2020

The Pyramids of Giza

Full explanation of the pyramids and Sphinx
All the main information about the greatest monument in all of the world and
one of the ancient seven wonders.

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 The Pyramids of Giza
The Giza Pyramids along with the great Sphinx are the most characteristic example of
the ancient Egyptian work. The three famous pyramids at Giza are part of the Old
Kingdom necropolis which extended from Abu Rawash 5 miles north of Giza to Midum
50 miles south of Giza included Abu Sir , Saqqara and Dahshur.
Every pyramid is apart of a necropolis of which it is usually the center. Around each
are tombs of the nobles and high officials who wished to surround their lord in the
hereafter as they had in mortality
The pyramid was considered the symbol of the god of the sun Re and its top was
constituted the sacred seat of this god. So it was believed that the deceased king used the
pyramid as a stair way to reach the sky where he becomes with the gods.
The ancient Egyptians were building the base of the pyramid first then started to build
ascending and descending ramps of mud bricks supported by pillars and ramps made of
wood. Next they add wooden sledges to push and pull the blocks of stones. When you
visit the complex of Karnak you’ll find an example there behind the right tower of the
first pylon.

Each pyramid had a temple where offerings were made and rituals performed on the
behalf of the temple’s owner. All pyramids whatever their location or size were tombs for
dead kings who were considered gods.
The entrances of the pyramids mostly face north, so that the soul of the king could be
in contact with the North Star which never changes its place or perishes.
The Giza Pyramids date back to the IV dynasty (2620 – 2480) and stand on a small
plateau of limestone. Though less than a mile a cross the area where the pyramids stand
may well be the most remarkable site in the world.
The question which may run in your minds now is how could the ancient Egyptians
build these massive constructions?
The first step of tomb or pyramid building was the Mastaba, an Arabic word referring
to a bench of brick or stone beside an Egyptian peasant’s doorway. The name was given
to the tombs of the Old Kingdom because of their rectangular shape.
The next stage of tomb development is visible in the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, the earliest
built large scale stone building in the world. It was built by king Zoser and his genius
architect Imhotep in the III dynasty in the form of six vertically placed Mastabas
ascending 200 feet high.
The Bent & Red Pyramids of Dahshur built by king Senefru, father of King Cheops
show the transition between the Step Pyramid and the full form seen in the Giza group.
Another question may run in your minds why did the Egyptians build the
Pyramids?
Pyramids special importance in ensuring the continued existence of the king and the
country, their primary purpose wasn’t to serve as a tomb but to be the center of the
nightly transformation of the king who went to the netherworld and was then newly
reborn.
The inner rooms of the pyramids had a particular part to play in this cycle. The
sarcophagus of hard stone becomes the place where the king is united with the god
Atum.
 The great Pyramid
This Pyramid , the culmination of the series was one of the seven wonders of the
ancient world . It was built by king Khufu ( Cheops in Greek) , the second king of the IV
dynasty. Its original name was ( Akhet Khufu) meaning the horizon of Khufu.
It’s the largest tomb ever built for a king and is the most famous monument of antiquity.
Never before and never again has any person built so sublime a resting place.
The Great Pyramid now stands 450 feet high ,its original height of 481 feet is
indicated by an iron post erected on its summit. Its base is square each side measuring
746 feet now but before the outer limestone casing was removed the sides measured 755
feet and it covers an area of 13 acres.
A few blocks of fine limestone casing remaining at the base of the north side of the
Pyramid . The Pyramid contained more than 2,300,000 blocks of stone weighing about 2
½ tons though some weighed as much as 15 tons and 100,000 men employed building it .
This pyramid took 20 years to be built and its original entrance was as usual on the north
side at a height of 55 feet above the ground level. About 345 feet from the original
entrance a passage descends downwards through the core of the pyramid and continues
horizontally 29 feet ending in an unfinished chamber hewn in the rock and this is the first
burial chamber.

Egyptologists generally believed that the Great Pyramid underwent several

alterations. It was originally planned on a much smaller scale but the builders decided to
enlarge it before finishing the first burial chamber.
Accordingly they constructed the ascending passage which terminates in a burial
chamber called incorrectly , the Queen’s Chamber. In fact it was a burial chamber in the
enlarged plan.
After that the builders changed their plans again. They enlarged the structure and built a
third higher burial chamber which is reached by a grand gallery which ends with a low
narrow passage which serves as an antechamber to the King’s Chamber.
 The King’s Chamber is lined with granite and roofed with 9 huge slabs of granite
estimated to weight 50 tons each . In the north and south walls are the rectangular
apertures of air channels which penetrates the core of the pyramid and extend to the outer
surface . Though the purpose of these shafts isn’t certain. They may have been used for
ventilations or for religious purposes.

