Tomb of Meresankh III — Attraction in Giza

Her parents were brother and sister. She married the pharaoh Khafra of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt and bore him four sons: Nebemakhet, Niuserre, Khenterka and Duaenre as well as a daughter named Shepsetkau.[1] She held the royal titles of King's Daughter and King's Wife, Great of Scepter.[2]

When she died some time shortly after the reign of Khafra, Meresankh was buried in an extensively decorated mastaba tomb at Giza along with a rock-cut chapel (G7530-5440). Inscriptions on the tomb provide both the time of her death and the date for her funeral, which followed some 272 days after her death.[3] She apparently died during the first regnal year of an unnamed king, possibly the pharaoh Menkaure.[4]

This tomb was originally planned for her mother Hetepheres II, but she instead donated it for her daughter's use—which suggests that Meresankh's death was sudden and unexpected.[5] Hetepheres also provided her daughter with a black granite sarcophagus decorated with palace facades for Meresankh's burial.[6]

Her tomb was discovered by archeologist George Reisner on April 23, 1927,[7] with subsequent excavations undertaken by his team on behalf of Harvard University and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Her sarcophagus and skeleton are today located in the Cairo Museum; the latter reveals that she was 1.54 metres (5'1") tall and between 50–55 years at her death.[8] The tomb also contained a set of the earliest known canopic jars.[9] A limestone statue depicting Queen Hetepheres embracing her late daughter Meresankh was found in her tomb and is today located in the Museum of Fine...

Tomb of Queen Meresankh III (Adult: EGP 50, extra to entrance ticket of Pyramids) Under the shadow of the Great Pyramid lies the mastaba of Queen Meresankh III, the wife of Khafra and granddaughter of Khufu. Both very large and exquisitely decorated, this is indeed a tomb worthy of her rank—and fortunately also contains the best preserved wall reliefs in the Eastern Cemetery.

These are decorated with a diverse array of scenes, including bread baking, beer brewing, fowling, herding, mat making, metal smelting, and the sculpting of statues, apparently of Meresankh herself. These, along with the elaborate scenes of offering-bearers bringing all sorts of gifts to Meresankh, were intended to magically provide her soul with a continuous stream of food and goods in the afterlife. Interestingly, among the objects being brought to her are a canopy with a bed being set up within it, an armchair, and a carrying chair. Actual examples of very similar objects were discovered in the tomb of Hetepheres I, the mother of Kufu, and can be seen today at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Among the most striking features of Meresankh’s tomb chapel is a series of ten large statues of women that are carved out of the northern wall. It is believed that they represent, in addition to Meresankh herself, her mother, and...

Very disappointed!!! Especially if you go alone. It's not worth the money, the time and the stress. It is not possible to enjoy the experience because every step you take there is someone to harass you. It can be a beggar or scammer or someone with a horse or a camel or someone wanting your phone to take a picture of you. The area outside the site is like frozen in time, camel and horse shit everywhere, beggars, locals offering taxi services, mountains of rubbish, smells really bad. The entrance fee is quite expensive and you don't need to pay to go inside the pyramids as there is nothing to see. After this awful experience I think it's better to stay somewhere in downtown or New Cairo and book a guide and go in a group otherwise you...