Dr. Nicole Alexanian holds a PhD in Egyptology from Universität Heidelberg.
Since 2000 she has been directing a German Archaeological Institute project at Dahshur in Egypt. The site is known as the location of several pyramids. These include the Bent and Red Pyramids, constructed by the pharaoh Snefru during the Egyptian 4th dynasty. It is also home to the Black Pyramid, constructed by Amenemhat III during the Middle Kingdom.
Dr. Alexanian and her team have been reconstructing what the Dahshur landscape looked like in ancient times, examining its topography, geology and climate. They found that the ground beneath the Bent Pyramid contains a “muddy” material called taffla, something that would make stable construction difficult. This find may explain why the angle of the pyramid was changed part way through construction.
Recently the team discovered a massive U-shaped structure to the northeast of the Bent Pyramid. It’s 90 meters by 145 meters long and built with mudbrick. It’s open on the east side, leading researchers to believe that it could have been used as an ancient harbour.
A 140 meter long mud brick causeway connects the structure to one of the pyramid’s temples. This causeway is vaulted and has white and yellow plaster on the inside. This appears to be the earliest instance in which a roofed causeway was used at an Egyptian pyramid complex.
