Desert pyramid



Desert Temples (also known as Pyramids) are structures primarily made up of Sandstone that occur naturally in deserts. Most of the time, they generate at ground level. However, they will sometimes generate partially buried in sand.

Appearance
Desert Temples mostly consist of Wool, Sandstone, Chiseled Sandstone, Smooth Sandstone and Sandstone Stairs. In the middle of the temple is a block of blue wool. Underneath this blue wool is a 'secret' chamber with 4 chests which contain very valuable loot and a Stone Pressure Plate connected to a 3x3 grid of TNT. Some treasures found in temples include Emeralds (rare), Diamonds, Iron Ingots, Gold Ingots, Rotten Flesh and Bones.

Desert Temples do appear on maps, where they are shown grey like bare stone but with a distinctive shape.



Strategy
Desert Temples are the most valuable structures the game generates, as each temple contains 4 chests with highly valuable items. The colored wool, and 9 blocks of TNT in the trap are also fairly worthwhile loot.

When attempting to access the chests, the player must take care not to step on the Pressure Plate at the bottom of the pit. Just below the sandstone is 9 blocks of TNT - Touching the Pressure Plate will activate the TNT, killing the player unless properly protected, and destroying all four of the chests, including their loot. It is ill-advised to enter the treasure chamber by breaking the blue wool, or any of the eight surrounding blocks. Instead it is best to dig down to the side, and then break the pressure plate when it comes into reach.

An alternative method for retrieving the loot safely uses a bucket of water. By breaking one of the orange wool blocks immediately around the blue wool block and placing water in its place, the player can swim down and break the pressure plate with relative safety. This has the added bonus of leaving the temple more intact, so it can be used as a base or have the trap reset for an unsuspecting passerby in SMP.

Bugs

 * As there is no light in the lower chamber, mobs can spawn inside and trigger the TNT trap, destroying the chests and loot before any player can reach it.
 * The first floor of the temples does not generate symmetrically - The left side of the wall is closer to the center of the temple than the right side.
 * Pyramids have an extremely small chance of spawning in a Jungle biome.
 * The TNT trap can occasionally spawn with less than 9 TNT.

Trivia

 * The orange symbols found resembles the Ancient Egyptian symbol for Life, an Ankh, or a Tyet.
 * Rotten Flesh and Bones are common items found in chests within temples; it may be suggested that these are the remains of the previous occupants. Or possibly mummies buried with their treasure, a common egyptian practice for pharaohs.
 * A Desert Temple is constructed from:
 * 3,078 Sandstone blocks
 * 184 Smooth Sandstone blocks
 * 39 Chiseled Sandstone blocks
 * 34 blocks of Orange Wool
 * 16 Sandstone Stairs
 * 9 TNT blocks
 * 4 Chests
 * 2 Sandstone Slabs
 * 1 block of Blue Wool
 * 1 Stone Pressure Plate
 * For a short time in Infdev, huge, solid brick pyramids could be spawned.
 * A Desert Temple is the first structure where TNT can be found naturally.