diff --git a/src/memory.h b/src/memory.h
index 0073be189f..1e66207666 100644
--- a/src/memory.h
+++ b/src/memory.h
@@ -437,6 +437,72 @@ class Memory : protected Pointers {
       sfree(array);
     }
 
+/* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+   create a 5d array 
+------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+  template <typename TYPE>
+    TYPE *****create(TYPE *****&array, int n1, int n2, int n3, int n4,
+		     int n5, const char *name)
+    {
+      bigint nbytes = ((bigint) sizeof(TYPE)) * n1*n2*n3*n4*n5;
+      TYPE *data = (TYPE *) smalloc(nbytes,name);
+      nbytes = ((bigint) sizeof(TYPE *)) * n1*n2*n3*n4;
+      TYPE **level4 = (TYPE **) smalloc(nbytes,name);
+      nbytes = ((bigint) sizeof(TYPE **)) * n1*n2*n3;
+      TYPE ***level3 = (TYPE ***) smalloc(nbytes,name);
+      nbytes = ((bigint) sizeof(TYPE ***)) * n1*n2;
+      TYPE ****level2 = (TYPE ****) smalloc(nbytes,name);
+      nbytes = ((bigint) sizeof(TYPE ****)) * n1;
+      array = (TYPE *****) smalloc(nbytes,name);
+      
+      int i,j,k,l;
+      bigint m1,m2,m3,m4,m5;
+      bigint n = 0;
+      for (i = 0; i < n1; i++) {
+	m2 = ((bigint) i) * n2;
+	array[i] = &level2[m2];
+	for (j = 0; j < n2; j++) {
+	  m1 = ((bigint) i) * n2 + j;
+	  m2 = ((bigint) i) * n2*n3 +  ((bigint) j) * n3;
+	  level2[m1] = &level3[m2];
+	  for (k = 0; k < n3; k++) {
+	    m1 = ((bigint) i) * n2*n3 +  ((bigint) j) * n3 + k;
+	    m2 = ((bigint) i) * n2*n3*n4 + 
+	      ((bigint) j) * n3*n4 + ((bigint) k) * n4;
+	    level3[m1] = &level4[m2];
+	    for (l = 0; l < n4; l++) {
+	      m1 = ((bigint) i) * n2*n3*n4 + 
+		((bigint) j) * n3*n4 + ((bigint) k) * n4 + l;
+	      level4[m1] = &data[n];
+	      n += n5;
+	    }
+	  }
+	}
+      }
+      return array;
+    }
+
+  template <typename TYPE>
+    TYPE ******create(TYPE ******&array, int n1, int n2, int n3, int n4,
+		      int n5, const char *name)
+    {fail(name);}
+
+/* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+   destroy a 5d array 
+------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+  template <typename TYPE>
+    void destroy(TYPE *****array)
+    {
+      if (array == NULL) return;
+      sfree(array[0][0][0][0]);
+      sfree(array[0][0][0]);
+      sfree(array[0][0]);
+      sfree(array[0]);
+      sfree(array);
+    }
+
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    memory usage of arrays, including pointers
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */