Dahshur

Dahshur is an ancient royal necropolis on the west bank of the Nile, roughly 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Cairo. In the 15th year of his reign, for reasons that are not known, King Sneferu (2613–2589 BC) left Meidum and moved north to Dahshur.

The king built two large pyramids here, the Bent Pyramid and the Red (North) Pyramid. A long causeway runs from the Bent Pyramid to what is thought to be the first valley temple. Snefru’s nobles and court officials were buried in tombs north-east of the Bent Pyramid.

Even after building two giant pyramids at Dahshur, one of them meant to hold his body, Snefru was apparently not satisfied and went back to Meidum to finish his pyramid there.

In 1986 the Lepsius Pyramid (Pyramid number 50 L) was discovered east of the Red Pyramid. It consists of the base of a pyramid that was barely begun. Pottery found around it dates to the 4th Dynasty.

Middle Kingdom kings also chose Dahshur for their pyramids, starting with King Amenemhat II (1929–1895 BC). Kings Amenemhat III (1842–1797 BC) and Senusret III (1878–1841 BC) built mudbrick pyramids here. The pyramid of Amenemhat III cracked, which probably explains why he built another at Hawara.

The Bent Pyramid

Problems during construction produced the so-called Bent Pyramid: its lower part rises more steeply than its upper part, which gives the pyramid its name. It was built not on rock but on a fairly soft layer of clay, which seriously weakened the whole structure.

The original plan was for the sides to rise at a steep sixty degrees. During building the angle was reduced to fifty-five degrees, which meant enlarging the base. You can see the change between the two stages in the ceiling and side walls of the north corridor.

When the structure was about forty-five metres high, the angle was reduced again, to only forty-five degrees. This cut the volume of the upper half and was probably done because the internal chambers were in danger of being damaged.

The pyramid is unique in having two internal systems, with entrances on the north and west sides. From the north, a sloping passage leads to a corbelled antechamber and a corbelled burial chamber. (A corbelled ceiling is built in steps, like an upside-down staircase, that meet at a peak and are strong enough to carry the weight above.) From the west, a second passage runs through portcullis blocks to another corbelled burial chamber. A passage was later cut to connect the two burial chambers.

A small chapel stood in front of the east side of the pyramid, and from it a causeway runs to what is often called the first valley temple. This small rectangular building combined features of a mortuary temple and a valley temple. Its decorated blocks will be displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum.

A small satellite pyramid stands in front of the southern side of the pyramid. Its interior is in some ways a shortened version of the later Great Pyramid at Giza, with a descending and an ascending passage.

The Red (North) Pyramid

In the 30th year of his reign King Snefru abandoned the Bent Pyramid and ordered the Red Pyramid to be built as his burial place. Its sides rise at a gentler forty-three degrees. It is neatly planned and built, with an efficient use of materials.

Its substructure shows the same stages of development as the Bent Pyramid. A corridor starting high on the pyramid descends to two identical corbelled antechambers, and a passage from the second antechamber leads to the main burial chamber.

Archaeologists found traces of the pyramid complex, including a mudbrick mortuary temple and a causeway, and reconstructed them.

The Pyramid of Senusret III

King Senusret III built his pyramid north-east of the Red Pyramid. It had a mudbrick core cased in fine limestone and probably stood as much as 78 metres high. The entrance is near the north-west corner. From there a vertical shaft drops to a descending corridor, which turns twice before reaching a burial chamber well off the centre of the pyramid.

The pyramid complex included a small temple in the middle of the east side, and an ‘entrance chapel’ and shaft tombs of royal women in the middle of the north side. A causeway has been found, but no trace of a valley temple.

The Pyramid of Amenemhat III (Black Pyramid)

Builders’ graffiti suggest that King Amenemhat III ordered this pyramid in the 1st year of his reign. The mudbrick pyramid lies east of the Bent Pyramid and, as with his father’s, was cased in fine Turah limestone.

The pyramid has two entrances, facing each other at the south end of the east and west sides. They take the form of stairways and lead to more chambers and passages than any pyramid since the Third Dynasty. The whole substructure is cased in white limestone.

Although this may not have been the royal grave, the pyramid had a mortuary temple, a causeway and a valley temple. This is the first 12th Dynasty valley temple to be found and partly cleared. The mortuary temple was almost completely destroyed.