Red Pyramid

The red pyramid , whose name is inspired by the color of its current facing, is the third pyramid of Egypt from its dimensions. It is located at Dahchour and is allotted to the Pharaon of, Snéfrou.

It represents the first successful attempt at Pyramide to smooth faces.

The funerary complex

The together funerary of the first true pyramid of Egypt east of simplest and constitutes one of the rare private sets of satellite pyramid.

The high temple, although of modest size, less the first of the kind does not constitute any. It was completed with haste with believed bricks, undoubtedly following the death of the sovereign.

The roadway and the temple of reception did not leave any trace.

The pyramid

Built out of red stones coming from a local career, the pyramid was at the covered origin of blocks of fine limestone of Tourah. The base of the pyramid does not constitute a perfect square but is aligned towards north. The Egyptologist Andrew Reisner measured dimensions of them: of west is 221,50 meters and of north in the south 218,50 meters. Its height is of 104,40 meters is a little less than its neighbor the Pyramide rhomboïdale.

The plan of the funerary apartments is very similar to that of the Pyramide of Meïdoum but more ambitious. Moreover, it is about the only pyramid whose apartments are entirely located at the top of the level of the ground. The entry is located on the northern face at a few 28 meters at the top of the base. A corridor, whose angle of inclination is of 27° and length the 62,63 meters, ends in a horizontal section of 7,40 meters. This last gives access to us two anterooms carried out out of stones limestones and glazes of superb vaults in corbelling on two faces. The second, exactly localized under the center of the pyramid, is provided with an opening located in the southern wall at a 7,60 meters height. This opening gives on a 7 meters long passage which leads to the large funerary room which, it also, is covered with a vault in corbelling on two faces, out of stones limestones. The coating of the ground of the room disappeared. Several excavations were carried out at various times and there do not remain any more q' one trench major several meters.

Flinders Petrie discovered at the 19th century of the fragments of human bones and animals in the second anteroom. studies carried out by the doctor Batrawi into 1950 made it possible to detect traces of momification on these bones.

A Pyramidion without decorations nor hiéroglyphes was discovered with the accesses of the pyramid in the Eighties. It is about oldest the pyramidion which arrived to us.

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