ABU SIR /
Pyramid of Raneferef
Raneferef was a pharaoh of the 5th Dynasty and ruled for 4 years, from 2448 until 2445 BCE. Raneferef stayed in power too short time to oversee the completion of his pyramid. It rises only 4 metres above the ground, almost like a small mastaba. The top was finished by a cover of clay and desert stone. But since the burial chamber digs a few metres into the ground, Raneferef's pyramid makes it worthwhile to visit. The unimpressive state of the pyramid has given it protection until excavations began in 1974. Hardly rising above ground, thieves left it and the interior alone. The funerary complex was built quickly, probably because of a sudden death of the pharaoh. Still it contained one element of interest; one of Egypt's oldest hypostyle halls, a room of 20 wooden columns.
