About an hour from Cairo, Dahshur is a desert area located on the western bank of the Nile. And it is precisely here, that one finds the most unusual pyramids of Egypt. It does not have exactly the charm of the pyramids of Giza, yet Egypt recently decided to focus on it to attract new tourist flows to the country!
Dahshur is located about 40 kilometers southwest of Cairo and it is one of the unusual things to do in Cairo that is not heavily pressurized by the usual Cairo Day Tours, in the southern end of the vast pyramid field that begins at Giza. Excavations at Dahshur showed us the remains of seven pyramids, as well as the tomb complexes built for queens and nobility from Memphis up to the 13th Dynasty in the Middle Kingdom.
The two pyramids constructed here lately have been completely destroyed by time, such as the Black Pyramid (12th Dynasty), which are badly damaged, but Dahshur also has two of Egypt's best-preserved pyramids. Both of them built when the reign of King (Sneferu) the founder of the 4th Dynasty, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid at Dahshur is massive evidence of the architectural development that lead to the construction of the Great Pyramid and its companions at Giza.
Bent Pyramid the first of the Dahshur pyramids was built under the rule of King Sneferu, It was the first attempt from the ancient Egyptian to a built smooth-sided pyramid, but miscalculations in the distribution of the cut rocks occurred causing the angle of the pyramid to be off and that's why it is called “The Bent Pyramid".
What can be done here? Not only take photos to portray it in all its grandeur: tourists will also be able to descend into the 79-meter long corridor leading to the 23 meters of depth into the underground chamber, thus admiring the heart of an ancient and definitely a genius construction.
King Sneferu ordered the building of the second pyramid of Dahshur, the Red Pyramid learning from his mistakes. Once completed, the pyramid was considered to be a success, as it was a fully constructed, smooth sided, rising to a height (104 meters). The Red Pyramid’s name comes from its red limestone. It is believed to be the resting place of King Sneferu.
Immediately after King Sneferu’s death, the third pyramid by his son Khufutowas was fabricated by his own legacy, built to us The Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the seven wonders of the world.
Several tombs of royal women were found, located close to the pyramid of the 12th Dynasty containing a large amount of jewelry (the highest stage of metalworking in Egypt during this time period). The pyramid of Senusret III with smaller pyramids of royal women. Massive cemeteries of officials of the Old Kingdom and the Middle Kingdom have been found around Dahshur's pyramids. Egypt's royal necropolis during the reign of the 12th Dynasty king Amenemhat II was Dahshur.
sometimes we go to Dahshur during a lot of Egypt Tours that are listed here:
during Cairo layover we can take you on some of our Cairo Day Tours from Airport:
or during your tours to Egypt, we can pick up you to do full Cairo Day Tours or during many options of our Egypt Day Tours:
- Cairo and the Nile by Air 8 Days 7 Nights - Pyramids, Nile Cruise & Sharm El Sheikh - Tour to Giza pyramids, the Egyptian Museum, Old Cairo and Khan El Khalili
- 5 Days Cairo and Luxor Holiday during the Christmas | Egypt Christmas Travel | Egypt Christmas and New Year Tours.
Most of Egypt Travel Packages would be covering the area of Memphis.