Pyramid of Merikare

Pyramid of Merikare
Stele of the priest Anpuemhat, mentioning both the pyramids of Merikare and Teti. From Saqqara.
Merikare, 10th Dynasty
Ancient name	W3ḏ-swt-mrj-k3-Rˁ Flourishing are the abodes of Merikare
Constructed	c. 2040 BC

The Pyramid of Merikare is a still unidentified ancient Egyptian pyramid attested by inscriptions on funerary steles and possibly located in Saqqara. The pyramid is presumably the burial place of the Herakleopolitan pharaoh Merikare, who ruled towards the end of the 10th Dynasty c. 2040 BC during the First Intermediate Period. The pyramid of Merikare is possibly to be identified with the Headless Pyramid in North Saqqara, although the latter is more likely to belong to pharaoh Menkauhor.

Although undiscovered, the pyramid of Merikare is the only attested pyramid of a king belonging to the Herakleopolitan dynasties (9th and 10th). The pyramid is known by nine inscriptions, eight of which are from northern Saqqara; while the ninth is of unknown origin. From those inscriptions it is known that the ancient name of the pyramid was "Wadj Sut Merikare" variously translated as "Flourishing are the abodes of Merikare" or "The fresh places of Merikare". All these inscriptions were found in the tombs of priests and at least four of these priests were responsible for the funerary cult of both kings Merikare and the earlier 6th Dynasty king Teti. The priests furthermore lived during the early 12th Dynasty (1991 BC - 1802 BC), demonstrating that the funerary cults of these kings was still going during the Middle Kingdom and, above all, that Merikare's pyramid must have been in the vicinity of the Pyramid of Teti, in Saqqara.

Using the funerary steles of the 12th dynasty priests, Cecil Mallaby Firth believed to have found the pyramid of Merikare in 1926 on the southeast corner of that of Teti. Unfortunately, the structure identified by Firth later turned out that to be the small cult pyramid of Teti's pyramid complex.