Landmark Africa
Red Pyramid
The Red Pyramid is a very old stone pyramid in Egypt. Its stones look reddish brown!
The Red Pyramid stands at Dahshur in Egypt. It was built for King Sneferu, who reigned about 2613 to 2589 BCE. Egypt's antiquities ministry says it was Egypt's first true pyramid to be completed, and it is the highest pyramid at Dahshur. Its name comes from the reddish color of its stones.
The Red Pyramid at Dahshur, built for King Sneferu (reigned c. 2613-2589 BCE), was, according to Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the first true pyramid completed in Egypt. It is the highest pyramid at Dahshur and the third-largest Egyptian pyramid after Khufu's and Khafre's at Giza. It belongs to UNESCO's Memphis and its Necropolis World Heritage Site.
Photo: Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover the Red Pyramid
The Red Pyramid is in Dahshur, in Egypt. Egypt is a country in North Africa.
It stands on flat, sandy desert ground.
The Red Pyramid stands in the desert at Dahshur, one of the pyramid fields of ancient Memphis that UNESCO lists from Giza to Dahshur. Egypt's antiquities ministry says it is the highest pyramid at Dahshur.
It is also the third-largest pyramid in Egypt. Only two pyramids at Giza, built for Khufu and Khafre, are larger.
UNESCO describes the Necropolis of Memphis as reaching from the Giza plateau to Dahshur, with more than 38 pyramids. Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities calls the Red Pyramid the highest at Dahshur.
The ministry also ranks it as the third-largest Egyptian pyramid, after those of Khufu and Khafre at Giza. UNESCO names the pyramids of Dahshur among the outstanding structures of the site.
- Where
- Dahshur, Egypt
- Built for
- King Sneferu
- Rank
- third-largest Egyptian pyramid
- World Heritage Site
- 1979 (Memphis and its Necropolis)
King Sneferu's third pyramid
The pyramid was built for a king named Sneferu.
It was the third pyramid built for him.
King Sneferu reigned about 2613 to 2589 BCE. Three pyramids were built in his reign: one at Meidum, the Bent Pyramid, and then the Red Pyramid.
The ministry says the Red Pyramid may have been started in the 13th year of his reign and took 10 years to build. With it, Egypt's first true pyramid was completed.
Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities dates King Snefru's reign to about 2613-2589 BCE and says three massive pyramids were built in it: the one at Meidum, begun as a step pyramid; the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur; and the Red Pyramid, with which Egypt's first true pyramid was completed.
The ministry's Red Pyramid page (spelling the name Sneferu) says it may have been started in the 13th year of his reign and took 10 years to build. The Great Pyramid followed in the next reign, that of Khufu.
Why it is called red
The stones look reddish brown today.
Long ago, the pyramid was covered with white stone!
The pyramid gets its name from the reddish, rusty color of its stone blocks. But it was not that color when it was new.
Like all pyramids, the ministry says, it once had an outer covering of pure white limestone from Tura, south of modern Cairo. That white stone was reused in medieval times. Without it, the reddish blocks show.
The ministry explains that the name 'Red' comes from the reddish, rusty color of the blocks. Originally the pyramid was a pure white, because all pyramids had a casing of white Tura limestone, quarried south of modern Cairo.
That casing was reused in medieval times. UNESCO notes that the perfection of ancient building techniques has kept the main monuments of the necropolis standing against natural forces over time.
Passages and chambers
Visitors can go inside the pyramid. A low tunnel slopes down from a door on the north side.
Inside are three rooms.
Visitors enter on the northern side, through a passage only about 1 meter high and 1 meter wide that slopes down into the pyramid. It leads to a room whose roof steps inward, like an upside-down stairway.
Another passage leads to a second room in the middle of the pyramid, and from there a passage leads to a third room, which is believed to have been the burial chamber.
The ministry describes the interior: an entrance on the north side opens onto a passage about a meter high and a meter wide, sloping down to a gallery and a chamber with a corbelled roof, like an inverted stairway. Another passage leads to a second chamber in the middle of the pyramid, directly at the western end of the first.
