Red Pyramid Colouring

The Red Pyramid is the tallest pyramid at Dahshur, Egypt, and one of the great achievements of King Sneferu's reign in the Fourth Dynasty. It was built after the nearby Bent Pyramid, probably during the 26th century BCE. Its four sides rise at one steady angle, making it the earliest large pyramid successfully completed as a true smooth-sided pyramid. The broad base and gentler slope created a stable form that helped prepare the way for the enormous pyramids later built at Giza. It is now the third-largest Egyptian pyramid, after the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre. The monument's modern name comes from the rusty reddish colour of its local limestone blocks. Originally, however, bright white Tura limestone casing covered the outside. Much of that fine casing was removed and reused in later times. An entrance high on the north face leads down a narrow passage toward three chambers. Each chamber has a dramatic corbelled ceiling, made from stone courses that project inward step by step. The exact story of Sneferu's burial remains uncertain, but the complex was clearly part of the Old Kingdom tradition of royal tombs and temples. The Red and Bent Pyramids belong to the UNESCO World Heritage area of Memphis and its Necropolis, where many monuments show the long development from mastaba tombs to pyramids. For this page, begin with the huge straight triangle. You may colour the limestone reddish brown to match the name, or rebuild its ancient appearance with cream and brilliant white casing. Try pale terracotta, peach and warm grey on alternate stone courses, keeping each band light. The entrance can be soft brown inside, never solid black. Colour the causeway sandy gold and use green for the palm leaves, brown for the trunk and ochre for the desert grasses. The birds can be grey, white or a playful blue. Make the sun yellow and the distant hills pale mauve or tan. Long, level strokes will make the pyramid's even construction easy to see. Use diagonal strokes along both sides to emphasize the single unbroken slope, which is the feature that makes this monument different from the Bent and Step Pyramids.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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Grown-up note: Please supervise printing and choose age-appropriate art materials.