Dahshur
About 40 km south of Cairo lies the area of Dahshur, the site of Egypt’s oldest pyramids in their known form. It is part of the Memphis necropolis, the capital of the Old Kingdom. Sneferu built two pyramids here, known as the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.
The Dahshur Complex
The kings of the Middle Kingdom built three more pyramids here, namely the pyramids of Amenemhat II, Amenemhat III, and Senusret III, which are considered architectural experiments leading up to the peak of pyramid architecture in the Giza pyramids. The site also includes tombs with terraces for queens, members of the royal family, and priests.
The Northern Pyramid is a massive structure comparable in size to the Great Pyramid of Khufu. Its base is 220 meters long and about 99 meters high. The entrance is located on the north side at a height of about 28 meters and leads to a 60-meter-long corridor, followed by three rooms each with a terraced roof. No evidence of a burial was found inside. Surrounding the pyramid are many tombs dating back to the Old Kingdom and later periods.
The Southern Pyramid, called the Bent or Inclined Pyramid, is built from limestone and has an outer casing of white limestone. Unlike the Great Pyramid of Khufu, many of its outer stones remain intact. The base length is approximately 188 meters with a height of about 101 meters. It has two entrances: the first is located 11 meters high on the north side, leading to a roughly 79-meter-long corridor and rooms with stepped ceilings.
On the west side, there is another entrance 33 meters high, sealed by a large stone block, indicating it led to an important internal area of the pyramid. This entrance opens to another 64-meter corridor leading to a burial chamber.
There are different theories explaining the bending and change of angle in the pyramid’s construction. One is that the angle was altered to speed up construction and prevent the outer casing stones from collapsing. Another possibility is to reduce the building’s weight and prevent the collapse of the internal chambers and corridors, where some cracks had already appeared.