Dahshur is where the true pyramid was born. It was here that Pharaoh Sneferu, through trial and error, created the form his son Khufu perfected at Giza. Sneferu's two pyramids — the Bent and Red — are a living textbook in the evolution of Egyptian architecture.

Pharaoh Sneferu's Laboratory

Sneferu ruled at the start of the 4th Dynasty, around 2600 BCE. He was obsessed with building the perfect pyramid — and during his reign erected three or four gigantic structures. No pharaoh before or after built so much.

Two of his pyramids survive at Dahshur. The first — the Bent Pyramid — shows how Egy...