Medium Pyramid
The Medium Pyramid is located about 70 kilometers south of Cairo in the Beni Suef Governorate. In its current form, it does not look much like a traditional pyramid but resembles a huge stone tower built on a high hill. It has been shown that this hill is actually a pile of stone debris covering the lower part of the pyramid. It is believed that this pyramid is the second pyramid built after the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, and its construction is attributed to King Sneferu of the Fourth Dynasty. It is also known as the “False Pyramid.”
Originally, it was a seven-step pyramid, to which an additional step was later added. The steps were then filled in and covered from the outside, so that the entire outer structure was clad with stone.
The limestone used came from quarries, and some believe that King Huni, the last king of the Third Dynasty, may have begun building this pyramid, which was then completed by Sneferu. During the reconstruction, the outer casing, outer stones, and the pyramid’s core began to collapse. As a result, work on the pyramid was halted.
The entrance to the internal chambers was located on the north facade of the pyramid, leading to a long corridor that leads to the burial chamber. However, no evidence of King Sneferu’s sarcophagus was found there, confirming that the pyramid was never completed.
Although the pyramid was unfinished, it has provided important information about pyramid architecture and the construction methods used by the ancient Egyptians during that time.