Dahshur

Dahshur is a desert area on the west bank of the Nile River, about 40 kilometres south‑southwest of modern Cairo, Egypt. It is most famous for its group of early Old Kingdom pyramids, which mark a transitional phase in Egyptian monumental architecture between the step pyramids of Saqqara and the classic smooth‑sided pyramids of Giza.

The site’s first major monument, the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu (c. 2600 BC), was originally built as a 105‑metre structure but was altered midway to a steeper angle, giving it a distinctive “bent” profile. A few metres away stands Sneferu’s Red Pyramid, the first true smooth‑sided pyramid and the largest built during the Fourth Dynasty. Both pyramids were constructed of limestone blocks and were originally encased in white Tura limestone, much of which has been lost.

Later kings added smaller pyramids, including those of Khaba (the “Layer Pyramid”) and the complex of the 5th‑dynasty pharaohs, as well as a series of mastabas and tombs for elite officials. The area was largely abandoned after the Middle Kingdom, but its relatively isolated location helped preserve the structures, making Dahshur an important reference point for studying the evolution of pyramid design.

Archaeological work, notably by French Egyptologists in the 19th and early 20th centuries and more recent Egyptian missions, has uncovered reliefs, burial goods, and inscriptions that illuminate royal ideology and construction techniques. Dahshur is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracting scholars and tourists interested in the early phases of Egyptian pyramid building.