The Pyramid of Senusret II

At El-Lahun, on the desert threshold of the Fayoum, stands the pyramid of the Middle Kingdom pharaoh Senusret II — built not of solid stone but around a rocky core with a mud-brick body, later stripped of its limestone casing. Millennia of erosion have left it a weathered, earthen mound, which is exactly what makes it fascinating.

The pyramid's real innovations lay in defence: its builders hid the entrance away from the traditional north face and threaded the interior with concealed passages to foil tomb robbers. Nearby, archaeologists uncovered the dazzling Lahun treasure of royal jewellery, now among Egypt's finest.

Set at the mouth of the fertile Fayoum depression, it makes an offbeat addition to a day exploring the oasis lakes and desert south-west of Cairo.