Dahshur (Arabic ????? Dah??r, in English often called Dashur), is a royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile approximately 40 kilometres south of Cairo. It is known chiefly for several pyramids, two of which are among the oldest, largest and best preserved in Egypt.

Pyramids

The Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid were constructed during the reign of Pharaoh Snofru, father of Khufu of the Old Kingdom. The unusual shape of the Bent Pyramid is unique, and represents a transitional pyramid form believed to have been the result of an engineering crisis encountered during its construction. The Red Pyramid is the world's first true smooth-sided pyramid.

Snofru's Bent Pyramid

Snofru's Red Pyramid

Snofru's Red Pyramid

There are several other pyramids of the 13th Dynasty at Dahshur. Only the one of Ameny Qemau has been excavated so far. Ahmad Fakhri was an archaeologist who worked at this site.

Extensive cemeteries of officials of the Old and Middle Kingdom have been found around Dahshur's pyramids. Dahshur was Egypt's royal necropolis during the reign of the 12th Dynasty king Amenemhat II.

External links

• Some rare pictures from inside the Bent Pyramid of Dahshur

References

• Dahshur - Pyramid Breeding Ground
• Dahshur

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