THE PYRAMID OF MENKAURE AND ITS LOST TREASURES
- Heru
- Mar 13
- 9 min read
Updated: May 22
King Menkaure ruled during the Old Kingdom's Fourth Dynasty. He ruled from around 2550–2503 BC. The exact length of his reign is uncertain, but the Turin papyrus suggests he ruled for 18 or 28 years. Menkaure was the son of Khafre and the grandson of Khufu, a Dynastic family who ruled from the Delta region during what is known as "the Age of Pyramids".
The Age of the Pyramids, particularly the Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BCE), is characterized by the construction of monumental structures as tombs for pharaohs, reflecting their power and religious beliefs. The Great Pyramid Complex at Giza, was called "Ikhet," which translates to "Glorious Light." The indigenous name for "pyramid" is " According to the ancient Kemetians the Place of Ascension served as a ritual center for the Per Ankh schools of initiation known as the Mystery Schools to the Greeks. This era saw the development of pyramid construction techniques, beginning with Djoser's Step Pyramid, advancing through Sneferu's true pyramids, and culminating in Khufu's Great Pyramid, the largest and most famous.
It is said that the pharaohs would use the Mer structures which were encased in highly reflective white limestone, capped with solid gold to "Turn night into day" with a radiance that symbolized their divine connection to the gods and illuminated the surrounding land. This dazzling appearance not only showcased the pharaoh's grandeur but also reinforced their association with the sun god Ra, emphasizing their role as intermediaries between the divine and the earthly realms. The golden capstone, or pyramidion, would have added to this effect, reflecting sunlight and possibly serving as a beacon that linked the pharaoh to the heavens. The reflective surfaces of the pyramid, coupled with its precise orientation to the cardinal points, allowed for an intricate interplay of light and shadow, creating a sacred space where the physical and spiritual realms converged.
Menkaure's pyramid, while smaller than those of Khufu and Khafre, Menkaure’s pyramid is renowned for its beauty, originally encased in red granite known to the Greeks as "Ethiopian Stone" mined in Yebu (Aswan), in Upper Kemet. It was built with high-quality materials and included a complex of mortuary temples and smaller pyramids for queens, symbolizing the peak of pyramid building and architectural achievement. The pyramid was called Netjer-er-Menkaure, which means "Menkaure is Divine".
Menkaura's twisted locs are visible underneath his Nemes headwrap
Unfortunately, a significant hole was created in its northern face during the 12th century by Saladin's son, Al-Aziz, who sought treasures within but found none. The contents of the king’s tomb were only discovered in the 19th century, but tragically, they were lost at sea while being transported to the British Museum. This article delves into Menkaure's pyramid's history. Originally standing at 215 feet tall, its core was constructed from high-quality Aswan granite and limestone, with red granite casing at the base and fine Tura limestone above. Completed around 2500 BCE during Menkaure's reign in the 4th Dynasty, his mortuary temple was finished by his successor, Shepseskaf. Several monuments and statues from the Old Kingdom were also placed near the pyramid.
The pyramids have long fascinated people, once considered among the Seven Wonders of the World. The 19th-century archaeological craze drew explorers to Giza, where Colonel Richard Howard Vyse noted a deep furrow on Menkaure's pyramid made by stonecutters centuries earlier. Al-Aziz’s attempts to uncover treasure were in vain, leading to minor scratches on the pyramid's surface.
In 1837, Vyse attempted to penetrate the pyramid, eventually discovering a narrow channel, likely for ventilation, which took two months to widen. He later found a larger entrance, probably made by robbers, leading to the King’s Chamber, which had already been plundered. The sarcophagus remained, but it was too heavy to remove, and Vyse returned to England.
After Vyse's excavations, many Egyptologists studied Menkaure's pyramid, revealing unfinished outer casing sections that provided insights into ancient construction methods. The complex surrounding the pyramid included several structures, with some queen's pyramids believed to be unfinished. John Shae Perring, part of Vyse's expedition, meticulously documented their findings, producing detailed sketches and a comprehensive three-volume publication titled "The Pyramids of Gizeh" (1839-1842).
