The Meidum Pyramid Complex is a Fourth Dynasty royal mortuary complex in Lower Egypt comprising the Meidum Pyramid, a mortuary temple at its eastern base, a partially preserved eastward causeway, and a few other structures. It functioned as a funerary and cultic center associated with Pharaoh Sneferu and represents a critical developmental stage in pyramid construction. The Meidum Pyramid Complex, also spelled as Maydum or Maidum (ميدوم), is a major archaeological site, located around 72 kilometres (45 miles) south of modern Cairo.
Located near the edge of the desert south of modern-day Beni Suef, the Meidum Pyramid Complex was built during the reign of Sneferu (circa 2600–2575 BCE). The pyramid began as a step structure—possibly under Huni—and was later converted by Sneferu into the first attempt at a true smooth-sided pyramid, though it collapsed, likely during construction or shortly after. The adjoining mortuary temple, though reduced in scale compared to later examples, featured niches, offering basins, and elements of the early royal cult. A stone-paved causeway once connected the temple to a now-lost valley temple. Mastaba 17, one of the largest in ancient Egypt, lies to the north and reflects elite burial practices during the early Fourth Dynasty. The complex as a whole illustrates the architectural experimentation and ideological shift toward monumental royal tombs that culminated in Sneferu’s later pyramids at Dahshur. In literature the pyramid of Meidum is often known as the "collapsed pyramid" because of its ruined state.
Circa 2600 BCE
Pyramid
The Pyramid of Meidum is thought to be just the second pyramid built after Djoser's pyramid and may have been originally built for Huni, the last pharaoh of the Third Dynasty, and continued by Sneferu. Because of its unusual appearance, the pyramid is called el-heram el-kaddaab (الهرم الكاذب), literally meaning the false pyramid, in Egyptian Arabic. The second extension turned the original step pyramid design into a true pyramid by filling in the steps with limestone encasing. But the Meidum Pyramid seems never to have been completed. Even the burial chamber inside the pyramid itself was left uncompleted.
Circa 2600 BCE
Mortuary Temple
The mortuary temple of Meidum Pyramid, which was found under the rubble at the base of the pyramid, apparently never was finished. Two stelas inside, usually bearing the names of the pharaoh, are missing inscriptions. The mortuary temple was the first example to be built on the east side rather than the north, and although it is a simple building it is fairly well preserved. The whole complex is surrounded by an enclosure wall, traces of which remain.
Circa 2600 BCE
Causeway
There was an unroofed causeway that stretched more than two hundred meters and which almost certainly linked the pyramid's enclosure wall with a valley temple on the edge of the valley, but is missing at Meidum. The causeway was cut into the bedrock and paved with limestone but today it is largely ruined. It would most likely have run around two hundred meters.
Circa 2600 BCE
Mastaba 17
The Mastaba 17 lies just northeast of the Meidum Pyramid. "Mastaba" is an Arabic word for "stone bench". The structures were typically flat-roofed rectangles made of stone or mudbrick, under which burial chambers were dug for kings or nobles. Due it its close proximity to the Meidum Pyramid, it is speculated that it was built for someone of note. At around 100 x 50 meters, Mastaba 17 is massive. In fact, it’s one of the biggest mastabas in all of Egypt. It was built of mudbrick on top of which a huge pile of limestone chips was added – possibly debris from the pyramid construction. While hardly evident today, the chips were originally laid deliberately in even layers.
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The Madain Project is an online archive of Abrahamic History and Archaeology.
Abrahamic History & Archaeology is the study of history and archaeology with respect to the three Abrahamic Faiths without considering the religious and theological aspects. The goal of Abrahamic History is to understand how and why the religious doctrines and behaviours have evlovled and changed over time. Searching for patterns in the evolution of significant cultural events such as the development of farming, the emergence of cities, or the collapse of major civilizations for clues of why and how these have influenced the three major Abrahamic religions.
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