Red Pyramid

This guide to the Red Pyramid outside Cairo traces King Sneferu's two earlier, troubled attempts at a pyramid: the collapsing structure at Meidum, and the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur, where builders panicked mid-construction and changed its angle partway up. It explains how Sneferu's engineers applied those lessons to this pyramid, and why medieval Cairo's builders stripped away its original white casing, leaving the rusty red limestone that gives it its name today. Look closely near the base for traces of the smooth casing stones the pyramid once wore.