Probably built under Snefru, the Meydum pyramid remains something of an enigma. From the start, it was intended to be a step pyramid, emulating that of Djoser. Initially, it was probably supposed to have consisted of 7 steps, later increased to 8. However, towards the end of Snefru’s reign, it was encased with limestone to make it look like the other pyramids Snefru built (and therefore like the smooth ones later built at Giza).

Today, we can see a 3-stepped tower rising out of a sloping mound of debris. The casing has been stripped away (a 19^th century archaeologist recorded that this quarrying was still going on when he visited the site in the 1880s). There are still some remnants of the limestone-walled causeway that once lead up to the pyramid from the valley temple.

Another of Snefru’s pyramids, this one was built at Dashur. It was probably intended to be a fairly small pyramid, with a slope angle of about 60 degrees, but the builders encountered structural problems and had to put another layer around the base, this time with an angle of about 55 degrees. Even then the difficulties were not solved – this was only achieved by making sure the upper layer had an angle of about 44 degrees, giving the pyramid a pronounced bend half way up. Despite these changes, the pyramid is still 345 ft (105 m) high.

Inside, the Bent Pyramid is the only one to have 2 different entrances leading to 2 different and (initially) separate chambers. Some time after construction someone hacked a passageway between these two burial chambers.

There is a small satellite pyramid next to the Bent Pyramid. This is important because it is the first instance of the stone courses being laid horizontally rather than vertically, as was traditional.

Overall, the Bent Pyramid shows how pyramid building evolved during Snefru’s reign. It is the first instance of a non-step pyramid (the Meydum pyramid was converted from a step pyramid right at the end of Snefru’s reign), and it clearly show the problems builders faced when constructing such an edifice.

Another one of Snefru’s pyramids, also built at Dashur, the North Pyramid (also known as the Red Pyramid) shows how much the builders had learnt from their mistakes made when they constructed the Bent Pyramid. Its angle of slope is the same as the top half of the Bent Pyramid (43 degrees 22"), and it rises to the same height as its Dashur counterpart (345ft / 105 m).