Pyramids of Giza

Although they are Egypt’s most iconic images, nothing can prepare you for the sense of awe and wonderment you’ll feel when you first lay eyes on the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. These ancient monuments and funerary complex are at the top of every traveller’s itinerary, and they never fail to amaze. 

 

The pyramids were massive tombs constructed on the orders of the pharaohs by teams of workers tens-of-thousands strong. 

 

The Ancient Egyptians believe in eternal life, idea which led them to build such incredible mausoleums as the pyramids. The pharaoh was the son of the gods, but it was also his role to conduct the gods’ powers to his people. Set between the earth and the sky, connecting the worlds mortal and divine, he was therefore honoured in life and worshipped in death. The pyramid was a fitting tomb for such an individual. A funerary temple attached to each pyramid allowed the pharaoh to be worshipped after his demise, with daily rounds of offerings to sustain his soul.

 

Two of the three pyramids are open to visitors, rotating every few years.

 

 

Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) is the oldest pyramid in Giza and the largest in Egypt, stood 146m high when it was completed around 2570 BC. After 46 windy centuries, its height has been reduced by 9m. About 2.3 million limestone blocks, reckoned to weigh about 2.5 tonnes each, were used in the construction. On the eastern side of the pyramid, three small structures some 20m high resemble pyramid-shaped piles of rubble. These are the Queens’ Pyramids, the tombs of khufu’s wives and sisters.

 

 

South of the Great Pyramid is the fascinating Solar Barque Museum. Five pits near the Great Pyramid of Khufu contained the pharaoh’s solar barques (boats), which may have been used to convey the mummy of the dead pharaoh across the Nile to the valley temple, from where it was brought up the causeway and into the tomb chamber. The barques were then buried around the pyramid to provide transport for the pharaoh in the next world.

 

One of these ancient cedar-wood vessels, possibly the oldest boat in existence, was unearthed in 1954. It was carefully restored from 1200 pieces of wood and encased in a glass museum to protect it from damage from the elements.

 

 

Southwest of the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre seems larger than that of his father, Khufu. At just 136m high, it’s not, but it stands on higher ground and its peak is still capped with a limestone casing. Originally all three pyramids were totally encased with polished white stone, which would have made them gleam in the sun.

 

The chambers and passageways of this particular pyramid are less elaborate than those in the Great Pyramid, but are almost as claustrophobic. The entrance descends into a passage and then across to the burial chamber, which still contains Khafre’s large granite sarcophagus.

 

On the east of the pyramid, the substantial remains of Khafre’s funerary temple and the flagged paving of the causeway that provided access from the Nile to the tomb.

 

 

At 62m (originally 66.5m), this pyramid is the smallest of the trio. Outside the pyramid, there are the excavated remains of Menkaure’s funerary temple and, further east, the ruins of his valley temple.

 

 

Known in Arabic as Abu al-Hol (Father of Terror), the feline man was dubbed the Sphinx by the ancient Greeks because it resembled the mythical winged monster with a woman’s head and lion’s body who set riddles and killed anyone unable to answer them.

 

The Sphinx was carved from the bedrock at the bottom of the causeway to the Pyramid of Khafre; geological survey has shown that it was most likely carved during this pharaoh’s reign, so it probably portrays his features, framed by the nemes (striped headcloth worn by royalty).

 

The nose was hammered off sometime between the 11th and 15th centuries, although some still like to blame Napoleon for the deed. These days the Sphinx has potentially greater problems: the monument is suffering the stone equivalent of cancer and is being eaten away from the inside; pollution and rising groundwater are the most likely causes. A succession of restoration attempts unfortunately sped up the decay rather than halting it. The Sphinx’ shiny white paws are the result of the most recent effort.

 

 

Opposite the Great Pyramid and south of Khafre’s causeway, is the tomb of Menkaure’s powerful daughter. The tomb is a rectangular building cut into a small hill. A corridor at the back of the chapel room leads down to the burial chambers.

 

 

Private cemeteries consisting of several rows of tombs are organised around the Pyramids in a grid pattern. In the eastern cemetery, there are Qar, Idu and Queen Meresankh III tombs, between others.

 

The Tomb of Iasen, in the western cemetery, contains interesting inscriptions and wall paintings that offer a glimpse of daily life during the Old Kingdom. South of the Great Pyramid, exists the tomb of Seshemnufer IV which has a burial chamber.

 

 

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