Pyramids of Sneferu, Meidum and Dahshur

Attribution:

samthetax

Cairo

Egypt

Key Dates

The pyramid at Meidum was excavated by John Shae Perring in 1837, Lepsius in 1843 and again by Flinders Petrie later in the 19th century. It was Petrie – regarded as the 'father of Egyptian archaeology' – who located the mortuary temple, facing the east. In 1920, Ludwig Borchardt studied the area further, followed by Alan Rowe in 1928 and then Ali el-Kholi in the 1970s.

The Red Pyramid, though visited since the Middle Ages, was first investigated by Perring and Lepsius in the mid 1800s. Petrie and George Reisner, and then Egyptian archaeologist Ahmed Fakhry (who also excavated the bent Pyramid), worked on it in more modern times. The most recent excavations have been undertaken by the German Archaeological Institute of Cairo.

Key People

Pharaoh Sneferu (2613-2589 BCE) built three and distinctive pyramids in the Egyptian desert.

Pharaoh Sneferu (2613-2589 BCE) was responsible for building three large pyramids in the Egyptian desert, although archaeologists believe he may also have been responsible for two additional smaller ones.

His three main structures were at Meidum (30km south of Cairo) and Dahshur (20km south of Cairo).

Meidum was Sneferu's first pyramid, though it is thought it was originally started by and intended for his predecessor Huni. It is thought that it was a step pyramid that was later transformed into a pyramid with flat sides. However the entire shell is gone, so its original form is difficult to ascertain. What remains is a 65 metere, steep-sided cube with two terraced steps at the top.

Sneferu's next pyramid, at Dahshur, was the 'Bent' Pyramid, whose flat sides changed angles from 55 to 43 degrees. It was built around 2596 BCE.

The Red Pyramid, Sneferu's third, is 4km north of the Bent Pyramid. It was the world's first true smooth-sided pyramid. The poorer quality of the limestone used here has given the pyramid its name and colour. The Red Pyramid is the third-largest Egyptian pyramid, with only the efforts of Sneferu's son and grandson, Cheops and Chephren, exceeding the Red Pyramid in size.

Related Structures

Pyramids of Giza

Egyptian Museum Cairo

Admission Fee

It costs E£30 for tickets to the Red and Bent pyramids.

Related Websites

Egypt Tourism

Egyptian Monuments

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