Pyramid of Neferirkare
Pyramid of Neferirkare Kakai · Ba-Neferefkare
Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty mid·Ancient Egyptian·🇪🇬 Giza Governorate, Abusir, Egypt
About
About Pyramid of Neferirkare
Largest 5th Dynasty pyramid at Abusir for third king Neferirkare Kakai (originally 72 m high, 105 m base, angle 54°), built as step pyramid then converted to true pyramid but left unfinished at stepped form. Contains important Abusir Papyri archives discovered in mortuary temple. Ongoing Czech excavations reveal administrative history of Old Kingdom.
Why it mattersAbusir Papyri – largest Old Kingdom administrative archive; illustrates 5th Dynasty economic system.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Unfinished conversion to true pyramid
Theories
- 01Premature death forced abandonment; economy increasingly strained
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 2475–2455 BCE (Neferirkare Kakai)
- Period
- Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty mid
- Culture
- Ancient Egyptian
- Purpose
- Tomb of Neferirkare Kakai
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 2475–2455 BCE (Neferirkare Kakai)
Initial construction
c. 1302 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
29.8950° N · 31.2025° E · 60 m · 3 mapped features
Stepped core facade
pyramidSix-step core visible
29.8950° N · 31.2025° EAbusir Papyri findspot
archiveStorerooms where papyri archived
29.8945° N · 31.2028° EMortuary Temple east
templeMudbrick temple with papyri
29.8947° N · 31.2029° E
Gallery