The Pyramid of Menkaure or Menkaure, built in the last free area of he rocky plateau of Giza, was the cenotaph of the sovereign called Neter Menkaura or "Divine [is] Micerino" and is the smallest of the three pyramids of the plain.
Obstructed about 450 meters south-west of Chefren's pyramid, it demonstrates the builder's haste, which built it in several stages, various materials and various techniques.
Its volume does not exceed 250,000 m³ that is one tenth of that of Cheops presenting the particularity of the much larger blocks even than that of Chefren, but the faces of the pyramid have imperfect surfaces and the stones seem to be arranged without the harmony of the other two.
Originally the pyramid should have been completely covered with the spectacular red Aswan granite, but the premature death of Micerino made her hastily finish from the XVI course upwards with the white limestone of Tura.
The north side preserves part of the cladding, which however is not smooth upwards, thus giving the impression of an unfinished work.
There is also a wide breach, due to Saladin's son, al-Malik al-zAzÄ«z UthmÄn b. YÅ«suf, who opened it in 1196 to look for the golden funerary kit of the sovereign Micerino.
Pyramid of Menkaure
Address: Al Omraneyah
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http://www.guidaegitto.net/attrazioni/piramidi/piramide-micerino.htmLocation inserted by
Stefano Vigolo