The Southern Mazghuna Pyramid is an ancient Egyptian royal tomb built during the 12th or the 13th Dynasty in Mazghuna, 5 km south of Dahshur, Egypt. The building was never finished, and it is still unknown which pharaoh was the owner since no appropriate inscription has been found.
The pyramid was rediscovered in 1910 by Ernest Mackay and excavated the following year by Flinders Petrie.
Location of Southern Mazghuna Pyramid
The Southern Mazghuna Pyramid is an ancient Egyptian royal tomb built during the 12th or the 13th Dynasty in Mazghuna, 5 km south of Dahshur, Egypt.
Attribution
The building shares some structural similarities with the Hawara Pyramid of Amenemhat III. For this reason, the Southern Mazghuna Pyramid is usually attributed to his son Amenemhat IV (around the end of the 19th century BCE). In parallel, the near northern Mazghuna pyramid is considered the tomb of his sister Sobekneferu, the last ruler of the 12th Dynasty.
However, some researchers, such as William C. Hayes, believed that the Southern Pyramid was built during the 13th Dynasty based on similarities with the pyramid of Khendjer. In this case, it should have belonged to one of the many pharaohs who ruled between the beginning of the 13th Dynasty and the loss of control of the northern territory that occurred during or soon after the reign of Merneferre Ay.
Description
The pyramid has a side length of 52.5 m (172 ft). The core masonry consists of mud bricks and only reaches a height of one to two layers. Casing stones were not found; therefore, it is impossible to determine the planned inclination angle and complete height information.
The pyramid’s entrance is located in the middle of the south side. A staircase leads down to a short horizontal passage. Here is a wall niche from where a blocking stone had been pushed into the path. Another staircase leads to a second block, which is still in its niche.
Finally, a U-shaped chamber system leads to the burial chamber, which is topped by a gable roof. There was an empty – but used – quartzite sarcophagus, and some few grave goods (three limestone lamps, an alabaster duck-shaped vessel, a make-up vessel created from the same material and a piece of polished soapstone) were found in it.
The complex is surrounded by a wavy wall, which incorporates the chapel’s remains in the middle of the east side; it consists of a large central chamber with two chambers on each side of the storehouse. The main room was attached in its southwestern corner with a sacrificial hall with a vaulted roof.
