Mazghuna
Encyclopedia
Mazghuna 5 km to the south of Dahshur
(coordinates 29°45′0"N 31°14′0"E), is the site of several mudbrick pyramid
s dating from the 12th Dynasty
. The area was explored by Ernest Mackay in 1910, and was excavated by Flinders Petrie in 1911. Amenemhet IV and Sobekneferu
have been suggested as the owners of 2 unfinished pyramids at Mazghuna but there is no conclusive evidence of this. The southern pyramid is about 3 miles from Sneferu's bent pyramid. The base was 52.5 meters square but it was never finished. The outer burial chamber contains an inner monolithic burial vault made out of quartzite like the one for Amenemhet III at Hawara. There was a large granite plug ready to slide over the top however it was never used since no one was ever buried there.
There was a second pyramid planned at north Mazghuna even larger than this one but the superstructure was never begun. There was a U shaped passage leading to the burial chamber which contains another monolithic burial vault. There was scarcely 2 cm (less than 1 inch) clearance between the vault and the chamber. There was a 42 ton quartzite slab waiting to be slid over the burial chamber.
mystery The Mummy Case
(by Elizabeth Peters) was set in Mazghuna.
Dahshur
Dahshur , is a royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile approximately 40 kilometres south of Cairo...
(coordinates 29°45′0"N 31°14′0"E), is the site of several mudbrick pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
s dating from the 12th Dynasty
Twelfth dynasty of Egypt
The twelfth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties XI, XIII and XIV under the group title Middle Kingdom.-Rulers:Known rulers of the twelfth dynasty are as follows :...
. The area was explored by Ernest Mackay in 1910, and was excavated by Flinders Petrie in 1911. Amenemhet IV and Sobekneferu
Sobekneferu
Sobekneferu was an Egyptian pharaoh of the twelfth dynasty. Her name meant "the beauty of Sobek." She was the daughter of Pharaoh Amenemhat III. Manetho states she also was the sister of Amenemhat IV, but this claim is unproven. Sobekneferu had an older sister named Nefruptah who may have been...
have been suggested as the owners of 2 unfinished pyramids at Mazghuna but there is no conclusive evidence of this. The southern pyramid is about 3 miles from Sneferu's bent pyramid. The base was 52.5 meters square but it was never finished. The outer burial chamber contains an inner monolithic burial vault made out of quartzite like the one for Amenemhet III at Hawara. There was a large granite plug ready to slide over the top however it was never used since no one was ever buried there.
There was a second pyramid planned at north Mazghuna even larger than this one but the superstructure was never begun. There was a U shaped passage leading to the burial chamber which contains another monolithic burial vault. There was scarcely 2 cm (less than 1 inch) clearance between the vault and the chamber. There was a 42 ton quartzite slab waiting to be slid over the burial chamber.
In fiction
The Amelia PeabodyAmelia Peabody series
The Amelia Peabody series is a series of mystery novels written by Elizabeth Peters featuring Egyptologist Amelia Peabody Emerson, for whom the series is named. The novels are intended as a blend of parody , mystery, and comedy...
mystery The Mummy Case
The Mummy Case
The Mummy Case is the third of a series of mystery novels written by Elizabeth Peters and featuring the character Amelia Peabody.-Plot summary:...
(by Elizabeth Peters) was set in Mazghuna.
Further reading
- W.M.F. Petrie, G.A. Wainwright, E. Mackay, The Labyrinth, Gerzeh and Mazghuneh. London 1912