The Dahshur necropolis lies on the western bank of the nile, about 40 km to the south of Cairo. It is known for its several pyramids, of which the most famous are the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.

The Bent Pyramid was built under Sneferu (c. 2600 BC). This pyramid’s unique and bizarre appearance was actually caused by miscalculations while building it. The Egyptians were in their first trials of building smooth-sided pyramids, instead of step-sided ones, like Djoser’s Pyramid. The pyramid is built with an initial angle of inclination of 54-degrees from the ground, but midway it changes its degree of inclination to be 43-degrees. It is speculated that during construction, the instability of the pyramid forced the engineers to make an adjustment and continue building at a shallower angle. The pyramid seemed to have befitted the Egyptians into teaching them the correct way of building pyramids, which they followed with their subsequent pyramids.

The Red Pyramid is located near the Bent Pyramid, and was built under the same pharaoh who built the Bent one, Sneferu. The Red Pyramid is the first true smooth-sided pyramid. Sneferu started building it after learning from the mistakes done in the building of the Bent Pyramid. It’s called the Red Pyramid due to the color of the material used in building it, which is red limestones. It is one of greatest pyramids ever built. The pyramid can also be entered via a passage that leads into a chamber inside it. There are a total of 3 chambers inside the Red Pyramid, with the first leading to the second via an inside passage and the second leading to the third. An interesting fact is that Snefru, the builder of the Bent and the Red Pyramids, was the father of Khufu, who later built the Great Pyramid.