In recent years, the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago initiated a project to map the Giza pyramids using 3D technology. Despite advancements, Menkaure's pyramid remains largely unexplored, leaving room for future discoveries that may alter our understanding of these ancient monuments. Much remains unknown about Menkaure’s reign and the pyramid itself. Ongoing research may eventually shed light on these mysteries.
Menkaure’s pyramid was the smallest of the pyramids of Giza, but in its day it was the most beautiful. Once covered in pink granite from Aswan, now it has a huge hole in its north face, made in the 12th century by the son of Saladin in the hopes of finding treasure inside the building. He did not succeed, and the contents of the king’s tomb only surfaced in the 19th century, only to be lost at sea while they were being transported to the British Museum. In the following article, we will explore the history of Menkaure’s pyramid.
We have all heard of the Pyramids of Giza. They belong to three kings, whose names are always repeated in a specific order: Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure In any case, poor Menkaure is left last, ostracized owing to his having the smallest pyramid of the three. Originally standing with a height of 65.5 meters, or 215 feet, it’s core was built out of the finest granite and limestone. Then, the lowest part of the structure was encased in red granite known to the Greeks as "Aethiopian Stone" mined in Aswan, and the upper portion in limestone from Tura, a stone so fine many Old Kingdom officials such as Weni considered it to be the ultimate coffin material. It was completed during Menkaure’s reign, in the 4th Dynasty, around 2,500 BCE. However, a mortuary temple which was intended to stand next to the pyramid and house cultic statues of the king was only completed by his successor, Shepseskaf. A number of additional monuments, statues, and stelae were placed in the vicinity of Menkaure’s pyramid along with other remains from the Old Kingdom.
As was usual in Egypt, a society deeply concerned with family and kinship, we know more about Menkaure’s family tree than we know about his line of succession to the throne. Indeed, it is certain that he was a son of Khafre and a grandson of Khufu. It is generally agreed that he was in fact the successor of Khafre, but it is disputed, as ancient sources claim otherwise.
He had at least two wives, with whom he had at least five children, one of which came to inherit the throne after Menkaure’s death. The Turin Canon, a New Kingdom list of every pharaoh up to that date, is heavily damaged and only shows one digit in the column where the length of his reign was written: a number 8. So, it is generally accepted that he reigned for (at least) 18 years. What he did during those years is equally nebulous, apart from the various monuments and statues that he made. These statues are among the finest examples of Old Kingdom art, and arguably of Egyptian art as a whole.
The Giza pyramids have been known since antiquity. In fact, they were so popular in the ancient world, people considered them one of the Seven Wonders of the World. However, for millennia they remained sealed as their builders intended. Then, in the 19th Century, the craze of archaeology drew scores of wealthy explorers to the Egyptian monuments, especially the mysterious pyramids. One of the most popular theories up to that point considered the Egyptian pyramids of Giza to be Joseph’s granaries, as described in the Bible.
When Colonel Richard Howard Vyse of the British Army visited Giza in 1836, one detail of Menkaure’s pyramid caught his eye: there was a large furrow in the north side of the building, quite deep but not enough to penetrate past the solid granite structure of the Egyptian pyramid. As he quickly learned, this wound was produced by stonecutters, who were commanded to destroy the pyramid seven hundred years earlier by another powerful army. As it happened, Egypt had been conquered by the Ayyubid army of Saladin in 1171, establishing a Sultanate along the Nile. Saladin’s son, Al-Aziz, reigned after him, and embarked on an ambitious plan to dismantle the pyramids. Apparently, he was persuaded that there was treasure inside, so he ordered a number of his soldiers and stonecutters to take apart the solid blocks of the pyramid.
