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Userkaf (2465—2458 )



Userkaf

Dates 7 years from 2465—2458. Userkaf was the originator of the fifth Dynasty. He administered Ancient Egypt from 2465 BC until 2458 BC. His better half, Queen Khentkaues, was of imperial blood. Students of history say that Userkaf wedded her to adjust himself to the regal line. Tragically, his rule is not all around reported, but rather he assembled a wonderful pyramid at Saqqara. His design and adornment shows the masterful wonderfulness of the period. The pyramid was intended to go about as a house of prayer for offerings and an as a funeral home sanctuary for the lord. The sanctuary court has square rock sections in every one of the corners and some wonderful reliefs on the dividers. Two of the sanctuary's busts were recouped as of late.

Userkaf was the child of Neferhetepes, a girl of the fourth Dynasty ruler Djedefre. His dad is not known. His marriage to Khentkaus I, a girl of Mykerinos, legitimized his claim to the position of royalty. Regardless of the solid family relationship of Userkaf with his ancestors, Manetho begins another tradition, the fifth, with the rule of this lord. This might be reflected in the Middle Kingdom story, noted on the Papyrus Westcar, where the introduction of 3 new lords, Userkaf, Sahure and Neferirkare, as the children of a cleric of Re and a lady named Red-djedet, is anticipated. In spite of the story of Papyrus Westcar, notwithstanding, it is presently trusted that Userkaf was not the sibling but rather the father of his two prompt successors and that their mom was Khentkaus I.

As per the Turin King-list, Userkaf ruled for just 7 years, however Manetho (in the form of Africanus) credits him with as much as 28 years! The number given by the Turin King-list, notwithstanding, is by all accounts affirmed by the Palermo-stone, which takes note of the time of the third cows consider of this lord his most noteworthy.

Userkaf's significance lies in another sort of landmark that he worked in Abusir, a couple of kilometers north of Saqqara: an alleged sun powered sanctuary. This sanctuary comprised of a raised stage that contained a sacred place just before a hill, whereupon a wide and moderately low pillar was raised. From this sanctuary, a secured thoroughfare prompted a valley-sanctuary. It is in this valley sanctuary that a perfectly safeguarded head of Userkaf, wearing the crown of Lower-Egypt has been found.

The correct importance and centrality of this structure is not totally caught on. Its association with the sun oriented clique is evident through the unequivocal sun powered image, the monolith, yet it is trusted that this landmark likewise was identified with the lord's funeral home faction. It shows, in any case, that amid the fifth Dynasty the sun based faction turned out to be progressively essential. This inclination had as of now begun amid the fourth Dynasty, when Djedefre included the title "Child of Re" to the imperial titulary. From the fifth Dynasty on, there would be just a couple of lords that did not have the theophorous component "Re" in their prenomen.

Except for the arrival of 70 foreign women to Egypt and some cultic activity that shows his interest in the Delta, nothing much is known about Userkaf's political activites.

Next to the solar-temple, Userkaf's only other monument of some importance seems to have been his pyramid-complex, which he erected at Saqqara, just north-east of the complex of Djoser. It is much smaller than the pyramids at Giza, and this is often interpreted as that Userkaf was not as powerful as his 4th Dynasty predecessors.

Userkaf's funerary cult seems to have been discontinued at the end of the 5th Dynasty
Userkaf was the founder of the 5th Dynasty. He ruled Ancient Egypt from 2465 BC until 2458 BC. His wife, Queen Khentkaues, was of royal blood. Historians say that Userkaf married her to align himself with the royal line. Unfortunately, his reign is not well documented, but he built a marvelous pyramid at Saqqara. His architecture and decoration demonstrates the artistic glory of the era. The pyramid was designed to act as a chapel for offerings and a as a mortuary temple for the king. The temple court has square granite columns in all the corners and some beautiful reliefs on the walls. Two of the temple's busts were recovered recently.
King Userkaf was related to the royal house from more than one side. He was the grandson of king Djedefre and he married a daughter of king Menkaure.

He moved to the very heart of the Sakkara cemetery for his tomb and had the nerve to erect his tomb monument only fifty metres from the enclosure wall of the mortuary complex of Djoser, then over 200 years old and probably with his cult still in action.

Alongside the arranging of his tomb, Userkaf started an absolutely new kind of building task at Abusir two or three kilometers toward the north, where the vast majority of his supporters ought to erect their pyramids. This was something extraordinary - a development of a Sun Temple.

This clique focal point of the sun god Re, had a tremendous stone monolith as the totem, symbolizing the sun. A sacrificial stone was put for offerings and the Palermo stone (made later in this administration) expresses that two bulls were yielded here consistently. This confidence had at this point developed to a national religion and starting now and into the foreseeable future the ruler had as one of his titles: "Child of Re".

At the point when this site was exhumed in the 1950s it ended up being in an extreme condition of destroy since it had been a stone quarry in old circumstances. The ground arrange and diverse phases of development could apportion however, and the conclusion was that more than one pharaoh had added to the working throughout the years. It is assumed that ruler Neuserre (after 100 years) included the inward fenced in area divider and councils of limestone.

At the end of the causeway down by the Nile was a Valley Temple, and the whole concept was similar to the pyramids of the pharaohs, with the difference that the tomb was changed for a shrine to the solar god Re. Written sources tell that six sun temples were built during the fifth dynasty, but only four have been found. A black stone head of the king (picture left) was found at the site. Some doubts about if it really is the king have been put forward since he is looking so young considering he became pharaoh as a middle aged man. Nonetheless is this an example of how sculpturing and art in general stood at its peak in Egyptian history at this point. Thereafter a general decline was clearly visible and never again in Egyptian history did it reach the standard of dynasty five.

Userkaf's tomb was built at Sakkara as a pyramid. Its name was "The Pyramid Which is Pure in Places" (picture below left). The temple by the pyramid had a floor made of black basalt stone and so was the foundations of the walls. The rest was made of white limestone from Tura and carved with relief scenes of offerings, decorations of animals etc.