Mastaba of Al Faraun

Cairo Outskirts & the Nile Delta

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Also called the Pharaoh's Bench, this unusual funerary complex is the most remote site in South Saqqara. It belongs to the last 4th-dynasty pharaoh, the short-lived Shepseskaf (2503–2498 BC). Occupying an enclosure once covering 700 sq metres, Shepseskaf’s rectangular tomb was built of limestone blocks, and originally covered by a further layer of fine, white limestone and a lower layer of red granite. Inside the tomb, a 21m-long corridor slopes down to storage rooms and a vaulted burial chamber.

Shepseskaf was the son of Menkaure (builder of Giza’s third great pyramid), though he failed to emulate the glory of his father.

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