| Page Views: 1,948 Last Visit to Pyramids of Giza: January, 2003 | Pyramids, Sphinx and a gigant dessert by sammie - last update: Feb 20, 2007 |
The pyramids of Giza. The most well known attractions of Cairo are the pyramids of Giza.
The pyramids were build by the ancient pharaohs of Egypt to secure their body and belongings from tomb robbers so that they would be able to enter the after-life with themselves and all their belongings in tact. Tomb robbers had much reason to break into these burial chambers as all the Pharaoh's treasures were placed alongside the deceased Pharaoh.
The pyramids were thought to be a safe haven (but as we know today all the pyramids were robbed) as well as a place of worship for people, as Pharaohs were the mortal Gods.
The Pyramids of Giza are the largest in the world and are possibly the greatest architectural achievement ever. There are three pyramids in this location; the pyramid of Cheops, that of Chepren and the pyramid of Menkaure.
The biggest pyramid is on the left and belongs to Cheops. The second one, in the middle is from Chepren and the smallest one is from Menkaure. As you see them on the picture from left to right it is grandpa, father and son. Cheops was Chepren's dad and Menkaure was the son of Chepren. Chepren's pyramid is the only one who still has his true encasing marble top. Originally, all the pyramids were covered by this encasing marble , but that whore out during the years.
Menkaure's pyramid is the smallest one, but it supposed to be come higher then Cheops. Why the builders never finished it, is still a miracle today, maybe Menkaure died before they had the chance to finish. Chepren's pyramid looks bigger, but that is only because his pyramid is build on higher ground.
They've remained for thousands of years, survived earthquakes, erosion, floods and wars. They're created by thousands of men moving and chiselling huge mounds of rocks without any motorized machinery. Much of the stone used to create the pyramids was transported from Aswan by boat up the Nile to its present location. Each individual piece of stone is almost half the height than the average adult.
Thousands of these blocks were moved and placed on top of each other to create the pyramids. It's not surprising thus that they took many decades to complete. You can't fully appreciate the pyramids until they actually see them close up and then the size and strength of them begins to be realized.
Infront of the pyramids of Giza is the mysterious Sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of a man, probably Chepren. It's not known why the Sphinx was build although there is much speculation about it.(thousand years old, made by aliens) The face of the Sphinx nowadays is mutilated, his nose is gone (and yes that is Obelix's fault whahah) and so called repairs have damaged him even greater. |
| On the right are very small the pyramids of Sakara |
What about other pyramids? The most famous of the pyramids are those found at Giza just outside Caïro, but there are also many other pyramids to view, notably the red and bent Pyramids.
The first pyramid to be build successfully was the Red Pyramid, which can be found at Dasjoer (Dashur). It was build in the fourth Dynasty by pharaoh Snofroe (Snefru). Snofroe also build another pyramid, now known as the Bent Pyramid, This was an attempt at a true pyramid but whilst it was being build, the structure became unstable so the angles of the walls were changed from 54 to 43 degrees two thirds of the way up the pyramid.
The Red Pyramid also had structural support issues but building a roof chamber inside the pyramid to stabilize the top section solved these.
The Red and Bent Pyramids are the third largest pyramids in the world. They're not as easy to reach from Cairo as the Giza Pyramids, and they have fewer visitors each year.
Not far from the Gizeh Plateau are the Pyramids of Sakkara (Djoser complex). Here stands the step pyramid of Djozer (Zoser's). It is believed to that one man, Imhotep, created everything on the whole plateau.
Of the Pyramid most of the outer casing is gone. In some places, the core brickwork has disappeared as well. It is obvious there were different stages of construction. The eastern side gives the best picture, but it can be seen from the northern and southern side as well.
The original structure was an underground burial chamber. This chamber was exceptional, it was square; most mastabas were rectangular. The royal tomb is 28m underground with a vertical shaft leading to it. The entrance was sealed with a 3-ton piece of granite. Apparently, it was intended for this to be the final addition to the building. It was then enlarged all around with +/- 2m of additional limestone and then again with an extension on the eastern side. The extension was +/-10m of limestone to make the mastaba rectangular. Once more, it was enlarged and a two-tiered structure was made. A series of corridors and a tomb chamber was dug. Some of the chambers are lined with blue tiles. Some researchers think this tomb was intended for a member of Djoser's family. The only other site that has similar tiling is in the South Tomb, which is located in the Djoser complex as well.
After the third stage was finished, the process to make it a true step pyramid was begun. Over 200,000 tons of stone was used to make the additional two tiers that went above the existing two-tiered structure. An additional two tiers were added above the existing four to make it into the six-tiered pyramid, which it still is today. A tura limestone face was added on.
On the northern side of the pyramid, a few blocks of the casing remain. The casing blocks from the Pyramid rested on the individual blocks of the core brickwork. The casing blocks on the step pyramid were set at an angle to take up the thrust of the following layers.
The king’s/ burial chamber is closed to the public, as it is believed that the roof of the chamber could cave in any moment. f* |
"...it is impossible to get tired of the pyramids." Amelia B. Edwards, 1877 "...I know. Actually it's impossible to get tired of the whole country" Samentha Vermeulen, 2003 |
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| Pros: | "As a friend said, if you don't visit them now, they might be gone tomorrow. :-D" | | Cons: | "If you go inside the piramids during the summer, be carefull it can be hot." | | In A Nutshell: | "Just go! And enjoy!" |
sammie's Pyramids of Giza Travel Tips
 Comments for sammie about Pyramids of Giza | | | | |
morgane1692 Sat Mar 1, 2003 13:26 UTC
very nice pyramid close-ups. And lucky that you were here in a Dec...we were in JUN'00, and it was like being in an oven at the highest degree! | Mandy23 Tue Jan 28, 2003 12:23 UTC
Good start! Would like to go there some day :) | Khalid_eg Tue Jan 21, 2003 15:53 UTC
next time try to climb the pyramids :) |
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