Dahsur - Where Bent is Beautiful

How many times have you got stuck with a mathematical problem, scratched your head and even perhaps chewed the end of your pen/pencil while dwelling on the question?

Dive into your days of calculus and theorems when your brain ran on an overdrive. This for some might have been exhilarating but for others near-tear experience. Whatever it was, I am sure we have faced such a scenario at least once in our lives.

Now just imagine if the ancient Egyptians did the same!

Got stuck in some calculation, racked their brains to come up with a solution and failed!

Well, some think it did happen. One such miscalculation by the Egyptians led to the creation of something so beautiful that it glows like the crown jewel on their never-ending list of accomplishments. I am calling it a crown jewel because never before something like this was ever attempted by them but then again it might all have been created on purpose. But who knows?

Yes. I am referring to the Bent Pyramid of Dahsur, Egypt or better said the First Pyramid ever! This pyramid can be said to be the brainchild of Pharaoh Sneferu of the Old Kingdom in 2600 BC which altered the pages of Egyptian history to a great extent.

Dahsur is like a time hole which connects you to a time when Egyptians had probably just started to evolve in a way like never before. There was not a single field where they were not making progress. It was like they were in full throttle. They were the minds of a very forward-thinking civilization whose thought processes and methods of calculations floated like the invisible microbes in a glass of water. We know their ideas existed but we have no idea how. And the Bent Pyramid can be said to be the evidence of the existence of such ideas.

Passing through the passage of time today it is a wonder that will never fail to amaze you anytime less than the Great Pyramids of Giza. Constructed on the barren land, the slightly bent conical mound appears to have penetrated from the ground like an extra appendage. However, made primarily of limestone it is entirely of different matter than what surrounds the land. Like a solid tent, it stands rigid. The surface of the Bent Pyramid is not smooth. It is as if someone has peeled off the limestone surface trying to see what lies beneath.

The surrounding acres and acres of sand give the impression of a chrome sea. The sun glowering down at you will blow gusts of hot wind. With particles of sand dancing in the air, the Bent Pyramid shimmers like a mirage to many. You can enter the complex labyrinth of the pyramid and explore the real imagination of an era long gone. Here in Dahsur you will also get to visit the Red Pyramid and the Black Pyramid. Together these three pyramids form a unique trio and Dahsur will leave an everlasting impression on your mind.

Whether by miscalculation or on purpose why the Bent Pyramid is bent we may not know. All we can do is agree that no matter what ‘Bent is Beautiful’ and as it rightfully said let the mystery remain mysterious!