To the south, a passage leads to a third chamber, believed to have been the burial chamber. The Bent Pyramid stands about one kilometer to the south.
- Entrance
- on the north side
- Passage
- about 1 m high, 1 m wide
- Chambers
- 3
- Bent Pyramid
- 1 km to the south
A pyramid in the desert
In this photo, the pyramid rises high above the sandy ground.
A little truck at its foot shows how large it is!
This photo was taken on 8 October 2014. The pyramid's sloping sides are made of rows of rough reddish-brown blocks, with drifts of sand at the bottom. A small truck parked at its foot and loose blocks on the ground give a sense of scale.
UNESCO reports conservation projects at Saqqara and Dahshur from 2012, with the local community taking part.
The photograph (8 October 2014, by Olaf Tausch) shows the pyramid from a corner, two faces rising from flat desert ground: rows of weathered core blocks, sand banked against the lower courses, a path climbing the slope at the right, scattered blocks in front and a small truck at its foot.
UNESCO reports that more recent initiatives at Saqqara and Dahshur (2012) involve all the major stakeholders as well as the local community.
Amazing facts
-
The Red Pyramid was not red at first. It was white!
The pyramid was once covered in pure white limestone. Its red color shows because that white stone was taken away.
Its white Tura limestone casing was reused in medieval times; the reddish, rusty core blocks gave the pyramid its modern name.
-
The tunnel into the pyramid is only about 1 meter high!
The passage into the pyramid is only about 1 meter high and 1 meter wide.
The entrance passage on the north side measures about a meter in height and a meter in width.
-
King Sneferu had three pyramids built!
Three massive pyramids were built during King Sneferu's reign: at Meidum, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.
Three massive pyramids were built in Snefru's reign alone: Meidum (begun as a step pyramid), the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.
Words to know
- pyramid
- a building with a square base and four sloping sides that meet in a point
- true pyramid
- a pyramid with smooth, straight sides instead of steps
- casing
- an outer covering of smooth stone over the rough blocks inside
- limestone
- a pale rock often used for building
- corbelled roof
- a roof made of stone layers that each stick out a little further inward, like upside-down steps
- World Heritage Site
- a place UNESCO lists as important for all people
Discovery challenge
-
In which country is the Red Pyramid?
The Red Pyramid stands at Dahshur, in which country?
In which country does the Necropolis of Memphis reach to Dahshur?
- Egypt
- Mexico
- Greece
Show the answer
Egypt
Egypt!
Egypt.
Egypt.
-
Which king was the Red Pyramid built for?
For which king was the Red Pyramid built?
In whose reign were the Meidum, Bent and Red pyramids all built?
- Sneferu
- Khufu
- Djoser
Show the answer
Sneferu
King Sneferu!
King Sneferu.
Sneferu (also spelled Snefru).
-
What color was the pyramid when it was new?
What color was the Red Pyramid's outer covering when it was new?
What color was the Tura limestone casing that was reused in medieval times?
- White
- Red
- Black
Show the answer
White
White!
Pure white.
Pure white.
-
How many rooms are inside the pyramid?
How many chambers does the ministry describe inside the Red Pyramid?
How many chambers does the passage system lead to, the last believed to be the burial chamber?
- 3
- 1
- 30
Show the answer
3
3 rooms!
Three.
Three.
-
Where is the Red Pyramid's door?
On which side of the Red Pyramid is the entrance?
On which side does the entrance passage, about a meter high, open?
- The north side
- The top
- Under the sand
Show the answer
The north side
The north side!
The north side.
The north side.
Nearby places
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Bent Pyramid
The Bent Pyramid stands at Dahshur in Egypt. It was built for King Sneferu, who reigned about 2613 to 2589 BCE. Its builders started the sides at a steep angle of 55 degrees, then changed to 43 degrees because the pyramid was becoming unstable. That change gives it its bent shape.
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Memphis
Memphis was the capital of Egypt in the time of the first great pyramids, more than 4,000 years ago. It stood on the west side of the Nile, about 24 kilometers south of modern Cairo. Kings, priests, craftworkers and traders lived there, and its rulers were buried in pyramids and tombs along the desert edge, from Giza to Dahshur.
