157709

An Introduction to the Construction of the Curved Pyramids of Egypt

The curved pyramid was built in 2600 BC by the first pharaoh of Egypt’s fourth dynasty, Safro. It is located in the Saqqara area 27 kilometers southwest of Cairo. It is one of the existing pyramids with a smooth surface and a curved body.

Introduction

The curved pyramid was built during the reign of Safuro, the first pharaoh of Egypt’s fourth dynasty. The bottom is a square with a side length of about 189 meters. Its special feature is that when the height of the tower exceeds half, the angle changes, and the inclination angle is bent inward to 43.5 degrees due to the 52 degrees of the lower half, so that the four sides of the pyramid look curved. It is one of the smoothest pyramids in existence, with a curved body.

The Bent Pyramid is adjacent to the Red Pyramid, both built by Sneferu, the first pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty. The original height was 105 meters, and it changed suddenly when it was more than halfway. This is because if the tower continues to be built at the original inclination angle, the tower body may collapse due to being unable to bear the weight of the stone. It was opened to tourists on March 16, 2009. Visitors can not only appreciate the majestic shape of the pyramid from the outside, but also be in it, walk a few times back and forth in the mysterious inner room of the pyramid, and experience the thrilling close contact with the coffin of the mummy in “The Mummy”.

Characteristic Structure

1. The curved pyramid is about 189 meters long at the bottom and 105 meters high. It is recognized as one of the few smooth-faced pyramids in existence.

2. The surface of this kind of pyramid shows the most original and most glorious side of the pyramid because it retains the original limestone shell of the pyramid.

3. The angle of this 105-meter-high pyramid suddenly changed when the height of the tower exceeded half, from 52 degrees to 43.5 degrees, which made the whole pyramid bend, and it looks a bit like a Chinese tomb from a distance. .

4. Through a narrow tunnel about 80 meters long, you can enter the wide vaulted inner hall of the curved pyramid. From the vaulted cella, there are passages leading to other chambers. The beams and columns of one of the inner chambers are even made of cedar wood, which is generally thought to have been imported from ancient Lebanon.

5. Archaeologists believe that the tomb of Pharaoh Sneferu of the fourth dynasty may be located in the pyramid, but it has not been found so far. Several other nearby pyramids will also be open to the public, with the Red Pyramid now open to tourists. Among the pyramids that have been opened one after another, one of them also has an underground labyrinth from the Middle Kingdom period. This pyramid with an underground labyrinth was built by Pharaoh Amenemhat III of Egypt’s Twelfth Dynasty.

Reason for bending

Archaeologists believe that the reason for this unique shape is that during the construction of the pyramid, the architect was worried that if the pyramid continued to be built at this slope, the tower might not be able to bear the weight of the entire structure. The weight collapsed, so the slope of the side wall had to be changed halfway.

When the pyramid was first built, the angle between the hypotenuse and the horizontal plane was 54°41′, but when it was built to a height of 44 meters, I don’t know whether it encountered construction difficulties or the designer temporarily changed his mind. It becomes 42°59′. In this way, the pyramid becomes curved, so later generations customarily call it the “bent pyramid”.

The bottom of the curved pyramid is a square with a side length of about 188 meters. It has two entrances, west and north. As the angle changes, the design height of the pyramid also becomes shorter. Even so, the pyramid was built to a height of 99 meters.

At the time of construction, people first built it with an inclination angle of 55 degrees. When it was repaired to about half the height, it was found that if the tower continued to be built, it might collapse due to the inability to bear the weight of the stone. So the architect had to reduce the angle of the upper half from 55 degrees to 43 degrees, thus creating a unique curved pyramid. It is not difficult to see that ancient Egypt has already achieved considerable attainments in mechanics.