Dahshur Pyramid Of Snefru
The Red Pyramid
At Dahshur, Snefru constructed another huge pyramid after his Bent Pyramid. This second pyramid was placed roughly 4 kilometres to the north of Dahshur. It is called “Red Pyramid,” or sometimes just referred to as “North.”
Remember that this monument was actually the third pyramid which Snefru tried to build, the first being the failed one at Meidum. But it is referred to as the second pyramid because it is his second completed pyramid. The name it went by in ancient times was “Snefru Shrines.” By the time Snefru’s architects started building the Red Pyramid, they were able to apply their experience and technical skills from the previous pyramids to this new one. The plans for the Red Pyramid were more realistic too, which meant the slope angles were reduced from the start.
The Red Pyramid has blocks with a lot of markings on them. These markings were likely made by the architects and builders of the pyramid. They consist of various dates which seem to be a record of the duration it took to complete the pyramid’s construction. Based on the evidence, construction of the Red Pyramid likely began during the 30th year of Snefru’s reign over Egypt.
It is called the “Red Pyramid” because the core of the pyramid is made from red-coloured limestone. It was originally encased with white limestone, but that has gone missing over the years since it was built.
The Red Pyramid has a length of 220 meters on each side and its height was originally 104 meters. In a recent excavation, German archaeologists discovered the capstone remains of the pyramid. The capstone went on to be reconstructed in its entirety so that it could be positioned at the eastern side of the pyramid.
A small horizontal passageway leads to the burial chamber. If you go to the 2nd antechamber’s southern wall, the passage is positioned roughly 8 meters high off the floor. According to these German archaeologists, their research suggests that the king might have been buried in the pyramid. They found bone fragments in the passageway which are human. However, it was later proven that someone else had intruded the pyramid to bury another person there. This likely occurred during the Late Period.
The Bent Pyramid is believed to be the true burial location of the king, according to other teams of archaeologists. The pyramid has a burial chamber which is positioned from east to west. This differs from the previous two pyramids which came from the Third Dynasty. The particular burial chamber had a 16-meter high vaulted ceiling.
On the Red Pyramid’s eastern side, there is a mortuary temple which looks like it was constructed quickly following the death of the king. The German archaeological team wants to reconstruct the temple using the remains which still exist. One piece of the remains is a false door stela made of pink granite. Other pieces found were from mudbrick-based storage rooms and a Sed Festival.
The perimeter of the complex consisted of a rectangular wall. Evidence of an unfinished causeway was found near the valley temple. They also found signs of construction ramps which linked between the Nile Valley and the mortuary temple.
In the early 20th century, construction work started near the Nile Valley. Workers discovered a pyramid town by the name of Snefru at the valley’s edge. There were even pieces of a valley temple discovered, but these remains have since vanished.
Researchers dug through the ruins of the town and found a piece of a limestone stela. It contained a written decree from King Pepi I. It was basically a tax exemption he was giving to the town.