Pyramid of Menkaure, Giza Egypt

The Pyramid of Menkaure, located in the southwestern outskirts of Cairo, is the smallest of the three major pyramids of Giza. It had an original height of 65 meters, but it now stands at 61 meters tall, with a base of 108 meters. It is thought to have been built, to serve as the tomb of the fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh, Menkaure. The pyramid was probably completed in the 26th century BC, however the exact date of construction is unknown. At the south side of the pyramid there are three small satellite pyramids, none of which appear to have been completed. Entrance to the pyramid is located on the north side, about four meters above the ground. Visitors entering the pyramid have to negotiate steep and passage, which then becomes leveled, leading to the upper antechamber. In 1835, Richard Weiss, discovered the remains of a wooden coffin, inscribed with Menkaure's name and containing human bones. This is now considered to be a substitute coffin, and radiocarbon dating on the bones determined them to be less than 2,000 years old. Deeper into the pyramid Weiss came upon a beautiful basalt sarcophagus, rich in detail with a bold projecting cornice. Unfortunately, this sarcophagus has been lost, when the ship transporting it to Great Britain, had sank in the Mediterranean Sea in 1838. At the end of the 12th century, Al-Aziz Uthman ben Yusuf, Saladin's son, attempted to demolish the pyramids starting with Menkaure's. His workmen stayed at their jobs for eight months, but they were unable to remove more than one or two stones each day. Far from accomplishing what they intended to do, they merely spoiled the pyramid by leaving a large vertical gash in its north face.