Menkaure was a pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty and ruled for 30 years, from 2532 until 2503 BCE. For more information check the Encyclopaedia of the Orient: Menkaure. Why did Menkaure build a pyramid so obviously smaller than his two predecessors? At least he could have placed it in a different place. Menkaure ruled for a healthy 26 years, but one legend tells that an oracle had foretold him only 6 years on the throne. Which might explain the less ambitious plans of his. In reality we rather should see his pyramid as a step towards the temple focus of later times. With Menkaure more emphasis was put on temples and their details and decorations, and less on the pyramid. Yet, the pyramid of Menkaure is one of the finest built pyramids ever, and it is made from first class stone. Granite was extensively used, a stone that had to be transported far down the Nile. Other pyramids used local limestone of lesser quality. The shaft down the northern side needs some explanation. It was Sultan Othman who in the late 12th century tried to demolish the pyramid. He gave up after 8 months.
