The Bent Pyramid
Original smooth casing.
Olaf Tausch — CC BY 3.0 · Sturm58 at English Wikipedia — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cherif hegazy — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sailko — CC BY 3.0 · Daniel Mayer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Olaf Tausch — CC BY 3.0 · Kurohito — CC BY-SA 3.0
A royal necropolis in the desert south of Saqqara holding two pyramids built by King Sneferu, father of Khufu of the Great Pyramid, witnesses to the stage when the ancient Egyptians learned to build the true, smooth-sided pyramid. The better known is the Bent Pyramid: building began at a steep angle, then the builders switched mid-way to a shallower one, fearing collapse, so it looks bent. It keeps more of its original smooth stone casing than any other pyramid in Egypt, and its interior has been open to visitors since 2019. To the north stands the Red Pyramid, named for the pinkish colour of its stone, the first successful smooth-sided pyramid in history and the third largest in Egypt. You can climb down a long sloping passage to its inner chambers. A foreign visitor's ticket costs about two hundred Egyptian pounds, and it opens from eight to five. The site is quiet and little visited, so you may stand before the pyramids almost alone. It is usually combined with Saqqara and Mit Rahina on a day trip from Cairo.
Original smooth casing.
The first true pyramid.
Away from the crowds.
Dahshur, Giza, about forty kilometres south of Cairo
Yes, you can go down into both the Red and Bent pyramids through narrow sloping passages, fine for anyone comfortable in enclosed spaces.