Editing Egyptian pyramids (section)

==Number and location of pyramids==
{{mainlist|List of Egyptian pyramids}}

In 1842, [[Karl Richard Lepsius]] produced the first modern list of pyramids—now known as the [[Lepsius list of pyramids]]—in which he counted 67. A great many more have since been discovered. At least 118 Egyptian pyramids have been identified.<ref name=reuters1>{{cite news |work=Reuters |date=11 November 2008 |title=Egypt says has found pyramid built for ancient queen |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-pyramid/egypt-says-has-found-pyramid-built-for-ancient-queen-idUSTRE4AA3ID20081111 |access-date=2 November 2017 |archive-date=2 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102194849/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-pyramid/egypt-says-has-found-pyramid-built-for-ancient-queen-idUSTRE4AA3ID20081111 |url-status=live }}</ref> The location of [[Headless_Pyramid|Pyramid 29]] which Lepsius called the "Headless Pyramid", was lost for a second time when the structure was buried by desert sands after Lepsius's survey. It was found again only during an archaeological dig conducted in 2008.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kratovac |first=Katarina |date=5 June 2008 |work=Yahoo News |agency=Associated Press |title=Egypt uncovers 'missing' pyramid of a pharaoh |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080606/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_missing_pyramid;_ylt=AtJMeqg4khfjCZgFw4P7z5us0NUE |access-date=6 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609220846/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080606/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_missing_pyramid%3B_ylt%3DAtJMeqg4khfjCZgFw4P7z5us0NUE |archive-date=9 June 2008}}</ref>

Many pyramids are in a poor state of preservation or buried by desert sands. If visible at all, they may appear as little more than mounds of rubble. As a consequence, archaeologists are continuing to identify and study previously unknown pyramid structures.

The most recent pyramid to be discovered was that of Neith, a wife of [[Teti]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Magazine |first1=Smithsonian |last2=Davis-Marks |first2=Isis |title=Archaeologists Unearth Egyptian Queen's Tomb, 13-Foot 'Book of the Dead' Scroll |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-unearth-50-more-sarcophagi-saqqara-necropolis-180976794/ |access-date=2023-01-13 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref>

All of Egypt's pyramids, except the small Third Dynasty pyramid at [[Zawyet el-Maiyitin]], are sited on the west bank of the [[Nile]], and most are grouped together in a number of pyramid fields. The most important of these are listed geographically, from north to south, below.

===Abu Rawash===
{{Main|Abu Rawash}}
[[File:Abu Rawash Pyramid.jpg|thumb|The largely destroyed [[Pyramid of Djedefre]] ]]

Abu Rawash is the site of Egypt's most northerly pyramid (other than the ruins of Lepsius pyramid number one),{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} the mostly ruined [[Pyramid of Djedefre]], son and successor of [[Khufu]]. Originally it was thought that this pyramid had never been completed, but the current archaeological consensus is that not only was it completed, but that it was originally about the same size as the [[Pyramid of Menkaure]], which would have placed it among the half-dozen or so largest pyramids in Egypt.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Its location adjacent to a major crossroads made it an easy source of stone. Quarrying, which began in Roman times, has left little apart from about fifteen courses of stone superimposed upon the natural hillock that formed part of the pyramid's core. A small adjacent satellite pyramid is in a better state of preservation.

===Giza===
{{Main|Giza pyramid complex}}
[[File:Giza pyramid complex (map).svg|right|thumb|300px|Map of the [[Giza pyramid complex]]]]
[[File:Giza-pyramids.JPG|thumb|Aerial view of the Giza pyramid complex]]

The [[Giza Plateau]] is the location of the [[Great Pyramid of Giza|Pyramid of Khufu]] (also known as the "Great Pyramid" and the "Pyramid of Cheops"), the somewhat smaller [[Pyramid of Khafre]] (or Chephren), the relatively modest-sized [[Pyramid of Menkaure]] (or Mykerinus), along with a number of smaller satellite edifices known as "Queen's pyramids", and the [[Great Sphinx of Giza]]. Of the three, only Khafre's pyramid retains part of its original polished limestone casing, near its apex. This pyramid appears larger than the adjacent Khufu pyramid by virtue of its more elevated location, and the steeper angle of inclination of its construction—it is, in fact, smaller in both height and volume.

The Giza pyramid complex has been a popular tourist destination since antiquity and was popularized in Hellenistic times when the Great Pyramid was listed by [[Antipater of Sidon]] as one of the [[Seven Wonders of the Ancient World]]. Today it is the only one of those wonders still in existence.

