The construction of the outer casing of the pyramid was halted at sixteen to eighteen layers of granite following Menkaure's death, only seven of which remain today due to vandalism and erosion.

[6] The pyramid's date of construction is unknown, because Menkaure's reign has not been accurately defined, but it was probably completed in the 26th century BC.

In 1837, Howard Vyse and John Shae Perring discovered the basalt sarcophagus of Menkaure, described as beautiful black and rich in detail with a bold projecting cornice, which contained the bones of a young woman.

[7] A wooden anthropoid coffin inscribed with Menkaure's name and containing the remains of a mummy were found in the upper burial chamber and later transferred safely to the British Museum.

Subsequent architectural additions and two stelae from the Sixth Dynasty suggest that a cult for the Pharaoh was maintained, or was periodically renewed, for two centuries after his death.

Its casing is partly of granite, like the main pyramid, and is believed to have been completed due to the limestone pyramidion found close by.

The fact that the structure once contained a pink granite sarcophagus,[13] has led scholars to speculate that it may have been reused as a queen's burial tomb, or that it served as a chapel where the body of Menkaure was mummified.

[14] In 1196, Al-Aziz Uthman, Saladin's son and the Sultan of Egypt, attempted to demolish the pyramids, starting with that of Menkaure.

[15][16] In January 2024, a project to study and document the outer granite blocks which had fallen off of the facade began, with the goal to reinstall them.

[19][20] Weeks after the announcement, the project was cancelled following backlash by researchers and a report by a team of experts called in by Egyptian officials and led by Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s former minister of antiquities which “unanimously objected to the re-installation of the granite casing blocks scattered around the base of the pyramid”.