were created, which then served as the foundation for the temple. Entrance to the temple is gained through a small structure called the Valley Temple, on the eastern edge of the complex. It is partially submerged and has suffered extensive damage. It is known that an entrance corridor ran from the portico through the building and led to a causeway on the opposite side. Inside the temple is a large, open courtyard. At the western end of the courtyard lie the ruins of a colossal stone obelisk. The obelisk had a pedestal red-granite base, sloping sides, and a square top. The obelisk itself, however, was constructed out of irregularly shaped limestone blocks. Estimates of the combined height of the obelisk and base vary, although the obelisk was most likely between thirty-five and fifty meters tall. An altar is located in the center of the courtyard, near the eastern face of the obelisk. It was constructed from five large blocks of alabaster, which are arranged to form a symbol that has been translated as "May Ra be satisfied". Records recovered from Userkaf's sun temple, suggest that two oxen and two geese were sacrificed each day. On the North side of the courtyard are the remains of several storerooms, which may have been where the sacrificial animals were slaughtered. Along the east wall of the courtyard are a set of nine circular alabaster basins. It has been theorized that there were originally ten basins. Some scholars believe these basins were used to collect blood from animal sacrifice. To support this hypothesis, they point to evidence of grooves cut into the stone floor of the courtyard that may have been used to drain away the blood. Other researchers, however, think that the basins were probably only symbolic, or decorative, since no knives or other equipment related to sacrifice have been discovered in the area. It has also been hypothesized that these basins were used as leveling devices for large areas, linked together and filled with water to provide a common point of reference. Further examination, however, is required to determine the exact role of the alabaster bins. A large, 30 x 10 m brick built sun barque buried in a mud-brick chamber was excavated to the south of the temple. In the covered corridor, on the east and southern edges of the temple, there were carved reliefs along the interior walls. The passageway