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The last of the three

Menkaure

The southernmost and last of the Giza group, and the smallest of the three main pyramids.

The relatively small pyramid of Menkaure, its large blocks clearly visible, with a deep opening in the centre of the facing side and a roped path in the foreground
The pyramid of Menkaure, 4 October 2018, with the well-known opening in the north face.Photo: Vincent Brown · CC BY 2.0 · Commons

The southernmost and last pyramid to be built was that of Menkaure (Greek: Mykerinus), the fifth king of the 4th dynasty.⁠1 Each side of Menkaure’s pyramid, Britannica says, measures 356.5 feet (109 metres), and the structure’s completed height was 218 feet (66 metres).⁠1

All three pyramids were plundered in ancient and medieval times: the grave goods are missing, and the kings’ bodies have never been found.⁠1

The interiors of all three pyramids of Giza are open to visitors, each with a separate ticket, and climbing the pyramids is now illegal.⁠1

Menkaure’s pyramid is still a royal tomb in the same family as Khufu and Khafre, not an afterthought. The opening in the north face, visible in the photograph, is part of the monument as it stands today; this site does not invent a story for who cut it.

Sources on this page

  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Pyramids of Giza (editors’ main article; checked 15 November 2026)