Yet another work of the indefatigable Snefru, the father of Cheops, is the pyramid at Mejdum, near the Nile at about the level of Fayyum. The Arabs call it «ahram el-kaddah», that is the «false pyramid». In fact rather than a pyramid this highly original construction resembles a large mastaba with sloping sides surmounted by two massive steps. Originally however its appearance must have been quite different with eight large steps terminating in a pointed top. The hypothesis can also be advanced that a start may have been made on an external smooth facing intended to cover the whole thing.