Pyramid of Queen Khentkaus II

The pyramid of Khentkaus II is a queen’s pyramid in the necropolis of Abusir in Egypt, which was built during the Fifth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. It is attributed to the queen Khentkaus II, who may have ruled Egypt as a reigning queen after the death of her husband Neferirkare Kakai. The pyramid is now a heavily damaged ruin, which only stands 4 metres high.

Construction
Construction of the pyramid of Khentkaus II began in the reign of her husband Neferirkare and appears to have been originally planned as a simple queen’s pyramid within the pyramid complex of Neferirkare. Inscriptions from this phase of the construction give the name of Khentkaus with the title “Royal Wife.” Between the tenth and eleventh regnal year of the king there was a change in the building work, which had reached the height of the grave chamber roof by this point. The reason for the change was probably the death of the king. Although the continuation of construction during the subsequent short reign of Neferefre cannot be ruled out, there is very little evidence for it.

Substructure
The substructure of the pyramid is a flat, open tomb which is very clearly preserved. From the north, a corridor descends for about half its length, then continues on the horizontal and turns slightly to the east. Shortly before the burial chamber there is a granite fall-trap. The grave chamber itself was oriented in an east–west direction. The building material for the passageway and the chamber was small blocks of fine limestone. The ceiling of the grave chamber was flat and formed from massive limestone blocks. The chamber itself is heavily damaged, but fragments of a pink granite sarcophagus have been found. Some of the bindings from the mummy and fragments of alabaster grave goods were also found. These remains indicate that the pyramid was indeed used as the queen’s final resting place.

Pyramid complex

The pyramid of Khenkaus II had its own independent pyramid complex and was not part of the pyramid complex of Khentkaus’ husband Neferirkare. The complex contains all important elements necessary for the maintenance of a ruler cult. Thus far, a causeway and a valley temple have not been identified.