Meidum Pyramid - The Collapsed Pyramid

Where to Find Meidum Pyramid

The Medium pyramid is actually located in the Beni Suef Governorate. However, usually, tourists spending their vacation in Egypt can visit this pyramid during their tour to the historical monuments and other sites of Faiyum.

The pyramid is actually located 20 kilometers to the South East of El Fayoum, 45 kilometers to the South West of the governorate of Giza, and around 100 kilometers to the South East of Cairo, the Egyptian capital.

Travelers spending their tours can usually go for a one-day or a half-day trip from Cairo or El Fayoum to Meidum together with some of the historical monuments located nearby like the Pyramid of Hawara, constructed in the reign of the Middle Kingdom.

Why did the Meidum pyramid collapse?

The king Senfru was actually the Pharaoh who built the Meidum Pyramid. He was the founder of the 4th dynasty of the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt and the father of Cheops, the builder of the Grand Pyramid in Giza. He ruled Egypt in the period from 2613 till 2589 BC.

In the 4th dynasty, Senfru was the king to be accredited for the attempts to build a true pyramid in Egypt. Although his first attempt in Meidum was completely a failure, he never gave up and also he constructed two other pyramids in Dahshur.

The first one to be built by Senfru in Dahshur was the bent pyramid while the second one was the famous red pyramid which is considered to be the first proper pyramid to be constructed from the ancient Egyptians and the second largest pyramid in the country after the grand pyramid of Cheops, his son, in Giza.

When was the medium pyramid built?

The Meidum Pyramid was the first construction built by the king Senfru when he became the ruler of Egypt in the 4th dynasty. He chose this location beside his capital at the time that was called Geddy Senfru.

The construction was actually the first attempt in history to erect a true pyramid. However, the results were not really satisfying.

The ancient Egyptian architects chose this area as it consists of a strong rock plateau that can bear the huge weight and at the same time it would be near the capital.

The construction work began in the same way as the step pyramid of Djoser. However, the architects applied some changes. This included having the burial chamber inside it instead of having it under the ground level.

The ancient Egyptian workers spent many years working in the construction to become like the step pyramid of Saqqara that consists of seven layers. However, after the construction of the fifth layer, the architects wanted to construct eight layers instead of seven and then afterward they would fill the spaces between the layers to have a true pyramid-like these in Giza.

It was in the 28th and the 29th year of the reign of Senfru during the 4th dynasty when the Egyptian architects tried to develop the step pyramid they already constructed into a proper pyramid. The workers have already covered the spaces between the steps with stones but they wanted to add another outer layer because the pyramid became bigger.

The sides of the steps also were covered with white soft limestone that was brought from a desert near the neighborhood of Maadi today. The pyramid was supposed to be 92 meters high with the length of each of its sides being 144 meters high.

This was when the disaster took place when the outer cast of the pyramid collapsed and the site was abandoned immediately afterward leaving the mortuary temple, the burial chamber, and everything unfinished.

Detailed Description For The Pyramid of Meidum

The Pyramid at Meidum is now deserted in this isolated location with its strange shape. It consists today of Four layers of stones with the ground level being much bigger than the two others and it also has a square base.

The height today is around 45 meters. The entrance inside the pyramid is 20 meters above the sea level. The ruins of the mortuary temple are situated to the Eastside section of this historical site.

The northern side hosts the entrance inside the pyramid and the burial chamber.

A steep pair of steps leads inside the pyramid. However, there is nothing to be seen inside except some walls with no decorations or colors whatsoever as the pyramid was suddenly deserted after the accident.

Many travelers spending their holidays in Egypt would love to explore the less-visited monuments like the pyramid of Meidum that is considered a very important stage in the evolution of the pyramid construction in ancient Egypt.