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| Red Pyramid |
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| Entry into the Red Pyramid |
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| Climbing into the bowels of the pyramid |
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| Scary and Smelly! |
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| Wooden floors inside? Really?!? |
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| Nothing but a pile of old rocks here. LOL. |
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| Bent Pyramid |
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| Planking! LOL |
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| Tom at Memphis Open-Air Museum |
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| Ramses II Colossus = Ginormously Huge! |
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| Tickling Ramses II. LOL |
Last month my friend Tom came to Cairo on a business trip, and we were able to meet up on his last day to see the pyramids. Since I had not been to Dahshur yet to visit the Red and Bent Pyramids, we started their first. So on an early Friday morning, we headed an hour south of Cairo to the Dahshur necropolis. The first stop was the Red Pyramid, which got its name because of its reddish hues. Built during the Old Kingdom period, it was the tallest man-made structure of its time. Today it is the 3rd largest pyramid in Egypt. It was also the first successfully completed smooth-sided pyramid, marking the end of step pyramid design. Visitors can enter the pyramid and make their descent into its deep interiors, which Tom and I eagerly did. The interior was unremarkable. The walls were devoid of hieroglyphics, and its treasures had already been transferred to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. However, bragging rights were gained. LOL. Who else can say they have been inside of a pyramid? Our next stop was the Bent Pyramid, which was named... wait for it... for its bent appearance! :) The lower corner rises at a 55 degree angle, while the top structure angles at a shallow 43 degrees. Because of its uneven sides, egyptologists believe this was the experimental prototype that attempted a smooth-sided exterior. Clearly, the kinks were worked out because the Red Pyramid was the next one built. Before Tom and I headed to the Giza Pyramids, we stopped at the Memphis Open-Air Museum; the site of the Great Temple of Ptah, which was the largest and most important temple in Memphis - the former capital of ancient Eygpt. Although the temple was no longer there, the colossus of Ramses II - one of a pair that used to be at the temple - was at the museum. It was on display lying down because of its fractured lower portions. (Incidentally, the other colossus is intact and will be exhibited at Giza's Grand Egyptian Museum opening in 2013.) Next stop... Giza Pyramids!
