In the heart of Dahshur, the Black Pyramid rises - a dark jewel of history, whispering secrets of a civilization carved in stone.
Explore the Black Pyramid in Egypt
In the vast desert of Dahshur, Egypt, There is a marvel of ancient engineering and mystery: the Black Pyramid. Unlike other Pyramids in Giza, the Black Pyramid, built for Pharaoh Amenemhat III, tells a story of ambition, innovation, and the challenges of early pyramid construction.
This blog post will discuss this fascinating monument’s history, architecture, and intriguing facts. We will answer these questions. Is this pyramid already black? Why is it black? Was it built with black stones? Is its current black color the result of climate influences? Who built it, for what purpose, and why?
Join us as we uncover the secrets of the Black Pyramid, exploring its unique features and legacy in the rich tapestry of Egyptian history.
The black Egyptian pyramid.
Who built the Black Pyramid in Egypt?
Built by King Amenemhat III during the Middle Kingdom in Egypt, the Black Pyramid was the first built by Amenemhat III during the early part of his reign and is one of the remaining five of the 11 pyramids at Dahshur.
Dahshur is famous for having several pyramids, two of which are the oldest, largest, and best-preserved pyramids in Egypt, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, built during the middle kingdom of Egypt from 2613 BC to 2589 BC. In Egypt, following them in popularity is the Black Pyramid.
Why was the Black Pyramid given this name?
The Black Pyramid received this title because of its dark color and decadent and deteriorating construction, which was damaged by erosion. Its appearance was completely changed because it was built of clay, not stone.
First, the Black Pyramid bore the name of Amenemhat the Strong, and later, it bore the name of the Black Pyramid because of its dark, collapsed appearance, masses of rubble, and decaying and dilapidated building. It was the first pyramid to house a king and his queens.
The pyramid was not strong enough as it was built of mudstone instead of traditional stones. The low height, corridors, and non-sturdy building materials caused groundwater from the Nile to seep into the walls, causing the entire pyramid to sink into the ground and crack. This is where the name of the Black Pyramid and its black color came from.
The black Egyptian pyramid.
The phenomenal external design of the Black Pyramid
The pyramid was originally 75 meters long, with a base width of 105 meters and a slope of 57°. The Black Pyramid does not differ from the pyramids of the Middle Kingdom. Although it is covered with limestone, it is built of clay bricks. The ground level includes an entrance to the courtyard and the funerary temple, surrounded by walls. The first act by which Amenemhat III differed from the kings of the Old Kingdom who preceded him was to make the entrance to his pyramid on the southern side instead of the northern side as usual. Hence, the pyramid had two entrances on the southern end of the eastern and western sides, with stairs leading to the interior areas.
The Black Pyramid contains two walls, including tunnel tombs, a burial structure formed from graves built into natural rocks.
The pyramidion- the stone with which the pyramid is crowned – was covered with religious inscriptions and symbols, and some of them were removed, making researchers conclude that this pyramid was not used or was removed during the reign of Akhenaten.
The artistic prowess and internal design of the Black Pyramid
A complex network of passageways lies below ground level in the underground structure. The king’s portion, which included a coffin and a canopic jar, was not touched. Despite this, the king was not buried there.
The underground structure has four burial chambers, but its owners are unknown. Two of these rooms are believed to belong to Amenemhat IV and Queen Neferu-Sobek. The king’s side included a burial chamber containing a huge sarcophagus carved to mimic the outer wall of the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara.
Burial chambers were allocated for two of his queens under the pyramid. The first room of the queens’ section, located in the southwestern wing of the pyramid, belonged to Queen Aat, while the second room is still being determined. Despite storming both rooms and looting the antiquities they contained, archaeologists found some items that the thieves did not notice, including a “canopic jar” belonging to Queen Aat.
The spectacular upper structure of the Black Pyramid
The core of the upper structure is made of clay stones and has no internal walls, and it is believed that it was designed to reduce weight to a minimum due to the pyramid’s proximity to the Nile.
The pyramid was built on clay, which could not support the weight and began to collapse, just as the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu began to descend at Dahshur several centuries ago. Only one and a half kilometers separate the two pyramids.
The outer shell of the limestone was stabilized with matching pegs, and the pyramid was eventually discarded after it began to crush the lower chambers. The builders installed support beams and mudstones to prevent subsidence, but they were insufficient, so it was abandoned.
Currently, parts of the Black Pyramid are displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.
The Benben Stone from the Pyramid of Amenemhat III.
King Amenemhat built another pyramid in the Hawara area near Fayoum Governorate. It is in it that this small pyramid was found on display in the Egyptian Museum, as it sat on top of the large pyramid and was decorated with many inscriptions. It was found buried in the sand during archaeological discoveries in the area near the pyramid.
The inscriptions were drawn on this small pyramidal shape. It was decorated at the top with a sun disk, from which two heads of a cobra snake emerged. The name of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Amenemhat, was mentioned on it, which in ancient Egyptian means “Amun in the foreground,” which means the god Amun.
Some archaeologists called this small pyramid the “Coronation Pyramid,” as the small pyramidal shape, after they found it on top of many of the pyramids of the Middle Kingdom kings, had previously found it on the tops of obelisks also in the New Kingdom, so they gave it this name. It is coated with gold until the sun shines on it and radiates its light to fill the universe with light. Indeed, many of the tops of obelisks have been found containing remnants of gold metal.
The enigmatic mysteries that coat the Black Pyramid
Black Pyramid Stone
The Magnetic Black Pyramid. This pyramid has puzzled scientists for thousands of years, and they could only solve the puzzle once they ascended into space.
The pyramid is made of black stone, but it is not an ordinary stone because its components do not exist on earth. Black iron stone is only found in space in space meteorites, and here the other mystery appears because it is a very hard iron stone and difficult to shape and drill, but it is not difficult to break, so how was it cut like that!? Accuracy in angles and deviations!?
How were its faces polished with this unique polish? And here comes the third mystery, which is how these very fine inscriptions were engraved on the faces of the pyramids. Scientists found it impossible for any ancient or modern tool to carve these inscriptions unless a laser-cutting tool was used.
Now we come to the last mystery: the black iron meteorite stone, thanks to its composition and components, enjoys emitting positive electromagnetic energy in its surroundings, making everyone who approaches it feel psychological comfort and extreme serenity. It affects a person’s energy, eliminating the pain he feels in any area of his body. That is why it became a world-famous and desirable place for all tourists.
