---
node: spot_giza_pyramid_of_menkaure
type: spot
slug: pyramid_of_menkaure
destination: dest_giza
title: "Pyramid of Menkaure"
lead: "Menkaure's pyramid is the smallest of the three at 65 metres, built around 2510 BCE. Its lower courses are granite rather than limestone, and a medieval attempt to demolish it left a gash down the north face."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_giza_pyramid_of_menkaure.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Menkaure%27s_pyramid.jpg"
image_author: "kallerna"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 3.0"
---

## Overview

The scale drop from Khafre to Menkaure is steep, and Egyptologists read it as a change in priorities rather than a decline in resources — the mortuary temple and the statuary were unusually fine. The gash was cut in 1196 by a sultan's son who gave up after eight months of work. Three small queens' pyramids stand in a row to the south.

## Highlights

This is the quiet corner of the plateau; the coach parties stop at the other two. The panorama point behind it is where the three-pyramid photograph is taken. Interior access rotates between the three pyramids, so check at the gate which is open the day you come.