Amenemhet 1 was a pharaoh of the 12th Dynasty and ruled for 30 years, from 1985 until 1956. For more information check the Encyclopaedia of the Orient: Amenemhet 1. Few people make it out here, and with good reason. The pyramid of Amenemhet 1 is only interesting in order to understand the change of Egyptian building skills, and the coming demise of the pyramids. Amenemhet 1's pyramid is noted for its lack of originality. It represented a return to the design of the Old Kingdom, both with the pyramid and the mortuary complex. Its builders went so far as to strip monuments from the Old Kingdom, in order to have relief-decorated blocks to line the passageways into the pyramid. There is one original element to be found inside; there is a vertical shaft that leads to the burial chamber, which was placed right above the ground water of that time. Since then, the ground water has risen, and the chamber(s) are inundated, and not yet explored by modern scholars. Very little remains of the mortuary complex, but it used to be highly dominated by mastabas erected close to the pyramid.
