Meidum Pyramid

The Meidum Pyramid stands alone on the edge of the desert in Beni Suef governorate, about 72 km south of Cairo. A tall stepped tower rising from a huge mound of rubble, it is one of the most recognisable shapes in Egypt, and locals call it el-Haram el-Kaddab, the “false pyramid”. It was built for Sneferu (c. 2613–2589 BC), the first king of the Fourth Dynasty, and may have been begun by his predecessor Huni, the last king of the Third. The ancient name of the site was Djed Sneferu, “Sneferu endures”.

From step pyramid to true pyramid

The pyramid went up in three stages. It began as a seven-step pyramid planned to stand about 65 m high, in the tradition of Djoser’s Step Pyramid at Saqqara, and was then enlarged to eight steps. In the last stage the steps were filled in and cased in limestone, turning it into a smooth-sided true pyramid about 92 m high on a base of 144 m: Egypt’s first attempt at the shape later perfected at Giza. Sneferu also built the Bent and Red Pyramids at Dahshur during his reign.

What you see today is the core, about 65 m high in three steep steps above a field of rubble. The outer casing stood on sand rather than rock, and how and when it fell is still debated. Some scholars think it slipped during or soon after building; the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities says layered deposits point to gradual erosion over a long period. The pyramid’s weaknesses are often linked to the change of angle halfway up Sneferu’s Bent Pyramid.

Inside the pyramid

The entrance is high on the north face. A descending passage cuts down into the bedrock and levels out into a horizontal corridor, and a short vertical shaft, now climbed by a wooden ladder, rises into the burial chamber. Its corbelled ceiling, built from layers of stone that step inwards as they rise, is the first known use of corbelling for a stone roof; the same technique was used later in the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid. The chamber was left unfinished, and there is no sign that anyone was ever buried in it.

Around the pyramid

• Mortuary temple: a small, plain temple on the east side, found intact under the rubble, with two stelae that were never inscribed. Under Thutmose III a scribe called Ankhkheperreseneb left an inscription praising the “temple of Horus Sneferu”.
• Causeway: the ramp that ran east from the temple towards the valley.
• Tombs of the royal family: large mud-brick mastabas of Sneferu’s relatives and officials lie nearby. The tomb of Nefermaat and his wife Itet produced the painted Meidum Geese, and the tomb of Rahotep produced the painted seated statues of Rahotep and his wife Nofret, found in 1871 and now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Visiting tips

• Allow one to two hours, including the climb down into the pyramid.
• The passage is long, low and steep, and the last part is a ladder, so it does not suit visitors with limited mobility or anyone uneasy in tight spaces.
• The site is quiet and open, with little shade. Come early, and bring water, a hat and a torch.
• Meidum combines well with Dahshur on the way from Cairo, or with a day in Faiyum.

Getting there

Meidum is about 72 km south of Cairo, west of the Nile near El Wasta: roughly one and a half to two hours by road, depending on traffic. There is no direct public transport to the site, so most visitors hire a car and driver or join a tour from Cairo, often combined with Dahshur or Faiyum.

Last checked November 2026. Sources: egymonuments.gov.eg, en.wikipedia.org, egyptianmuseumcairo.eg, egymonuments.com.