Pink pyramid cairo. pink pyramid. Pink pyramid: interesting facts

“In the Garden of Eden, under the tree of knowledge, a rose bush bloomed; in the very first rose that blossomed on it, a bird was born; its feathers cast wonderful colors, its flight was a radiance, its singing was a wondrous harmony.

But then Eve ate from the tree of knowledge, and she, along with Adam, was expelled from paradise, and one spark fell into the nest from the fiery sword of the angel of retribution. The nest flared up, and the bird burned down, but a new, unique, always unique phoenix bird in the world flew out of the red-hot egg. Myths say that she builds her nest in Arabia and every hundred years she burns herself in the nest, but a new phoenix flies out of the red-hot egg, again the only one in the world.

Fast as a ray of light, shining with a wonderful color of feathers, enchanting with its marvelous singing, a marvelous bird flies around us." (Hans Christian Andersen)

Phoenix is ​​an ancient symbol of immortality, rebirth, the sun. This mythological bird is colored gold and red, symbolizing the rising sun.

In monumental sculptures, stone pyramids and buried mummies, the Egyptians sought to gain eternity; it is quite natural that it was in their country that the myth of the cyclically reborn, immortal bird should have arisen, although the subsequent development of the myth was carried out by the Greeks and Romans.

Adolf Erman writes that in the mythology of Heliopolis, the Phoenix (bnu) is the patron of anniversaries, or great time cycles.

Herodotus, in a famous passage, recounts the original version of the legend:

“There is ... a sacred bird, her name is Phoenix. I myself have never seen her, except as painted, because in Egypt she rarely appears, once every 500 years, as the inhabitants of Heliopolis say. According to them, she arrives when she dies her father (that is, she herself) If the images correctly show her size and size and appearance, her plumage is partly golden, partly red. Her appearance and size resemble an eagle.

Also, in the fortune-telling inscriptions of Ancient China, created over 15 centuries BC, the wonderful phoenix bird - "fenghuang" is mentioned. The Chinese dictionary of the 1st century "The Interpretation of Signs" ("Showen") described the phoenix bird as follows: "It resembles a swan from the front, a unicorn (qilin) ​​from the back, a snake's neck, a fish's tail, a dragon's color, a turtle's body, a cock's beak."

The Chinese "Catalogue of Seas and Mountains" also tells about the phoenix king bird: "Five hundred li east of the Heavenly Tiger Mountain is the mountain of Cinnabar Cave. At its top there is a lot of gold and jade. There is a bird, five-colored, with divorces. It is called a phoenix. The pattern on her head resembles the hieroglyph "de", which means "virtue", and on the wings - the hieroglyph "i" - "justice", on the back - the hieroglyph "li" - "good manners", on the chest - "jen" - " Perfection", on the stomach - "blue" - "honesty". She eats and drinks like an ordinary bird. She sings and dances herself. When they see her, calm and peace come in the Celestial Empire."

For the medieval Chinese, the phoenix bird personified marital fidelity and a life of prosperity. Therefore, she was often depicted on wedding dresses, was a symbol of the bride and the empress.

Coming from the ancient sage Confucius, the saying "phoenixes do not appear" means that happiness always comes and does not come.

However, one should not confuse the Chinese phoenix with the European phoenix, known from the books of ancient Greek authors and medieval treatises - this is a completely different bird.

At the end of the 17th century, the German scientist F. Wolf collected together all the information that was known at that time about the celestial bird Phoenix. The result of the search was published in a work with the intricate title "The Amazing Garden of the Wild, or On the Foolishness of Animals."

“The Phoenix bird is considered the most amazing of all the birds of the sky. Some write that it lives in Arabia, others talk about other places. This bird does not breed like other birds, but is reborn after death from its own ashes.

She lives 160 years, and some scientists claim that even longer. They also say about her that she is the only one in all the earth, so they see her very rarely. Hence the saying went: "More rare than the Phoenix bird." The size of a Phoenix from an eagle, the neck is shiny, golden, in the tail there are pink feathers, the face is round, there is a crest on the head.

The Phoenix is ​​not born like all other birds. When the bird reaches old age and senses the approach of death, it builds a nest of herbs and rare expensive plants such as coffee, myrrh, aloe, which are highly flammable. Then sit in the nest and wait for it to light up. And along with the nest itself burns to the ground. After the Phoenix burns down, a worm appears first, and then a Phoenix similar to the former one grows out of this worm. Ovid wrote about it.

