Archaeological site · Egypt
Bent Pyramid (Dahshur)
الهرم المنحني
Sneferu's pyramid at Dahshur whose slope changes partway up, recording a mid-construction rethink of pyramid design.
Where it is
29.7902, 31.2095
Why go
The Bent Pyramid was raised for Sneferu, first king of the Fourth Dynasty, and takes its name from the change of angle visible on its faces: the builders began steeply and then flattened the upper slope. That kink makes it a readable document of experiment between Djoser's stepped form and the smooth-sided pyramids that followed. It has two entrances, one on the north reached by modern wooden stairs and another high on the west face, each leading to a corbel-roofed chamber.
Near Bent Pyramid (Dahshur)
Archaeological site
Red Pyramid (Dahshur)
Sneferu's smooth-sided pyramid at Dahshur, the tallest there, with a descending passage into corbel-roofed chambers.
2 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Museum
Memphis Open-Air Museum (Mit Rahina)
Open-air museum in Mit Rahina on the site of ancient Memphis, with an alabaster sphinx and stonework from the Ptah temple area.
8 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Museum
Imhotep Museum (Saqqara)
Site museum at Saqqara showing finds from the necropolis, named for Imhotep, architect of Djoser's Step Pyramid.
9 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Archaeological site
Saqqara Necropolis
The Memphis necropolis at Saqqara includes Djoser’s Step Pyramid, royal pyramids and decorated tombs.
9 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