===Zawyet el-Aryan===
{{See also|Zawyet el'Aryan}}

This site, halfway between Giza and [[Abusir]], is the location for two unfinished Old Kingdom pyramids. The northern structure's owner is believed to be pharaoh [[Nebka]], while the southern structure, known as the [[Layer Pyramid]], may be attributable to the Third Dynasty pharaoh [[Khaba]], a close successor of [[Sekhemkhet]]. If this attribution is correct, Khaba's short reign could explain the seemingly unfinished state of this step pyramid. Today it stands around {{convert|17|m|ft|abbr=on}} high; had it been completed, it is likely to have exceeded {{convert|40|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

===Abusir===
{{Main|Abusir}}
[[File:SahurePyramid.jpg|thumb|The [[Pyramid of Sahure]] at Abusir, viewed from the pyramid's causeway]]

There are a total of fourteen pyramids at this site, which served as the main royal necropolis during the [[Fifth Dynasty of Egypt|Fifth Dynasty]]. The quality of construction of the Abusir pyramids is inferior to those of the Fourth Dynasty—perhaps signaling a decrease in royal power or a less vibrant economy. They are smaller than their predecessors and are built of low-quality local limestone.

The three major pyramids are those of [[Pyramid of Niuserre|Niuserre]], which is also the best-preserved, [[Pyramid of Neferirkare|Neferirkare Kakai]] and [[Pyramid of Sahure|Sahure]]. The site is also home to the incomplete [[Pyramid of Neferefre]]. Most of the major pyramids at Abusir were built using similar construction techniques, comprising a rubble core surrounded by steps of [[mudbrick]]s with a limestone outer casing. The largest of these Fifth Dynasty pyramids, the Pyramid of Neferirkare Kakai, is believed to have been built originally as a step pyramid some {{convert|70|m|ft|abbr=on}} high and then later transformed into a "true" pyramid by having its steps filled in with loose masonry.

===Saqqara===
{{Main|Saqqara}}
[[File:Saqqara stepped pyramid.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Pyramid of Djoser]] ]]

Major pyramids located here include the [[Pyramid of Djoser]]—generally identified as the world's oldest substantial monumental structure to be built of dressed stone—the [[Pyramid of Userkaf]], the [[Pyramid of Teti]] and the [[Pyramid of Merikare]], dating to the [[First Intermediate Period of Egypt]]. Also at Saqqara is the [[Pyramid of Unas]], which retains a pyramid causeway that is one of the best-preserved in Egypt. Together with the pyramid of Userkaf, this pyramid was the subject of one of the earliest known restoration attempts, conducted by [[Khaemweset]], a son of [[Ramesses II]].<ref>[[Kenneth Kitchen]]: ''Ramesside Inscriptions, Translated & Annotated, Translations, Volume II'', Blackwell Publishers, {{ISBN|0-631-18435-X}}, 1996</ref> Saqqara is also the location of the incomplete step pyramid of Djoser's successor [[Sekhemkhet]], known as the [[Buried Pyramid]]. Archaeologists believe that had this pyramid been completed, it would have been larger than Djoser's.

South of the main pyramid field at Saqqara is a second collection of later, smaller pyramids, including those of [[Pepi I]], [[Djedkare Isesi]], [[Merenre Nemtyemsaf I|Merenre]], [[Pepi II]] and [[Qakare Ibi#Pyramid complex|Ibi]]. Most of these are in a poor state of preservation.

The [[Fourth Dynasty of Egypt|Fourth Dynasty]] pharaoh [[Shepseskaf]] either did not share an interest in or have the capacity to undertake pyramid construction like his predecessors. His tomb, which is also sited at south Saqqara, was instead built as an unusually large mastaba and offering temple complex. It is commonly known as the [[Mastabat al-Fir’aun]].<ref>[http://egyptphoto.ncf.ca/pyramid%20of%20shepseskaf.htm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115153419/http://egyptphoto.ncf.ca/pyramid%20of%20shepseskaf.htm|date=15 November 2016}} The Mastaba of Shepseskaf</ref>

A previously unknown pyramid was discovered in north Saqqara in late 2008. Believed to be the tomb of Teti's mother, it currently stands approximately {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=on}} high, although the original height was closer to {{convert|14|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

===Dahshur===
{{Main|Dahshur}}
[[File:Snofru's-Red-Pyramid.jpg|thumb|[[Sneferu|Sneferu's]] [[Red Pyramid]] ]]

This area is arguably the most important pyramid field in Egypt outside Giza and Saqqara, although until 1996 the site was inaccessible due to its location within a military base and was relatively unknown outside archaeological circles.