Further, this new bird arranges an amazing funeral for the burnt one: it transfers the ashes of the burnt nest to the famous city of Heliopolis in Egypt and lays it there on the altar. She does it like this:
1) weaves an egg-shaped vessel from palm branches;
2) tries to see if he can pick it up;
3) carefully levels the vessel and fills it with the ashes of the burnt nest;
4) gently close the hole;
5) lays his burden on the altar in the temple of the Sun at Heliopolis."

Another version of the description of the Phoenix was left to us in the 6th century BC in the apocryphal "Revelations of Baruch". To Baruch's question, "what kind of birds are these?" neither the human race nor all creatures on earth would live from the heat of the sun. Thus, the Phoenix saves people from the withering gaze of the luminary.

There is a description of the Phoenix in the old "Physiologist": "His head is decorated with a crown, and boots on his feet, like a king's. The Phoenix lives near the Sunny City. It will rise for 500 years on the Lebanese cedars without food. It feeds on the Holy Spirit. Beats in the appointed hour is a bell, and the Phoenix in the church on the altar turns to ashes. And in the morning they find a bird in the same place in the form of a chick, and a day later - an adult "...

The phoenix was also known in Rus'. The "Pigeon Book" says: Phoenix bird - "to all the mother birds." She has "feathers stronger than steel and damask steel, they cut bones and stones, and when guests come from across the sea, they buy feathers and cover or velvets and atlases."

Shakespeare, in the conclusion of Henry VIII (V, 5), wrote the following beautiful lines about the Phoenix:

Like a virgin - Phoenix, a miracle bird,
Burning itself, rising from the ashes
An heir as beautiful as herself.

Translation by B.Tomashevsky

Not surprisingly, the early Christians depicted the phoenix in the catacombs as a sign of the Resurrection. Saint Clement of Rome (1st century) connects the image of the phoenix with Christian teaching: repeating Ovid's story about the five hundred year old phoenix living in Arabia, Clement concludes his story with the words that the Creator, who created the phoenix, thus demonstrated that he grants immortality to those who dedicates his life to faithful service to Him. This idea of ​​Clement was picked up by later Christian authors - Tertullian, Lactantius, Rufinus, St. Gregory of Tours and others. In bestiaries, medieval books in which descriptions of animals were accompanied by religious commentaries, the legend of the phoenix symbolizes the resurrection of Christ.

In Christian teaching, the phoenix becomes a symbol not only of the immortality of the spirit, divine love and blessing, but also of God the Son, who resurrected on the third day after the crucifixion. Images of the phoenix adorn the cathedrals in Tours, Magdeburg, Basel, and many other European cities. The most impressive wall mosaic of the XII century in the cathedral in St. Petra in Rome: it depicts a phoenix with blue and white plumage, with gold and red wings, its head surrounded by white and gold halos.


Used materials from the Mythological Encyclopedia

The Phoenix bird looks like an eagle with red and golden feathers. For many centuries, she managed to amaze the imagination of people with her amazing qualities - to be reborn from the ashes after self-immolation and live for an unusually long time. The phoenix bird is a beautiful legend that exists in several versions.

In the main version, which has become a classic, with a frequency of five hundred years, she flies from India to the Libyan temple of the sun, located in Heliopolis, and throws herself into the fire of the sacred vine, kindled. Wings soaked in incense flare instantly, and the victim burns in the fire. A new phoenix rises from the ashes after three days, thanks the priest for his work, and flies to India.

The Bennu bird from Ancient Egypt, which resembled a heron in its appearance, was also reborn after self-immolation, similar to the example described above.

Since ancient times, people have strived for immortality, and the Phoenix was the personification of this dream. In the ancient world, his images could be found in heraldry and sculpture, on seals and coins. This symbol in poetry and prose is strongly associated with after the execution.

Chinese Phoenix

Ancient China had its own legend. The mythical bird with colored plumage was called Feng Huang, had a cock's beak and goiter of a swallow, the color of a dragon, a torso, a snake's neck, and a fish tail. From the back, she resembled a unicorn, and in front of a swan. She lived in the realm of perfect people, hovering over mountains and seas.

The first mention of the Feng Huang bird appeared in the 15th century BC. e. The word "Feng" meant the divine wind, and the word "huang" - the crest of a bird in the form of the sun with rays like a trident. This confirms the origin of "Feng Huang" (from the light of the sun).

According to some reports, the arrival of the Phoenix coincides with the beginning of the rainy season. In China, the phoenix bird, according to legend, knows the seasons.