The king’s Chamber contains only an empty damaged granite sarcophagus which
bears no inscriptions . The outside of the sarcophagus measures 7 feet 3 ½ inches long , 3
feet 3 inches wide & 3 feet 5 inches high.
Above the roofing slabs are 5 relieving chambers built of granite and limestone. The
ceiling of the first 4 is flat and the 5th has a pointed roof.
The Great Pyramid has been opened several times during its history. East of the
pyramid are terraces of the mortuary temple which has been completely damaged.
North & south of the mortuary temple are 2 boats shaped pits hewn in the rock. A third
one lies on the north side of the causeway near the temple. All these pits were empty
when discovered.
Egyptologist and architect Kamal Elmallakh discovered 2 other rectangular pits
under the southern enclosure wall of the Great Pyramid . They were covered with 41
huge limestone blocks 18 tons each. The eastern pits contained the parts of wooden boat
which consisted of 651 wood pieces , hundred small pieces of rope , nails, mats and other
items. The boat was completely restored by the Egyptian expert Ahmed Youssif. After
its complete reconstruction, it was 43.6 meters long 6 meters wide and 7.5 meters high.
 The second Pyramid
This pyramid was built by Khafre (Chephren in Greek) the successor of Cheops and
called ( Ur Khafre) which means Khafre the Great. Its dimensions are smaller than those
of the Great Pyramid . Although its higher position on the plateau makes it a rival to its
great companion.
Its outer casing of fine limestone is still preserved at the summit as well as at the two
granite bottom courses. The pyramid is now 448 feet high though it was once 471 feet
high. Each side measured 708 feet now 690 feet.
It has 2 entrances on the north face , one 41 feet high above the ground level and the
other is directly below. Both hewn in the rock of the surrounding pavement. The
arrangement of its interior passages leading to the burial Chamber which is much simpler
than that of the Great Pyramid.
The burial chamber has a sarcophagus set in the floor at the western end of the
chamber and is made of beautifully polished granite. The lid which lies nearby remains
broken into pieces as it was found in 1818 by Belzoni an Italian archaeologist who
inscribed his name and the date on the southern wall.
On the east side of the pyramid lies the mortuary temple which was built on a grand
scale with 2 pillared halls and a hypostyle hall. The limestone walls faced with granite.
The valley temple is built of local limestone walls cased outside and inside with
polished granite blocks. It was cleared at the beginning of this century and is considered
the most interesting part of this group. In its present conditions the building is 147 feet
square and its walls reach a height of 43 feet . The washing and mummification of the
dead body of the king probably took place in this temple.
The original entrance of the temple was from the east by means of two great gateways
inscribed with names of the pharaoh. Only the words “ Beloved of the goddess Bastet”
& “ Beloved of the goddess Hathor” are preserved. Each gateway leads to the
antechamber.
In the alabaster floor of the antechamber is a deep shaft where Mariette found a
diorite statue of Chephren now in Cairo Museum. An entrance passage leads from this
antechamber to a pillared hall. Against the sides of the pillared hall once stood 23 statues
of Chephren made of diorite , schist and alabaster. The emplacement of the statues are
visible on the floor.
 The Great Sphinx
Close to the valley temple of the 2nd pyramid is the Great Sphinx of king Chephern as
guardian of the necropolis It represents the sun god“ Hor M Akht” which means ( Horus
in the horizon) signifying the king faces the east and therefore facing the rising sun.
The Great Sphinx represents a recumbent lion with a human head thus incorporating
the strength of a lion and mentality of a man. It is modeled after the reigning king, mostly
Chephren , the builder of the second pyramid.
The sarcastic smile on its wide mouth with its thick lips is one of the characteristics
traits of the Sphinx. It originally had a ceremonial beard which is now in the British
Museum. On its forehead is the cobra symbol of royalty and on its head is the royal
headdress.

The measurements of the statue are : height from the pavement to the crown of its
head 66 feet , length 240 feet , width of its face 13 feet 7 inches, size of its ear 6feet 5
inches length of its nose 3feet 10 inches and the width of its mouth 7 feet 8 inches.
The story of the Great Sphinx was one of the continuous struggles between the human
desire to keep this monument clear and the encroachment of the desert sand. One of the
accounts of this un resting struggle stands now between the forepaws of the statue. In the
form of a granite stella made by king Thotmosis IV “1425-1417” BC from the 18th
dynasty while he was still a prince . This stella known as the Stella of the Dream.
It bears a hieroglyphic telling the tale : “ the prince after hunting in a neighboring area
and stopping to read under the shadow of the sphinx he fell a sleep and saw the god of the
Sphinx in a dream. The god spoke to him and complained of the encroaching sand, which
hurt his limbs and hindered his breathing. He promised the prince the double crown of
Egypt if he would remove the sand which nearly engulfed his body. On awaking the
prince went to Memphis and ordered the sand be removed from around the god’s statue.
The prince was then rewarded by the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt . To
further encroachments Thotmosis built mud brick walls around the monument. The story
was probably a falsified attempt by the prince to show that his kingship was due to divine
orders. The Sphinx was cleared several times by other pharaohs and in the Ptolemaic and
Roman periods. A granite alter was also set in front of it.
 The Third Pyramid
This pyramid was built by king Menkaure ( Mycerinus in Greek) and was called
Netter Menkaure.

The pyramid originally 218 feet high is now 204 feet high and has sides measuring 356
feet. The upper part of casing was originaly constructed of white limestone blocks from
the Muqattam mountains while the lower sixteen courses of the facing are of red granite.
The original entrance was discovered by Vyse in 1837. The entrance as usual on the the
north side and descends 104 feet on a steep incline. At the foot of the slope a horizontal
passage leads to the burial chamber.
The chamber is large measuring 45 by 13 feet across and 13 feet high. It contained a
beautiful basalt sarcophagus which was sunk while being transported to England and is
now at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
Excavations in the valley temple unearthed 4 groups of richly carved slate triads
showing the king flanked by the goddess Hathor one of the nome divinities 3 of them are
in the Egyptian museum while the 4th is in Boston Museum of fine Arts.