An archaeological site in Upper Egypt
is Meidum, Maydum or Maidum (Arabic: Meidum).
It includes a large pyramid
and many mastabas made of mud-brick.
The pyramid was the first straight-sided one in
Egypt, but in ancient times it partly collapsed.
The area is situated about 100
km (62 miles) south of modern Cairo.
Meidum’s pyramid is assumed to be only the second pyramid constructed after Djoser’s[2] and may
have been initially designed for Huni, the third dynasty’s last pharaoh, and continued by Sneferu.
The pyramid is called el-heram el-kaddaab–(Pseudo Pyramid)
in Egyptian Arabic because of its odd appearance.
By filling in the steps with limestone encasing, the second
extension transformed the initial step pyramid concept into a true pyramid.
While this approach is consistent with the nature
of the other true pyramids, construction errors affected Meidum.
Second, as with the inner layers, the outer
layer was built on sand and not on rock.
Second, as the final phase, the inner step pyramids were built. The outer surface was therefore polished
and the steps’ platforms were not horizontal,But it dropped
on the outside.
This seriously undermined stability and is likely to have caused the Meidum Pyramid to collapse in a downpour while the building was still being constructed.
The pyramid did not fall until the New Kingdom, Franck Monnier[4] and
others assume, but there are a variety of evidence contradicting this hypothesis.
It appears that the Meidum Pyramid was never completed. All the pyramids had a valley temple from Sneferu to the 12th Dynasty, which is absent at Meidum.
Mortuary temple, which was located at the base of the pyramid under the rubble.