The Chinese "Catalogue of Seas and Mountains" also contains a mention of this miracle. In it, among the gold and jade, on the top of the mountain lives a five-colored bird. She sings wonderfully and dances beautifully to the beat of her song. On her wings is the hieroglyph "i", which means justice, the hieroglyph "jen" is inscribed on her chest - perfection. The hieroglyph "blue" flaunts on the belly of the bird - honesty. The back is decorated with the hieroglyph "li", meaning good manners, the head - "te" - virtue. According to an ancient legend, at the moment when the whole Celestial Empire sees the Feng Huang bird, calm and peace will reign in the country.

Phoenix bird legend of rebirth

German scientist F. Wolf in his book "On the Foolishness of Animals" systematized all the information about the miracle bird. According to the work of Wolf, the life expectancy of the Phoenix is ​​160 years, the feathered one cannot reproduce, but is able to be reborn from its ashes. The head is decorated with a golden tuft, the neck is shiny, the feathers in the tail are pink, the size of the individual is from an eagle.

As death approaches, she builds a nest of rare plants and fragrant herbs that are easily flammable, such as myrrh, coffee, aloe. One day, the nest catches fire, and the Phoenix bird burns down with it. Then a small worm appears on the ashes, and an adult grows out of it.

References to the Phoenix bird in other books

The time comes when the Phoenix carries the ashes to Heliopolis and lays them on the altar. This is how Ovid described his renewal.

According to the book "Physiologist", a crown adorns the head of a phoenix, and royal boots on its feet. This creature feeds on the holy spirit and lives on the Lebanese cedar for 500 years. Hearing the bell ringing on the day of its death, it turns to ashes on the church altar.

In the morning, a chick is found at this place. He gets back to normal in a day. In Rus' there is a description of this miracle. It is contained in the "pigeon book", according to which, Phoenix is ​​the mother of all birds. Its outlandish feathers are stronger than damask steel - they cut stones and bones, and overseas merchants buy feathers for cutting satin and velvet. In Christianity, the Phoenix symbolizes the resurrection of the flesh.

"Like a Phoenix from the ashes to be reborn
Not many in this life are destined
Rise up, fall down, but don't break
And get up again, and not lay low.
After a series of ups and downs,
Rising again from the dark void,
Walking the path of their rebirths,
Do not lose spiritual purity ... "
(“The Ashes of Revival”, A. Dubasov)

What does the expression in the poem mean? rise from the ashes"? How did it appear in our language, and when is it used in speech? What magic is hidden in it?

Today I invite you to visit the country of this amazing phraseological unit, where I will answer all these questions.

1. The history of the origin of phraseology

What is "phraseologism"? To be brief, this is the wisdom of the people, contained in one phrase, this is a stable expression that has a figurative meaning and an interesting history.

So the phraseologism " » very interesting and very ancient history. This stable phrase belongs to the mythological ones, since it is most closely connected with the ideas of ancient people about the mythological Phoenix bird (full form: “ be reborn/rise like a phoenix from the ashes A").

Phoenix (the word comes from the Greek phoinix (phoinikos) - “purple, crimson”) is a bird known in the mythologies of different cultures, which has the ability to burn itself and then be reborn. Outwardly, it looks like an eagle, but with bright red or golden-red plumage. Lives for 500 years (according to other sources - 1000, 1461 or even 12994 years), then, foreseeing his own death, sacrifices himself by self-immolation in his own nest. After remaining dead for a while, he then rises from his own ashes. Therefore, the Phoenix is ​​a symbol of eternal rebirth, renewal and immortality.

The first written mention of the myth of the Phoenix is ​​found in Herodotus (5th century BC). Then Tacitus (1st century AD) mentions the Phoenix in his notes, talking about how the inhabitants of ancient Egypt watched the arrival of a strange bird. In addition, the Phoenix is ​​also mentioned by other ancient authors, such as Lactantius (the poem "The Phoenix Bird", (III-IV centuries AD) and Claudian (the poem "Phoenix"), and later by Ovid ("Metamorphoses"), Dante ("Hell", XXIV), Shakespeare ("Henry VIII"), Pellicer ("Phoenix and its Natural History") and Milton ("Samson the Wrestler").
“... With that Arabian bird,
That there is only one in the whole universe
Only born from itself
She dies once in a century
In the flames of self-immolation
And rises, young and strong,
After the resurrection…”
(Milton, "Samson the Wrestler")

Phoenix is ​​also mentioned in ancient Russian books:

“There is a bird in the great Indian called the Phoenix. That bird is a one-nest bird: it does not have either its friends or children, but it only stays in its nest ... When it grows old, fly to a height and carry the fire of heaven and light its nest, and then it burns itself. But even packs in the ashes of their nest are again born. (“Golden Mother”, XV century)

In Rus', under the influence of the myths about the Phoenix, their own wonderful tales about the radiant firebird developed. The term itself Firebird"quite accurately conveys the meaning of the Greek word" phoenix "(crimson). Similarly, in Finist - a clear falcon, it is not difficult to recognize the distorted name of the Phoenix.

