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Pepi I Meryre was the third king of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, ruling for more than 40 years around the second half of the 24th century BC. Pepi was the son of the dynasty's founder Teti, had at least six queens, and was succeeded by son Merenre Nemtyemsaf I. Confronted with the decline of the pharaoh's power at the expense of local officials, Pepi reacted with a vast architectural program involving the construction of temples and numerous chapels throughout Egypt, reinforcing his presence in the provinces. Egypt's prosperity allowed Pepi to become the most prolific builder of the Old Kingdom period. His external policy included military campaigns against Nubia, the Sinai and the southern Levant. Trade with Byblos, Ebla and the oases of the Western Desert flourished while Pepi launched mining and quarrying expeditions to Sinai and further afield. Pepi had a pyramid complex built for his funerary cult in Saqqara next to which he built at least a further six pyramids for his queens. (Full article...)