The southern Pyramid of [[Sneferu]], commonly known as the [[Bent Pyramid]], is believed to be the first Egyptian pyramid intended by its builders to be a "true" smooth-sided pyramid from the outset; the earlier [[Meidum|pyramid at Meidum]] had smooth sides in its finished state, but it was conceived and built as a step pyramid, before having its steps filled in and concealed beneath a smooth outer casing of dressed stone. As a true smooth-sided structure, the Bent Pyramid was only a partial success—albeit a unique, visually imposing one; it is also the only major Egyptian pyramid to retain a significant proportion of its original smooth outer limestone casing intact. As such it serves as the best contemporary example of how the ancient Egyptians intended their pyramids to look. Several kilometres to the north of the Bent Pyramid is the last—and most successful—of the three pyramids constructed during the reign of Sneferu; the [[Red Pyramid]] is the world's first successfully completed smooth-sided pyramid. The structure is also the third-largest pyramid in Egypt, after the pyramids of Khufu and Khafra at Giza.

Also at Dahshur is one of two pyramids built by [[Amenemhat III]], known as the [[Pyramid of Amenemhat III (Dahshur)|Black Pyramid]], as well as a number of small, mostly ruined subsidiary pyramids.

===Mazghuna===
{{Main|Mazghuna}}

Located to the south of Dahshur. '''Mazghuna''' is a smaller known pyramid field about three or so miles south of Dahshure. several [[mudbrick]] pyramids were built in this area in the late [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]], perhaps for [[Amenemhat IV]] and [[Sobekneferu]]. Both pyramids had underground burial chambers. The Northern Mazghuna Pyramid is the largest of the two ruins found in the Mazghuna field.The entrance to the pyramid was located on east side of the pyramid. Here, a short stairway descended to a square chamber. The burial chamber was filled with a monolithic quartzite sarcophagus vault, with a receptacle for the coffin in its north and the canopic receptacle in its south side. Different parts of the quartzite sarcophagus was covered in plaster, and like elsewhere in the pyramids, painted red.

[[File:AmenemhetIPyramid.jpg|thumb|The [[Pyramid of Amenemhet I]] at [[Lisht]]]]

===Lisht===
{{Main|Lisht}}

Two major pyramids are known to have been built at Lisht: those of [[Amenemhat I]] and his son, [[Senusret I]]. The latter is surrounded by the ruins of ten smaller subsidiary pyramids. One of these subsidiary pyramids is known to be that of Amenemhat's cousin, Khaba II.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Allen |first1=James |author-link=James Peter Allen |last2=Manuelian |first2=Peter |title=The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts (Writings from the Ancient World, No. 23) |publisher=Brill Academic |year=2005 |isbn=978-90-04-13777-6}}</ref> The site which is in the vicinity of the oasis of the [[Faiyum]], midway between Dahshur and Meidum, and about 100 kilometres south of Cairo, is believed to be in the vicinity of the ancient city of [[Itjtawy]] (the precise location of which remains unknown), which served as the capital of Egypt during the [[Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt|Twelfth Dynasty]].

===Meidum===
{{Main|Meidum}}
[[File:02 meidum pyramid.jpg|thumb|The pyramid at [[Meidum]] ]]
The pyramid at [[Meidum]] is one of three constructed during the reign of [[Sneferu]], and is believed by some to have been started by that pharaoh's father and predecessor, [[Huni]]. However, that attribution is uncertain, as no record of Huni's name has been found at the site. It was constructed as a [[step pyramid]] and then later converted into the first "true" smooth-sided pyramid, when the steps were filled in and an outer casing added. The pyramid suffered several catastrophic collapses in ancient and medieval times. Medieval Arab writers described it as having seven steps, although today only the three uppermost of these remain, giving the structure its odd, tower-like appearance. The hill on which the pyramid is situated is not a natural landscape feature, it is the small mountain of debris created when the lower courses and outer casing of the pyramid gave way.

===Hawara===
{{Main|Hawara}}
[[File:pyramid of amenemhet hawarra 01.jpg|right|thumb|The Pyramid of [[Amenemhet III]] at [[Hawara]] ]]

[[Amenemhat III]] was the last powerful ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty, and the pyramid he built at Hawara, near the Faiyum, is believed to post-date the so-called "[[Pyramid of Amenemhat III (Dahshur)|Black Pyramid]]" built by the same ruler at Dahshur. It is the Hawara pyramid that is believed to have been Amenemhet's final resting place. What once was one of the most important archeological discoveries in Egypt, now looks like a pile of rubble due to the casing being removed from the times of the Romans. The Hawara pyramid was once covered in limestone, but only remains as a mudbrick core today. 

=== El Lahun (or Al-Lāhūn) ===
{{Main|El Lahun}}
[[File:El Lahun Pyramid 01.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Pyramid of Senusret II]]. The pyramid's natural limestone core is clearly visible as the yellow stratum at its base.]]

The [[Pyramid of Senusret II]] at [[El Lahun]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Al-Lāhūn {{!}} Pyramid, Middle Kingdom & Fayum {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Al-Lahun |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> is the southernmost royal-tomb pyramid structure in Egypt. Its builders reduced the amount of work necessary to construct it by using as its foundation and core a 12-meter-high natural limestone hill.