There is also a mention of the fiery bird in early Christianity, where it became a symbol of victory over death, the triumph of eternal life, and the resurrection from the dead. Also a symbol of Jesus Christ.

The origins of the legend of the Phoenix, and therefore the origins of the idiom "to be reborn / rise from the ashes", lie in the eternal renewal of nature, which amazed the imagination of our distant ancestors, in the change of seasons (when everything dies in winter, and comes to life again in spring), in change of day and night. For example, in ancient Egypt, the Phoenix was directly associated with the cult of the sun god Ra, personifying the daily "dying" and "rebirth" of the sun and day.

2. The meaning of phraseology

First, consider the lexical meanings of individual words in this expression:

Respawn:
1. Restore, resume after destruction, a period of decline, return to its previous state, appear, reappear.
2. Feel a surge of strength, vivacity, become cheerful, vital.

Revolt:
1. Rise up, get up, rise (for some purpose).
2. Take up arms, rise up against someone.
3. Revolt against someone, raise an uprising.
4. To act contrary to someone or something, to oppose, not agreeing with something.

Ash:
- a light volatile crumbly charred mass remaining after something burned, burned (Ushakov's dictionary), ash, everything burned and burned to dust (Dal's dictionary).

But individual words, falling into a phraseological unit, lose their semantic independence. Phraseological units are distinguished from free phrases by "the generalized meaning of the entire turnover as a whole, which most often does not coincide with the lexical meaning of the individual components that make it up."

Therefore, the meaning of the expression " reborn / rise from the ashes"Slightly different from the meaning of the words that make it up, and sounds like this -" perish, but miraculously (like a phoenix) come to life».

Gradually the words phoenix" and the expression " reborn / rise from the ashes"began to be applied to everything that temporarily falls into decay, dies, and then, as it were, is reborn, rebuilt, restored, for example:

To people who have suffered misfortune, tragedy, who have lost faith in the best, love, but who managed to pull themselves together, who started life anew:
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes
Embraced by the flame of a yearning soul,
So is the love that faded
Suddenly whispers to the heart again: "Breathe"
(author unknown)

To human communities and peoples:
“We have been beaten more than once, we have been drowned in blood, we have been mixed with dirt. But no one knows where, finding strength, truth and the will to win, we were reborn from the ashes ... "

To newly rebuilt after the destruction of cities and countries:
From the ashes of Rus', like a Phoenix will be reborn,
The white-winged Firebird will flap its wings,
Take off and fly again into Dawn,
Russia will once again give Light to the World!
(S. Talsay)

To the spheres of human activity: “The mortgage is ready to be reborn from the ashes”

Even to diseases: "Diphtheria is a phoenix reborn from the ashes"

Alas, not only the good things in our lives tend to be reborn from the ashes, but the bad ones too ...

3. Phraseologism as a phrase

Phraseologism " reborn / rise from the ashes"is a full-fledged verb phrase, as it consists of two full-meaning words (verb + noun, where the verb to resurrect / rise is the main word, and the noun from the ashes is dependent), connected by the preposition from and located among themselves in the magic of submission. The semantic relations between the main and dependent word are objective.

The main word resurrect / rise» manages the addict « from the ash", requiring it with you in a certain case form (in this case, in Gen. p.), that is, when the main word in the phrase changes, the dependent always remains unchanged:
- you are reborn (2 person, singular, present time) from the ashes (Rod.p.)
- reborn (singular, female, past time) from the ashes (Rod.p.)
- we will be reborn (1 person, pl., bud.) from the ashes (Rob.p.)

The spell that the word " resurrect / rise"attached to itself the word" from the ash» - Of what?(Gen.p.) In this case, the magic that links two words is called control magic. The preposition also points to the magic of control from. The presence of a preposition is always a sign that we have control, not adjoining.

4. The use of phraseological units in speech

Phraseologisms in our everyday speech sound quite often. Sometimes we do not even notice that we are pronouncing them - they are so familiar and convenient for us. You can say a whole tirade, something like “despite the burnout syndrome, the teacher found the strength in himself to…”. And you can say a short one - “reborn from the ashes” - and immediately a lot becomes clear.

