian king of the 4th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. Djedefre was the son and immediate throne successor of Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza. He is the king who introduced the royal title Sa-Rê (meaning “Son of Ra”) and the first to connect his cartouche name with the sun god Ra.

53. Kneeling Statuette of Pepi I (Brooklyn Museum, New York)

Another Statue of Pepi I kneeling.

54. Double statue portraying Nyuserre as both a young man and an old man (Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst, Munich)

Nyuserre Iniwas an Ancient Egyptian king, the sixth ruler of the 5th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom period. He is credited with a reign of 24 to 36 years depending on the scholar, and likely lived in the second half of the 25th century BCE. Nyuserre was the most prolific builder of his dynasty, having built three pyramids for himself and his queens and completed a further three for his father, mother and brother, all in the necropolis of Abusir.

55. Head of a small royal statue of Pepi II (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City)

Pepi II Neferkare (2284 BC – after 2247 BC, probably either c. 2216 or c. 2184 BC) was a king of the 6th Dynasty in Egypt's Old Kingdom.

56. Statue head believed to depict either Shepseskaf or Menkaure (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

Shepseskaf (meaning "His Ka is noble") was a king of ancient Egypt, the sixth and probably last ruler of the 4th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom. He reigned most probably for four but possibly up to seven years in the late 26th to mid-25th century BC.

57. Head of King Userkaf (Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio)

Another head of king Userkaf.

58. Painted limestone seated statue of the Administrator Kai (Louvre Museum of Arts, Paris)

A close up of his face.

The statue dates from around 2500-2365 B.C., placing it between the 4th-5th Dynasties, and it is of the typical style of the period, with the simplistic splendour that the Old Kingdom is famous for. The eyes are inlaid with glass, the liner is green, the pigment of the reddish brown skin of Kai remains upon the limestone, his wig is perfectly in place. It was discovered in November of 1850, at the Memphite Necropolis.

Old Kingdom Dynasties Family Tree:

Map of All the Pyramid Necropolises of the Old Kingdom:

Useful links:

Old Egyptian Museum Interactive Map

Grand Egyptian Museuem Map

Other Notable Areas:

Abusir Necropolis - Very hard to reach and getting entry, most of the pyramids there are in ruins and the guards there won't let you enter them, mostly 5th Dynasty pyramids and tombs. (Includes Pyramids of Sahure, Shepseskare, Niuserre, Neferirkare, Neferefre and some other smaller satellite pyramids as well as some mastabas.)

Southern Saqqara Necropolis - Somewhat easier to reach and access than Abusir, Pyramids there are still in ruins and look like mounds and the guards won't let you enter them, Mostly 5th and 6th Dynasty pyramids and tombs. (Includes pyramids of Pepi I, Pepi II, Djedkare Isesi , Merenre and the mastaba of Shepseskaf.)

Other Minor Pyramids at the Northern Saqqara Necropolis - Pyramid of Userkaf and Pyramid of Neferhetepes as well as the Headless Pyramid. All of these can be viewed but only the exteriors, they are a bunch of mounds so most people who visited Saqqara will not even notice them. There is also the pyramid of Sekhemkhet a bit to the south but it is also in ruins.

Pyramid of Djedefre - Mostly in ruins, It is in Abu Rawash north of the giza plateau.

Layer Pyramid and Unfinished Northern Pyramid of Zawyet El Aryan - Both lie in a military area so a no no sites.