How many pyramids were built in Egypt?

As of from the data till November 2008, there are around 120 identified pyramids in Egypt. All belong to the period of ancient Egypt. Among theme, three are most famous as well as well preserved; these are the three Pyramids of Giza.

What is the Bent Pyramid?

Bent Pyramid is located at the royal necropolis of Dahshur, approximately 40 km south of Cairo. It was constructed during the reign of Pharaoh Sneferu of the Old Kingdom, dated back to approximately 2600 BCE. It took approximately 17 years to build the pyramid.

When did pharaoh Sneferu rule?

Pharaoh Sneferu was the first king of the fourth dynasty of the Old Kingdom in ancient Egypt.  According to researchers, he ruled for approximately 24 years (2613-2589).

Why it is called the Bent Pyramid?

This pyramid is called the Bent Pyramid because of its design. The upper courses of the pyramid were built at an angle of 43 degrees, while the lower courses were built at a higher angle of 54 – 55 degrees. This is the reason for assigning the title ‘bent’ to this pyramid.

Although, there are some theories among Egyptologists on why it is built in ‘bent’ shape. The premature death of the pharaoh, speedy completion of the pyramid: these are some prevalent theories regarding this matter.

The Pyramid Complex

The Bent pyramid was clad with Tura polished limestone.  In 1950s archaeologist Ahmed Fakry discovered a large complex which surrounded the Bent pyramid. This complex was enclosed by a wall. Yellowish-grey local limestone was used to build this wall.

There is the main pyramid, a small pyramid, a small mortuary temple & a small courtyard within this enclosure wall. There is a causeway which starts from the courtyard & led out towards the valley temple nearby.

How the Bent pyramid was built?

Earlier, it was thought that the design of the pyramid refers to some kind of religious significance. But, later it came to be understood that the ‘bent’ design was used only to reduce the chance of collapsing.

According to researchers, the construction of the Bent pyramid was completed in three phases. During the first phase, it was intended to have an angle of 60 degrees. During the second phase, it was reduced to 55 degrees & the base was enlarged. During the third & final stage, the slop was reduced to 45 degrees when the pyramid was almost 45 meters high.

What is the importance of Bent Pyramid?

Bent Pyramid is very important to understand the development process of pyramid constructions in ancient Egypt. After the construction of the step pyramid in Saqqara during the reign of Pharaoh Djoser, bent pyramid developed with more perfection than the earlier phase. This type of pyramid is considered as an intermediate phase between step pyramid & classical pyramids.

Understanding Bent pyramid through Archaeoastronomy

Applying the ethics of archaeoastronomy, researches argued that the ‘bent’ shape of the bent pyramid was most probably an intentional addition to its architecture. It was done to establish an astronomical alignment which is appropriate to Sneferu’s sun cult.