Neferirkare Kakai

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Neferirkare Kakai in hieroglyphs

Neferirkare Kakai was Pharaoh of Egypt during the Fifth dynasty. His prenomen, Neferirkare means "Beautiful is the Soul of Re." From the large size of his mortuary complex at Abusir, he was probably an important king, but since the Palermo stone breaks off during his rule, little is actually known about his reign. The Pyramid of Neferirkare Kakai (burial place) of the king was initially designed as a 6-step pyramid 52m high, but later it was extended to the form of a typical pyramid and it reached a height of 72m. The mortuary complex is unfinished, and only part of the lower mortuary temple was completed before, it is supposed, the abandonment of the project. Neferirkare was probably the brother of pharaoh Sahure and son of pharaoh Userkaf, the founder of the dynasty. Since the annals in the Palermo stone terminate around Neferirkare’s rule, some scholars have suggested that they might have been compiled during his reign. However, evidence from the other side of the stela implies that the document covered the reigns of later Old Kingdom kings. Hence, it is possible that this Annal was composed during the time of Nyuserre Ini who had a long reign and was the third successor to Neferirkare after the short-lived the ephemeral Shepseskare Isi and the short-lived Neferefre.

An important cache of Old Kingdom administrative papyri was discovered from Neferirkare's mortuary temple between 1893 and 1907 which date primarily to the reigns of Djedkare Isesi and Unas. One of the documents is an actual letter by king Djedkare to the Temple Priests provisioning Neferirkare's funerary temple. Manetho's Epitome assigns Neferirkare a reign of 20 Years while the main portion of the damaged Palermo Stone records the Year of his 5th Cattle Count before his following years were lost in the damaged portion of the document.

Neferirkare's reign in the 5th Dynasty was unusual for the significant number of recorded personal details which describe him as a kind and gentle ruler. When Rawer, an old nobleman, accidentally touched the king with his walking stick--a sin which could have caused this official's banishment from court since the Pharaoh was viewed as a living God in Old Kingdom mythology--Neferirkare quickly pardoned Rawer and declared Rawer's touch to be "an honour." Similarly, he also gave permission to the Priest Ptahshepses to kiss his feet. Finally, when the Vizier Weshptah suffered a stroke while attending court, the king summoned the palace's chief doctors to treat his dying Vizier. When Weshptah died, Neferirkare was reportedly inconsolable and retired to his personal quarters to mourn his friend. The king then ordered the purification of Weshptah's body in his presence and ordered an ebony coffin made for the deceased Vizier. Weshptah was buried with special endowments and rituals courtesy of Neferirkare. These records of the king's actions are inscribed in Wesptah's Tomb itself and emphasize his humanity towards others.