The Pyramid Field of Dahshur:
Dahshur is a remote desert pyramid field of great significance in the history of pyramid building.
The two Old Kingdom pyramids at the site were constructed by 4th-Dynasty king Sneferu (2613-2589 BC), father of Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid V-Chronologically they come after Saqqara and Medium and before Giza and Abusir.
The Bent Pyramid is considered to be Egypt’s first proper pyramid because until this time pyramids were stepped, like Djoser’s at Saqqara.
The prevailing theory is that the pyramid is bent because once it began to rise the whole structure became unstable and so it had to be completed at a shallower slope.
Unusually for pyramids dating from this period, much of its outer limestone casing is still intact, giving a good impression of what a visually stunning sight it must once have been.
Not happy with his Bent Pyramid, in the thirtieth year of his reign Sneferu began construction of the northern Red Pyramid, so called because of its ancient red graffiti.
Second in size only to the Great Pyramid, it can be entered via a passage on the north face.
At the foot of a long shaft are three chambers, two of which have corbelled ceilings – where the arch is formed by a series of steps.
The two smaller pyramids at Dahshur date from the Middle Kingdom, when there was a revival in pyramid building. They are badly dilapidated and of less interest.
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