The use of the phraseological unit "reborn from the ashes" (as well as any other phraseological units) is typical for the colloquial style and some book styles of speech. For example, for journalistic. This phraseological unit can be found quite often on the pages of newspapers and magazines, in speeches on television and radio:
- “Will Permian basketball be reborn like a Phoenix from the ashes?"(Arguments and facts, 29.10.2010)
- « Kodak wants to rise from the ashes: a reorganization procedure, as well as a billion-dollar loan, can help the famous company(News of the NTV television company from 19.01.2012)
- “Apparently, a radical reform of the law enforcement agencies will be announced this week. It will directly affect the St. Petersburg Chekists. What has been said for a long time will happen: a semblance of the Soviet KGB is being created in the country. Iron Felix may be reborn from the ashes."(News, dated 21.07.2004)

In fiction, this phraseological unit is found even more often than in journalism. And this is understandable: in works of art, it becomes exactly the paint that gives imagery and beauty to the narrative or description.
- “His great soul did not grieve, however, under the burden of sadness that weighed on it, his nature, like a phoenix, was always reborn from its own ashes and showed energy as barriers and obstacles intensified.”(D.V. Grigorovich "Country roads")
- « The Cherdyntsevs remained in Moscow. Together with other Muscovites, they experienced an unforgettable day of the November festive parade, when, as if reborn from the ashes, powerful military equipment moved along Red Square, past the Mausoleum - tanks, armored vehicles, heavy and light artillery "(Yu. Nagibin "Pavlik").

But especially this phraseological unit, as a colorful, telling image, is loved by poets:
It's time to rise from the ashes
Like a Phoenix bird, it's time
But back to the old days
I can never again...
(G. Bogatyreva)

- Let the world be born again
Rising from the ashes
But I will say three words -
"I live and enjoy"
. (V. Weidenhamer)

- Vesuvius fell silent, Hekla fell silent,
The pond has been re-cleaned.
We are reborn from the ashes.
And we rise from the ashes.
(S. Medvedev)

But in official business speech, as well as in scientific works and speeches, where there is strict logic, a generalized abstract nature of information and a lack of emotionality, our phraseological unit is unlikely to be found, well, except perhaps in popular science works, where the use of certain means is allowed language expressiveness.

The enormous expressive possibilities of the Russian language are also created by phraseological synonyms and antonyms. The same idea can be expressed using different phraseological units.

Synonymous with phraseologism " reborn / rise from the ashes"can be considered a phraseological unit" rise from the ashes", one of the meanings of which is " to rise, to be reborn from a state of decline, oblivion»

As for antonyms, they will be such phraseological units as " go / crumble / scatter ashes" And " turn/turn to dust”, the meaning of which is “to cease to be, to exist; be destroyed"

Phraseologism differs from a free combination of words not only by the constancy of the composition and a single meaning, but also by the fact that it is one member of the sentence. Phraseologism "to be reborn / rise from the ashes" in sentences acts as a predicate. For example, I will take a few sentences that were cited in my speech:

We have been smashed more than once, we have been drowned in blood, we have been mixed with dirt. But no one knows where, finding strength, truth and the will to win, we ( what they were doing?) reborn from the ashes …»

Kodak ( what is he doing?) wants to rise from the ashes: a reorganization procedure, as well as a billion-dollar loan, can help a famous company.

His great soul did not grieve, however, under the burden of sadness weighing on it, his nature ( what did you do?), like a phoenix, revived Always from own ashes and showed energy as the barriers and obstacles intensified”

In general, the expressions like a phoenix", "like a phoenix" act in sentences absolutely independently and have the meaning - "something or someone with a rare gift / ability to self-heal / resurrect." Combining with the main part of the phraseological unit ( reborn / rise from the ashes), They:

Create a brighter, more expressive image for perception,
- are with her in magic submission,
- play a syntactic role different from it, namely, they are a circumstance of the mode of action.

Let's look at an example: From the ashes of Rus', as the Phoenix will be reborn...

Rus' (what will it do?) will be reborn from the ashes (predicate)
Rise from the ashes (how? how?) like a phoenix (circumstance)

On this, our short journey through the country of the phraseological unit “to be reborn / rise from the ashes” has come to an end. I would like to end my speech with the words:

Each phraseological unit is like a precious stone that shines as long as people remember it.

