Userkaf

Pharaoh Infobox | Name= Userkaf |

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Caption=The ruined pyramid of Userkaf at Saqqara
NomenHiero= G43-S29-F12-D28-I9
Nomen=
Reign=2498 – 2491 BC
Predecessor= Shepseskaf or Djedefptah
Successor= Sahure
Dynasty= 5th Dynasty
Father= Unknown
Mother= Neferhetep
Died= 2491 BC
Monuments= Pyramid of Userkaf

Userkaf was the founder of the Fifth dynasty of Egypt and the first pharaoh to start the tradition of building sun temples at Abusir. [ [http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/userkafsuntemple.htm Userkaf's sun temple] ] . Userkaf's name means "his "Ka" (or soul) is powerful." [Clayton, Peter. Chronicle of the Pharaohs, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 1994. p.61] He ruled from 2465-2458 BC and constructed the Pyramid of Userkaf complex at Saqqara.

His mother is known to have been queen Neferhetep. His father is unknown, although Userkaf was a grandson of Djedefra, the immediate successor of Khufu. [Clayton, op. cit., p.61] A bust of Userkaf is displayed in the Egyptian Museum. The head was found in the first (of five) sun temples at Abu Ghurob built by the rulers of the fifth dynasty. The head of Userkaf is 45 cm high and carved from greywacke stone. The sculpture is considered particularly important as it is among the very few sculptures in the round from the Old Kingdom that show the monarch wearing the Deshret (Red Crown) of Lower Egypt. The head was uncovered in 1957 during the joint excavation expedition of the German and Swiss Institutes of Cairo.

It is believed that he was father of two pharaohs: Sahure and Neferirkare Kakai. Another less common view, in concordance with a story of the Westcar Papyrus, is that first three rulers of the fifth dynasty were all brothers—the sons of queen Khentkaus I.

He is given a reign of 7 years by both the Turin Royal Canon and Manetho.

Contemporary adaptions

Egyptian Nobel Prize for Literature-winner Naguib Mahfouz published a short story in 1938 about Userkaf entitled "Afw al-malik Usirkaf: uqsusa misriya". This short story was translated by Raymond Stock as "King Userkaf's Forgiveness" in the collection of short stories "Voices From the Other World" in 2003.

References

References

*Hawass, Zahi, "The Head of Userkaf" in "The Splendour of the Old Kingdom" in "The Treasures of the Egyptian Museum", Francesco Tiradritti (editor), The American University in Cairo Press, 1999, p. 72-73.
*Magi, Giovanna. "Saqqara: The Pyramid, The Mastabas and the Archaeological Site", Casa Editrice Bonechi, 2006
*Mahfouz, Naguib. "King Userkaf's Forgiveness" in "Voices from the Other World" (translated by Robert Stock), Random House, 2003.
*Verbrugghe, Gerald and Wickersham, John. "Berossos and Manetho", University of Michigan Press 2001 (ISBN 0-472-08687-1)
* [http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/userkaf.htm Userkaf] by J. Dunn