Djedefre

---

The personality of Djedefre and his reign are still obscure . It is not even possible to say whether he reigned for only 8 years , as the Turin Canon indicates , or for a longer period .
His rise to power marks an indisputable turning point , since he was the first Egyptian ruler to include among his titles the name 'Son of Re' .
His tomb was not in Giza , but in Abu Roash , about 1 km to the north of Giza . The choice of Abu-Roash for the new necropolis was not arbitrary , and this part of the Plateau had already been used for burial in the Third Dynasty .
Djedefre also returned to the north-south orientation of the pyramid and an overall rectangular ground plan for the complex which was probably inspired by the Saqqara pyramids .
This complex , including a mortuary temple , a sloping causeway and a still unexcavated valley temple was ultimately left unfinished , leading to speculation that Djedefre's reign was comparatively short .
In 1901 , E . Chassinat discovered in the area around the pyramid a large number of quartzite fragments (displayed now in Louvre Museum) which originally made up a set of about 20 statues representing the king . The best examples of these royal statues from Abu-Roash are among the masterpieces of Old Kingdom royal sculpture .
The position of Djedefre in the royal family , particularly his relationship with his half-brother Chephren , who succeeded him to the throne , is unclear .
His mother's name is unknown , but he is thought to have married his half-sister , Hetepheres II who was also the wife of Kawab , Cheops' crown prince who died before his father without assuming the role of vizier .
The tomb of Kawab , one of the earliest in the Giza necropolis , is to the east of Cheops' pyramid and it is clear that his memory was still maintained up to the time of Ramses II at least . For Ramses' son Khaemwaset is known to have restored a statue of Kawab in the temple at Memphis . Merseankh III , the daughter of Kawab and Hetepheres II , married Chephren , whereas Neferhetepes , the daughter of Djedefre and Hetepheres II is one of the possible candidates for the mother of Userkaf .