17 Facts About Egyptian pyramids

Approximately 80 pyramids were built within the Kingdom of Kush, now located in the modern country of Sudan.

Several of the Giza Egyptian pyramids are counted among the largest structures ever built.

Egyptian pyramids gave up after only damaging the Pyramid of Menkaure because the task proved too large.

Shape of Egyptian pyramids is thought to represent the primordial mound from which the Egyptians believed the earth was created.

The shape of a pyramid is thought to be representative of the descending rays of the sun, and most Egyptian pyramids were faced with polished, highly reflective white limestone, in order to give them a brilliant appearance when viewed from a distance.

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All Egyptian pyramids were built on the west bank of the Nile, which, as the site of the setting sun, was associated with the realm of the dead in Egyptian mythology.

In 1842, Karl Richard Lepsius produced the first modern list of Egyptian pyramids—now known as the Lepsius list of Egyptian pyramids—in which he counted 67.

Many Egyptian pyramids are in a poor state of preservation or buried by desert sands.

The quality of construction of the Abusir Egyptian pyramids is inferior to those of the Fourth Dynasty—perhaps signaling a decrease in royal power or a less vibrant economy.

Three major Egyptian pyramids are those of Niuserre, which is the best-preserved, Neferirkare Kakai and Sahure.

Major Egyptian pyramids located here include the Pyramid of Djoser—generally identified as the world's oldest substantial monumental structure to be built of dressed stone—the Pyramid of Userkaf, the Pyramid of Teti and the Pyramid of Merikare, dating to the First Intermediate Period of Egypt.

South of the main pyramid field at Saqqara is a second collection of later, smaller Egyptian pyramids, including those of Pepi I, Djedkare Isesi, Merenre, Pepi II and Ibi.

Southern Pyramid of Sneferu, commonly known as the Bent Pyramid, is believed to be the first Egyptian pyramids pyramid intended by its builders to be a "true" smooth-sided pyramid from the outset; the earlier pyramid at Meidum had smooth sides in its finished state, but it was conceived and built as a step pyramid, before having its steps filled in and concealed beneath a smooth outer casing of dressed stone.

Several kilometres to the north of the Bent Pyramid is the last—and most successful—of the three Egyptian pyramids constructed during the reign of Sneferu; the Red Pyramid is the world's first successfully completed smooth-sided pyramid.

Also at Dahshur is one of two Egyptian pyramids built by Amenemhat III, known as the Black Pyramid, as well as a number of small, mostly ruined subsidiary Egyptian pyramids.

Two major pyramids are known to have been built at Lisht: those of Amenemhat I and his son, Senusret I The latter is surrounded by the ruins of ten smaller subsidiary pyramids.

Egyptian pyramids was the first Egyptian pharaoh to be buried in a pyramid in centuries.