Mazghuna South Pyramid — Sobekneferu Complex
Southern Mazghuna Pyramid · Pyramid of Sobekneferu (Mazghuna)
Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, c.1795 BCE (Sobekneferu)·Ancient Egyptian (Sobekneferu)·🇪🇬 Giza Governorate, Egypt
About
About Mazghuna South Pyramid — Sobekneferu Complex
Southern Mazghuna pyramid 500 m south of north mound: 52 m base, now 18 m mound. Excavated by Mackay 1911. Mudbrick with limestone casing, undulating wall. Substructure similar to north but larger quartzite sarcophagus with lid, still blank. Sobekneferu attribution from proximity and late 12th Dynasty style; no direct inscription. Negative: never completed, corridor never roofed. Marks end of Middle Kingdom pyramid building — next pyramids (Ahmose, 17th Dynasty) at Abydos.
Why it mattersKey Ancient Egyptian (Sobekneferu) pyramid with stratified sequence and regional importance.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Attribution to Sobekneferu without inscription — north/south which king?
- 02Why both Mazghuna pyramids abandoned unfinished
Theories
- 01Sobekneferu completing Amenemhat IV's unfinished program then dying
- 0212th Dynasty collapse interrupting pyramid construction, shift to Abydos
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.1795 BCE (Sobekneferu, 12th Dynasty, female pharaoh)
- Period
- Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, c.1795 BCE (Sobekneferu)
- Culture
- Ancient Egyptian (Sobekneferu)
- Purpose
- Southern Mazghuna pyramid — sister to north — attributed to female pharaoh Sobekneferu, last ruler of 12th Dynasty, quartzite sarcophagus
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.1795 BCE (Sobekneferu)
Foundation — mudbrick core beside north pyramid
c.1790 BCE
Abandonment at portcullis stage
1911
Mackay clearance
On the ground
Structures & features
29.7450° N · 31.2150° E · 48 m · 2 mapped features
Southern mudbrick pyramid mound
structureLow mudbrick mound 52 m base with wavy wall trace and limestone footing trench south side
29.7450° N · 31.2150° EQuartzite sarcophagus chamber
chamberBurial chamber with large quartzite sarcophagus (2.5 m) and blank lid, three portcullis positions
29.7449° N · 31.2151° E
Gallery