The Mastaba El-Faraun, Cairo

The Mastaba El-Faraun (Mastabat al-Fir'aun) serves as the burial monument for the ancient Egyptian king Shepseskaf, who ruled around 2510-2503 BC. He was the final king of the Fourth Dynasty that we have historical records of. This structure is situated in South Saqqara, located midway between the Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara and the pyramids constructed by Sneferu, who founded the Fourth Dynasty, at Dahshur.

The first known mention of the Mastabat al-Fir'aun came from John Perring during the mid-19th century. The subterranean parts of the structure were first investigated by Auguste Mariette in 1858. However, a comprehensive excavation of the entire tomb complex wasn't conducted until Gustave Jéquier led one in 1924. It was during this excavation that he correctly attributed the structure to Shepseskaf, following the discovery of a fragment of a stele. Prior to this, the tomb had been mistakenly associated with Unas, the final ruler of the Fifth Dynasty.

This mastaba measures approximately 99.6 meters in length and 74.4 meters in width, with a height of around 18 meters and sides sloping at an angle of roughly 70°. The primary building material used for its core is the same red sandstone found in the nearby Red Pyramid of Sneferu. While only faint traces of the outer covering remain today, it can be inferred that the lowest layer was covered in pink granite, while all other layers were adorned with Tura limestone. The structure is notably composed of two levels, resembling the stepped mastabas commonly seen among early dynastic kings in north Saqqara.