The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt Of all of Egypt's major tourist attractions, only one is at the top of any list - the Pyramids of Giza. They're Egypt's three main pyramids, built in the 4th Dynasty (circa 2550 B.C). The pyramids of Ancient Egypt were built as tombs for kings (and queens), and it was an exclusive honor to have such a tomb. However, this tradition only applied in the Old and Middle Kingdoms. Today there are more than 93 pyramids in Egypt; the most famous ones are those at Giza. Now let's go for a little tour around the site of the pyramids and try to explore the magnificence of the area: The Great Pyramid of Khuf:
The famous Great Pyramid of Khufu is by far the biggest, tallest, and most intact pyramid in Egypt. After its construction, it became one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”, and today, it is the only one of them remaining. For a period of 4300 years, the pyramid was also the tallest building on earth, until the French built the Eiffel Tower in 1889.Khufu’s Pyramid is built entirely of limestone and is considered an architectural masterpiece. It contains around 1,300,000 blocks ranging in weight from 2.5 tons to 15 tons. Its square base covers 13 acres, and its sides measure about 230m (755ft).u: Its four sides face the four cardinal points precisely and it has an angle of 52 degrees. The original height of the pyramid was 146.5m (488ft), but today it is only 137m (455ft) high. The 9m (33ft) that is missing is due to the theft of the fine quality limestone covering, or casing stones, by the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century A.D, to build houses and mosques in Cairo. The pyramid's entrance, along with that of almost every other pyramid in Egypt, is located at the northern side. On this side there are actually 2 entrances, one is the original, and is 17m (55ft) above ground level, and the other one is a man-made forced entrance located below it.
Created in the 9th century A.D by Khalif El-Mamoun, who was seeking the treasures that he thought might have been kept inside. He sent out stonemasons to open up an entrance, and they cut it midway across the center of the northern side. Their tunnel goes almost 35m into the pyramid and was crudely cut, and at the end, it connects with the original inner corridors of the pyramid. Nothing was found inside, as it was plundered in antiquity. Nowadays visitors, to the site, use Mamoun’s entrance to gain access to the pyramid, as it is actually considered to be a shortcut.
The Pyramid of Khafre: The only similarity to his father's pyramid is the entrance in the same, north facing side. There are no corridors leading into the heart of this Pyramid, the burial chamber being underground, and a long descending passageway has to be negotiated to reach it. This entrance is 50 feet (15m) above ground level, leading to the narrow passage, which descends at a 25-degree angle into the large burial chamber, which measures 14.2m by 5m by 6.9m (46.5ft by 16.5ft by 22.5ft). To take the weight of the pyramid, the roof of the chamber is set at the same angles as the pyramid face. A large, black sarcophagus is found in this room.
Khafre's Pyramid, or the 2nd Pyramid, is easily recognizable by the layers of its original casing stones that still remain near its summit and this, along with the fact that it actually stands on a higher part of the plateau, gives the impression that it is taller than the Great Pyramid. An optical illusion, as it is only 136m (446 ft) tall, with sides of 214.5m (704ft), a surface area of 11 acres and an angle of 53 degrees. It also has lost some of its original height through the years, once being 143.5m (471ft) tall. Please Note: If you attempt to go inside the pyramid, you will have to bend down all the way till you reach the burial chamber!
From the main entrance of the pyramid there is a long narrow corridor with low roof that descends for more than 100m (330ft), which takes you to a chamber, located about 24m (79ft) below ground level, which is an unfinished burial chamber with very little fresh air inside, and is inaccessible today. The Pyramid of Menkaure: Khafre's son, Menkaure, built the smallest of the 3 main pyramids on the Giza Plateau. This one was only a mere 65.5m (215ft) tall, nowadays 62m (203ft), with sides of 105m (344ft) and an angle of 51.3 degrees. It is thought that this pyramid was altered during its construction, and made a lot bigger than originally planned. The original, smaller pyramid had a simple descending corridor and burial chamber, but when it was enlarged, a new corridor was built with 3 portcullises and a small paneled chamber. Later still, another burial chamber, along with a storeroom were added at a lower level. This pyramid, like its 2 neighbors, has a north facing the entrance.
Apart from the size, Menkaure's Pyramid differed from the other 2 in the choice of casing stones. Whereas the pyramids of his father and grandfather were completely cased in fine, white, Turah limestone, Menkaure's Pyramid was only partly cased in Turah limestone, from about 15m up! The first 15 meters was cased with pink granite, which had come from Aswan, the last of which was taken by Muhammad Ali Pasha (1805-1848) who used them to construct his arsenal in Alexandria.
The Great Sphinx: The Great Sphinx, or as the ancients knew it, “Shesep Ankh” or “the living image”, has to be one of the most recognizable constructions in history. Think of the Sphinx and you automatically think of Egypt and the Giza Plateau.
Today, part of the “uraeus” (the sacred cobra at the forehead) and the nose are missing (not shot off by Napoleon’s men as many believe, but were destroyed by Sa'im Al-Dahr, a Sufi fanatic from the Khanqah of Sa'id Al-Su'ada. In 1378, upon finding the Egyptian peasants making offerings to the Sphinx in the hope of increasing their harvest, Sa'im Al-Dahr was so outraged that he destroyed the nose!). There are small parts of a beard in the Cairo museum and big one at British Museum in London which reputedly belong to the Sphinx, but many Egyptologists deny this, as the style of beard found, does not relate to the “nemes” that The Sphinx wears – different Dynasties! Because of the soft sandstone, the Sphinx has been repaired many times; sometimes the repairs causing even more damage! Also, due to the wind, humidity, and pollution from modern Cairo, its condition is still deteriorating, and the present renovations are a never-ending task.
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