===El-Kurru===
{{Main|El-Kurru}}
[[File:Al-Kurru,main pyramid.jpg|thumb|right|[[Piye|Piye's]] pyramid at [[El-Kurru]] ]]

[[Piye]], the king of Kush who became the first ruler of the [[Twenty-fifth Dynasty]], built a pyramid at El-Kurru. He was the first Egyptian pharaoh to be buried in a pyramid in centuries.

===Nuri===
{{Main|Nuri}}
[[File:Nuri main pyr.northeast.jpg|thumb|right|[[Taharqa|Taharqa's]] pyramid at [[Nuri]] ]]

[[Taharqa]], a Kushite ruler of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, built his pyramid at Nuri. It was the largest in the area (North Sudan).

===Construction dates and heights===
The following table lays out the chronology of the construction of most of the major pyramids mentioned here. Each pyramid is identified through the pharaoh who ordered it built, his approximate reign, and its location.
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Pyramid (Pharaoh)
!Reign
!Field
!Height
|-
![[Pyramid of Djoser]]<br>([[Djoser]])
|c. 2670 BCE
|[[Saqqara]]
|62 meters (203 feet)
|-
![[Red Pyramid]]<br>([[Sneferu]])
|c. 2612–2589 BCE
|[[Dahshur]]
|104 meters (341 feet)
|-
![[Meidum Pyramid]]<br>([[Sneferu]])
|c. 2612–2589 BCE
|[[Meidum]]
|65 meters (213 feet) (ruined)
<br>Would have been 91.65 meters (301 feet){{cn|date=June 2023}} or 175 Egyptian Royal [[cubits]].
|-
![[Great Pyramid of Giza]]<br>([[Khufu]])
|c. 2589–2566 BCE
|[[Giza pyramid complex|Giza]]
|146.7 meters (481 feet) or 280 Egyptian Royal [[cubits]]
|-
![[Pyramid of Djedefre]]<br>([[Djedefre]])
|c. 2566–2558 BCE
|[[Abu Rawash]]
|60 meters (197 feet)
|-
![[Pyramid of Khafre]]<br>([[Khafre]])
|c. 2558–2532 BCE
|[[Giza pyramid complex|Giza]]
|136.4 meters (448 feet)
<br>Originally: {{convert|143.5| m|abbr=on}} or 274 Egyptian Royal [[cubits]]
|-
![[Pyramid of Menkaure]]<br>([[Menkaure]])
|c. 2532–2504 BCE
|[[Giza pyramid complex|Giza]]
|65 meters (213 feet) or 125 Egyptian Royal [[cubits]]
|-
![[Pyramid of Userkaf]]<br>([[Userkaf]])
|c. 2494–2487 BCE
|[[Saqqara]]
|48 meters (161 feet)
|-
![[Pyramid of Sahure]]<br>([[Sahure]])
|c. 2487–2477 BCE
|[[Abusir]]
|47 meters (155 feet)
|-
![[Pyramid of Neferirkare]]<br>([[Neferirkare Kakai]])
|c. 2477–2467 BCE
|[[Abusir]]
|72.8 meters (239 feet)
|-
![[Pyramid of Nyuserre]]<br>([[Nyuserre Ini]])
|c. 2416–2392 BCE
|[[Abusir]]
|51.68 m (169.6 feet) or 99 Egyptian Royal [[cubits]]
|-
![[Pyramid of Amenemhat I]]<br>([[Amenemhat I]])
|c. 1991–1962 BCE
|[[Lisht]]
|55 meters (181 feet)
|-
![[Pyramid of Senusret I]]<br>([[Senusret I]])
|c. 1971–1926 BCE
|[[Lisht]]
|61.25 meters (201 feet)
|-
![[Pyramid of Senusret II]]<br>([[Senusret II]])
|c. 1897–1878 BCE
|[[el-Lahun]]
|48.65 m (159.6&nbsp;ft; 93 Egyptian Royal [[cubits]]) or
47.6 m (156&nbsp;ft; 91 Egyptian Royal [[cubits]])
|-
![[Black Pyramid]]<br>([[Amenemhat III]])
|c. 1860–1814 BCE
|[[Dahshur]]
|75 meters (246 feet)
|-
![[Pyramid of Khendjer]]<br>([[Khendjer]])
|c. 1764–1759 BCE
|[[Saqqara]]
| about {{convert|37| m|ft}}, now completely ruined
|-
![[Piye#Burial|Pyramid of Piye]]<br>([[Piye]])
|c. 721 BCE
|[[El-Kurru]]
|20 meters (66 feet) or
30 meters (99 feet)
|-
![[Taharqa#Nuri_pyramid|Pyramid of Taharqa]]<br>([[Taharqa]])
|c. 664 BCE
|[[Nuri]]
|40 meters (132 feet) or
50 meters (164 feet)
|}