Userkaf
From ArchaeoWiki
Userkaf was the first ruler of the Fifth Dynasty in the Old Kingdom period of ancient Egypt, the grandson of the Fourth Dynasty ruler Djedefre, Khufu's immediate successor. The mother of Userkaf was Queen Neferhetep, although the name of his father remains unknown. Userkaf married Khentkawes, the daughter of Menkaure, thereby reuniting twin lines of descent from Khufu.
The burial of Userkaf was prepared at his pyramid complex at North Saqqara, to the north-east of the Third Dynasty Step Pyramid of Djoser. This marked a determined move for the dynasty Userkaf subsequently founded, away from the great pyramid monuments of the Fourth Dynasty further north at Giza. Userkaf uniquely located his mortuary temple on the southern side of his pyramid rather than to the usual east—a shift some have explained as being due to the difficult topography or the presence of a moat about the earlier Step Pyramid. Others have suggested that on the southern side of the pyramid mass, the temple would have enjoyed direct exposure to the sun's rays throughout the day without afternoon shade—a situation perhaps explained by the Fifth Dynasty's supreme confidence in the solar cult that led to their characterisation as the 'Sun Kings'.
Creating this reputation in the first instance was the other great known construction of Userkaf further south at Abu-Gurob, the first of five sun-temples that were to become a characteristic feature of the architecture from the period of the early Fifth Dynasty rulers. Indeed, although first built, the sun-temple at Abu Gurob remains the best preserved and was the site from which an impressive greywacke bust of Userkaf wearing the Red Crown was recovered in 1957, now displayed in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