As Col. Vyse confirmed hundreds of years after the fact, they had been unable to make anything but small scratches to the surface. The Sultan eventually gave up, learning that this was a costly operation and had little chances of succeeding. Vyse and his entourage found the Egyptian pyramid of Menkaure barely scathed, and thought it a good idea to try to penetrate the old building. His method, however, did not employ brute force, as this had proved useless. Instead, he opted for carefully surveying the Giza plateau. Eventually, he came across a narrow channel that went straight into the pyramid, unfortunately not wide enough to fit a person through it. It took two months of work to widen it with the use of long poles with drill bits attached, and he finally was able to get inside the King’s Chamber. Today, it is generally accepted that this channel had ventilation purposes.
Late in 1837, Vyse discovered another, bigger opening to the pyramid, which is thought to have been made by robbers and is today the main entrance that tourists use to visit the inside of the pyramid. Unfortunately, the King’s Chamber had been robbed, the lid of the sarcophagus removed and the wooden coffin taken out for examination. Bones and pieces of mummy wrapping were found on the floor, scattered. Little was found inside the chamber, save the sarcophagus, which was too big to remove.
At this point, Vyse decided that his job was done, and returned to England, where he pursued a career as a Member of the Parliament. But the British officials that had remained in Giza had plans of their own, and they managed to painstakingly drag the heavy stone sarcophagus out of the pyramid and later load it onto a merchant ship in Alexandria, bound for England. But the wooden ship, named Beatrice, never reached her destination. She sank off the coast of Malta, taking with her to the depths of the Mediterranean sea Menkaure’s and two more sarcophagi found inside the great pyramids. Vyse never returned to Egypt, and the wreck of Beatrice has never been found.
Following the excavations carried out by Col. Vyse, a great number of Egyptologists studied the pyramid of Menkaure. As it turned out, some parts of the outer casing were rough, suggesting that it was not quite finished. This may be a disappointment for tourists, but for scientists, it has been an enormous opportunity to learn exactly how the Egyptian pyramids were built. The ruins of the pyramid complex, which encompassed several satellite buildings such as the aforementioned pyramid temple, a valley temple, and three smaller pyramids have been found near Menkaure’s pyramid. Two of the “queens’ pyramids,” as they are commonly called, are unfinished, but a third one is thought to be completed. Egyptologists have speculated that these pyramids would have housed the mummies of Menkaure’s wives, and a statue of the king himself.John Shae Perring, a member of Vyse’s expedition, continued the work started by the British Colonel, who should not be considered an Egyptologist but rather a keen and wealthy explorer. Perring, on the contrary, had a scientific mind, and as such, he took it upon himself to document all they found. He produced a number of highly detailed sketches, detailing the measures and position of several tunnels, corridors, and chambers inside the pyramid of Menkaure. Not only that, but he then went on to publish an extraordinarily well-documented work in three volumes, titled The Pyramids of Gizeh (1839-1842).
More recently, a project funded by the Oriental Institute in the University of Chicago set out to map the entirety of the Giza pyramids with 3D technology. Twenty years later, and despite the fact that we know much more now about what is inside the pyramid of Menkaure than Al-Aziz did in the 12th century, the Egyptian pyramid is still not entirely explored. No doubt, new finds will come in the years to follow, which promise to change the way we think about these monuments.
As we have seen, Menkaure and his pyramid have gathered a great deal of attention throughout history. However, we know relatively little about him or his reign, and his pyramid still houses mysteries that remain to be discovered. Egyptologists can only acknowledge the fact that many of the circumstances behind Menkaure and his pyramid are lost forever, but there is still hope. Continued interest and studies conducted on the funerary monument of Menkaure have, and will certainly continue to in the future, garner enough evidence for Egyptologists to be able to paint a fairly complete picture of the Old Kingdom, one of Egypt’s most remarkable and fascinating historical periods.
"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~ 35th & 36th Principals of Ma'at
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