Khendjer

Khendjer was a ruler of the Thirteenth Dynasty during the Second Intermediate Period, ruling Egypt from the capital of Itjtawy. His reign lasted around five years, from approximately 1764 to 1759 BC, with dates uncertain by about twenty-five years. He succeeded Hor and was succeeded by Sobekhotep II.

His personal name indicates foreign origins, likely of Semitic derivation, reflecting increasing immigration and integration of Near Eastern populations in Egypt during this era. Despite his non-traditional name, Khendjer ruled as a fully conventional Egyptian monarch, adhering closely to royal religious traditions and Middle Kingdom bureaucratic models.

Scholars know Khendjer principally from his completed pyramid complex situated at Saqqara. Excavations there revealed a core of mud brick encased in fine limestone, alongside a preserved black granite pyramidion inscribed with his royal titles. His reign demonstrates that the royal workshop system still possessed the engineering capacity to finish stone-clad pyramids in the Memphite necropolis.

Monuments

• Pyramid complex at Saqqara

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