A new study in Heritage Science reinterprets two features southwest of Sneferu's Red Pyramid at Wadi Dahshur as ancient dams rather than natural ridges or ramps. Visible on satellite and historic aerial imagery, each linear feature spans 600–700m across the wadi, with trapezoidal profiles 15–30m wide at the base and 6–7m tall — likely dating to the early Old Kingdom during Red Pyramid construction.
New study reinterprets Wadi Dahshur features as ancient dam system
EgyptArchitectureNew Research
Key facts
- Study published in the journal Heritage Science
- Wadi Dahshur runs southwest of the Red Pyramid, built by Sneferu
- Two structures previously thought to be natural ridges or stone transport ramps are reinterpreted as dams
- Features are visible on satellite imagery and historic aerial photos
- Features are believed to date to the early Old Kingdom and connect to construction of the Red Pyramid, the first true pyramid built in Egypt
- Each linear feature extends 600-700m across the full width of Wadi Dahshur
- Dam bases measure 15-30m wide, with heights of 6-7m above the present valley floor
- Structures have broad trapezoidal profiles resembling earthen rock embankments anchored into opposing valley sides
Site mentioned
Sources
(PDF) Two possible ancient dams near the Red Pyramid ...researchgate.net
Two possible ancient dams near the Red Pyramid on the Dahshur Plateau, Egypt. Springer Nature. npj Heritage Science. July 2026. DOI:10.1038 ...
Two possible ancient dams near the Red Pyramid on ...nature.com
by X Landreau · 2026 — This study presents, for the first time, evidence of two ancient, giant dams built across Wadi Dahshur, Egypt, along with a water diversion
Water Management in Saudi Arabia: The Ancient Damswhc.unesco.org
total length of 43 meters. The dam was built between two mountains at the narrowest point of the Wadi. Its present height is about 10 m. Yet, extensive silting ...
Ancient Egyptians may have built a massive dam near the ...newscientist.com
In 1843, researchers identified two large structures across the Wadi Dahshur valley, just 40 metres from the Red Pyramid.
4500-Year-Old Mega-Dams Near Egypt's Red Pyramid ...arkeonews.net
A new study argues that they were part of a sophisticated hydraulic system built to capture floodwater, trap sediment. Located across Wadi ...
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.