USERKAF

flourished 3rd millennium BC first king of the 5th dynasty of Egypt (c. 2465c. 2325 BC) who elevated the cult of Re, god of the sun, to unprecedented importance. Probably descended from Redjedef (third king of the 4th dynasty), Userkaf strengthened his legitimacy by marrying the heiress Khentkaues, who was a descendant of the main branch of the royal family. Thus he ended the dynastic struggles that the rival branches had caused during the 4th dynasty. His queen occupied a very prominent position and even built her own tomb at Giza, known as the Unfinished Pyramid. Userkaf himself built the first of a series of temples to Re at Abu Sir, somewhat north of modern Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile. His pyramid at Saqqarah was smaller than those of the 4th dynasty, perhaps indicating that the Re cult eclipsed some of the pharaoh's preeminence. Also, the royal control of administration slackened under Userkaf, with a corresponding growth of importance of provincial personalities, particularly in Upper Egypt.