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The Great Sphinx
The Great Sphinx at Giza, Egypt, is a lion with a human head, carved out of the solid rock about 4,500 years ago. It is about 73 meters long and 20 meters high, one of the largest sculptures in the world. Most experts think it shows the face of King Khafre.
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Egyptian pyramids
Egypt's pyramids were giant stone tombs for kings. They did not start out pointed: the first, King Djoser's Step Pyramid, was a stack of six giant steps. King Snefru's builders tried again and again, making the Bent Pyramid and then the Red Pyramid, the first planned true pyramid. Soon after came the great pyramids of Giza.
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Giza pyramid complex
The Giza pyramid complex is a group of ancient tombs on a rocky plateau beside the Nile River in Egypt. Three kings from one family, Khufu, his son Khafre and his grandson Menkaure, built huge pyramids there about 4,500 years ago. Around them are temples, small pyramids for queens, rows of tombs for nobles, the Great Sphinx and even the town where the builders lived.
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Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built more than 4,500 years ago as the tomb of King Khufu of Egypt. About 2.3 million stone blocks were cut, moved and stacked to make it. Egypt's antiquities ministry calls it the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.
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Cairo, the capital of Egypt, has stood on the banks of the Nile for more than 1,000 years, where the river spreads out into its delta. Founded in 969, it has a medieval old city full of historic mosques and markets, the Egyptian Museum and, at its edge, the Pyramids of Giza. It is one of the largest cities in Africa.
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Bent Pyramid
The Bent Pyramid stands at Dahshur in Egypt. It was built for King Sneferu, who reigned about 2613 to 2589 BCE. Its builders started the sides at a steep angle of 55 degrees, then changed to 43 degrees because the pyramid was becoming unstable. That change gives it its bent shape.
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Watch
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Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built more than 4,500 years ago as the tomb of King Khufu of Egypt. About 2.3 million stone blocks were cut, moved and stacked to make it. Egypt's antiquities ministry calls it the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.
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Watch
Landmark
Egyptian pyramids
Egypt's pyramids were giant stone tombs for kings. They did not start out pointed: the first, King Djoser's Step Pyramid, was a stack of six giant steps. King Snefru's builders tried again and again, making the Bent Pyramid and then the Red Pyramid, the first planned true pyramid. Soon after came the great pyramids of Giza.
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Watch
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Memphis
Memphis was the capital of Egypt in the time of the first great pyramids, more than 4,000 years ago. It stood on the west side of the Nile, about 24 kilometers south of modern Cairo. Kings, priests, craftworkers and traders lived there, and its rulers were buried in pyramids and tombs along the desert edge, from Giza to Dahshur.
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Watch
Landmark
Giza pyramid complex
The Giza pyramid complex is a group of ancient tombs on a rocky plateau beside the Nile River in Egypt. Three kings from one family, Khufu, his son Khafre and his grandson Menkaure, built huge pyramids there about 4,500 years ago. Around them are temples, small pyramids for queens, rows of tombs for nobles, the Great Sphinx and even the town where the builders lived.
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Aït Benhaddou
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Explain the difference between a step pyramid and a true pyramid.
- Describe how builders improved their designs from one pyramid to the next.
- Explain why an old building can look different today than when it was new.
Recommended ages: 4 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might builders try a new pyramid instead of fixing an old one?
- What happens to a building when people take away its outer stones?
- Why do you think the passage into the pyramid is so low and narrow?
Try at home or in class
- Build a pyramid from blocks, then cover it with white paper to see how a smooth casing changes its look.
- Find Cairo, Giza and Dahshur on a map of Egypt.
Key vocabulary: pyramid, true pyramid, casing, limestone, corbelled roof, World Heritage Site
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- The Red Pyramid , Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Discover Egypt's Monuments)
- Old Kingdom , Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Discover Egypt's Monuments)
- Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- File:Rote Pyramide (Dahschur) 04.jpg , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.