Pyramid of Userkaf

29.8753°N, 31.2167°E.

First pyramid of the fifth dynasty, built by founding pharaoh Userkaf at Saqqara approximately 2494 BCE. Original height: 49 metres on a 73.3-metre square base — significantly smaller than the great fourth-dynasty pyramids, beginning the long fifth-dynasty trend toward modestly scaled royal tombs and lavishly decorated mortuary temples. The pyramid is now a heap of rubble; the casing was robbed almost completely in antiquity. The mortuary temple lies on the southern side of the pyramid rather than the eastern — an unusual orientation, possibly to accommodate the close proximity of Djoser's step pyramid enclosure. Reliefs in the temple include the earliest known depiction of bird species in Egyptian art with sufficient detail to identify by genus.

Userkaf shifted royal scale downward and royal art upward — and a relief in his temple lets ornithologists identify each bird the artist saw.