Fodor's Expert Review The Bent Pyramid
One quick glance at this pyramid, and you can see that something is amiss—some call it a "false pyramid" others refer to its shape as "blunted" rather than "bent." Regardless, it has an unusual silhouette that was the result of an architectural mishap. It was designed for Sneferu (2613–2589 BC), the founder of the 4th Dynasty and the father of Khufu (for whom the Great Pyramid in Giza was built). Only when construction had reached midway did the ancient builders notice that there were flaws—its initial angle was too steep, so, to prevent it from collapsing, they adjusted the angles of its outer face.
Many believe that the Bent Pyramid was the first, albeit unsuccessful, attempt at transitioning from the stepped pyramid to the smooth-sided true pyramid like that of Khufu. Regardless, this is one of Egypt's largest pyramids, standing 105 meters (344 feet) tall and covering an area of 52 square meters (599 square feet). It also retains much of its limestone cladding. What's... READ MORE
One quick glance at this pyramid, and you can see that something is amiss—some call it a "false pyramid" others refer to its shape as "blunted" rather than "bent." Regardless, it has an unusual silhouette that was the result of an architectural mishap. It was designed for Sneferu (2613–2589 BC), the founder of the 4th Dynasty and the father of Khufu (for whom the Great Pyramid in Giza was built). Only when construction had reached midway did the ancient builders notice that there were flaws—its initial angle was too steep, so, to prevent it from collapsing, they adjusted the angles of its outer face.
Many believe that the Bent Pyramid was the first, albeit unsuccessful, attempt at transitioning from the stepped pyramid to the smooth-sided true pyramid like that of Khufu. Regardless, this is one of Egypt's largest pyramids, standing 105 meters (344 feet) tall and covering an area of 52 square meters (599 square feet). It also retains much of its limestone cladding. What's more, Sneferu didn't let this less-than-successful construction project stop him: he went on to commission the neighboring Red Pyramid.
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