Nikoya, 4th year student of Argemona School, Pilvilinn house

The greatest architectural monuments of Ancient Egypt, including one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" - the pyramid of Cheops and an honorary candidate for the "new seven wonders of the world" - the pyramids of Giza. Pyramids are huge stone structures used as tombs for the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.

The Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) is the largest of the Egyptian pyramids, the only one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" that has survived to this day. The pyramid consists of blocks of limestone, basalt and granite. It was built on a natural hill. The Pyramid of Khufu is the tallest and most voluminous of all the Egyptian pyramids. Initially, it was lined with white limestone, harder than the main blocks. The top of the pyramid was crowned with a gilded stone - a pyramidion. The cladding shone in the sun with a peach color, as if "a shining miracle, to which the Sun God Ra himself seemed to give all his rays." The entrance to the pyramid is at a height of 15.63 m on the north side. The entrance is formed by stone slabs laid in the form of an arch. This entrance was sealed with a granite plug. Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are three burial chambers located one above the other.

The Pyramid of Khafre (Khafra) is the second largest ancient Egyptian pyramid. It is located next to the Great Sphinx, as well as the pyramids of Cheops (Khufu) and Menkaure on the Giza plateau. Built presumably in the middle of the XXVI century. BC. the building, 143.5 m high, was called Urt-Khafra ("Khafra is great" or "Honored Khafra"). The side of the square base of the pyramid is 215 m, and the height is 136 m. When examining the pyramid of Khafre, tourists get the feeling that it is higher than its famous neighbor, the pyramid of Cheops. But actually it is not. The Pyramid of Khafre seems taller only because it stands on the highest point of the Giza necropolis. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is the most compact building in the world. With a volume of 16,292,000 cubic meters, the free space of the pyramid is less than one hundredth of a percent!

The Pyramid of Menkaur (Mykerin) is the southernmost, latest and lowest of the three Egyptian pyramids at Giza. Contrary to the nickname "Heru" (high), it barely reaches 66 m in height, and the length of the side of its base is 108.4 m. Despite the small size of the pyramid, according to eyewitnesses, the pyramid of Menkaur was the most beautiful of all the pyramids. The potential of the builders was enormous, as evidenced by one of the monoliths used in the mortuary temple of Menkaure. Its weight has been estimated at over 200 tons. Putting in place a block of this size, the heaviest on the Giza plateau, was a true technical feat. The colossal statue of the seated king from the central chapel of the temple - one of the largest in the era of the Old Kingdom - is an excellent proof of the skill of the pharaoh's sculptors.

pink pyramid

The Pink Pyramid (Northern) is the largest of the three large pyramids located on the territory of the Dahshur necropolis. The name is associated with the color of stone blocks, which acquire a pink color in the rays of the setting sun. It is the third tallest pyramid in Egypt, after Khufu and Khafre in Giza. The pink pyramid did not always have its current color. Previously, its walls were covered with white limestone. But at present, white limestone is almost completely absent, because. even in the Middle Ages, a significant part of it was removed for the construction of houses in Cairo, as a result of which pinkish limestone was exposed. The Northern Pyramid at the time of its construction in the 26th century. BC. was the tallest building on earth. It is also considered the world's first successful attempt to build a "real" isosceles pyramid - it has the correct stereometric pyramidal shape. The Pink Pyramid should be visited with caution due to the strong smell caused by the concentration of ammonia in its premises.

General form

broken pyramid

The Bent Pyramid (South) is an Egyptian pyramid in Dahshur, the construction of which is attributed to Pharaoh Sneferu (XXVI BC). The southern pyramid is called "broken", "cut" or "rhomboid" for its irregular shape. It differs from other pyramids of the Old Kingdom in that it has an entrance not only on the north side, which was the norm, but also a second entrance, which is open higher, on the west side. The pyramid contains two actually unrelated systems of premises - Upper and Lower. The passage between them was broken after construction through the layers of masonry. To the south of the Bent Pyramid, at a distance of 55 m, there is a small pyramid (or satellite pyramid). It is assumed that it was created for the soul of the pharaoh. The initial dimensions of the small pyramid: height - 26 m (now 23 m), side length - 52.8 m. This pyramid has one feature - numerous red lines of an unknown nature protrude on the walls and floor. The location of the premises in the satellite pyramid resembles their location in the pyramid of Cheops. Here an ascending corridor precedes the gallery, and at the end of the gallery there is an entrance to the burial chamber. This is the only satellite pyramid of such a large size and with such a complex system of arrangement of internal chambers.