Dahshur

Dahshur, nestled on the west bank of the Nile River just south of Saqqara, is a desert necropolis site that is a declared UNESCO site alongside Memphis and the pyramids of Giza. This revered site is renowned for its association with the Egyptian royal family and is home to two remarkable pyramids: the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.

The Bent Pyramid, built by the first King of the 4th dynasty, Sneferu, was one of the first tries at making a smooth-sided pyramid instead of the usual step-like design. It looks different because it's not entirely straight up and down. On the other hand, the Red Pyramid, also made by Sneferu, is more like what we imagine when we think of a pyramid. It's a classic shape without any slants. It's called the Red Pyramid because there are red writings of King Sneferu's name on the rocks around it. Inside, there are three rooms where they buried important people. One of these rooms is especially cool because the roof stones hang over gradually, making it a unique piece of architecture.

There are three more pyramids at Dahshur that were built during the 12th dynasty, between 1938 and about 1756 BCE. Sadly, they're not in great shape anymore because they were mostly made of mud brick inside. But even though the pyramids themselves aren't well preserved, the tombs nearby hold some amazing treasures. These tombs were where the royal families were buried, and they contained lots of fancy jewelry and personal items. Some experts think that the jewelry found here shows the best skills of ancient Egyptian metalworking and carving. One really important discovery was made in 1994 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They found a whole bunch of jewelry that belonged to Queen Weret, which tells us a lot about the people who lived here thousands of years ago.