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| Saturday, 12 April 2008 | |
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History of Pyramids of Giza  The
Pyramids of Giza, built by rulers of the fourth Dynasty (c. 2600-c. 2500), rank
among the oldest surviving structures erected by man. In Greek and Roman times
they were marveled at as the first of the Seven Wonders of the World, and they
still exert a powerful fascination, both as an extraordinary technical
achievement and as a demonstration of the power of the Pharaohs, who could
marshal tens of thousands of subjects and slaves to construct these colossal
monuments. The question of the relationship between the size of a pyramid and
the ruler for whom it was built is still unsettled; it seems probable, however,
that the size depended on the Pharaoh's personal proclivity, power and economic
resources. It has not been possible to prove an alternative theory that the
size of a pyramid might be increased in stages in the course of a lengthy
reign. Features common to all the pyramids are their situation on the edge of
the desert to the west of the Nile and their structure, built up from huge
blocks of the local (mostly nummulitic) limestone and enclosed in a casing, initially
polished, of fine grained white limestone or granite. Concealed within the
great bulk of the pyramid (in the later period) or underground beneath its base
(in the earlier period) were the relatively small tomb chamber, a chamber for
the cult of the dead Pharaoh and other chambers for the grave goods. Also
common to all pyramids were the entrance on the north side and the mortuary
temple on the east side, with a causeway (originally open, later frequently
covered) important up to it from a valley temple on the edge of the Nile
Depression.
Tourist Attractions in Pyramids of Giza
Giza - Pyramid of Cheops
 The
Pyramid of Cheops, the largest of the group and indeed the most massive of all
the Egyptian pyramids, was built by Cheops or Khufu, and was known to the
ancient Egyptians as Ekhet Khufu ("Horizon of Khufu"). According to
Herodotus (ii, 124-125) 100,000 men worked on its construction for three months
every year. The cubic content of this huge structure, excluding the rock
foundation and the chambers in the interior, is 3million cu. yd/2-3million cu.
m (originally 3-3million cu. yd/2-5million cu. m). The base measurement is
746ft/227.5m (originally 756ft/230.38m), the vertical height 450ft/137.20m
(originally, including the apex, 481ft/ 146.5m), the angle of inclination 51°
51'.
Ascent of the Pyramid of Cheops
The ascent of the pyramid (permitted only remarkably and with the help of a guide) is hazardous and extremely strenuous, since it is necessary to climb steps more than 40inches/1m high. From the platform on the top the view extends west, south and northwest over the yellowish brown expanse of the desert, with the Sphinx, the smaller pyramids of Giza and the more distant groups of pyramids as far as Dahshur, while to the east are the cheerful green fields of the Nile Valley and, beyond the river, the Citadel of Cairo and the Moqattam Hills.
Giza - Pyramid of Chephren
 Some
175yd/160m from the southwest corner of the Pyramid of Cheops is the Pyramid of
Chephren, known to the ancient Egyptians as Wer-Khefre ("Great is
Chephren"). It stands higher than the Pyramid of Cheops and therefore
appears larger. It has a vertical height of 448ft/ 136.5m (originally
471ft/143.5m), a base measurement of 691ft/210.5m (originally 706ft/215.25m)
and an angle of 52° 20'. The total volume of masonry is 2.16million cu.
yd/1.65million cu. m (originally 2.43million cu. yd/1.86million cu. m). A
considerable section of the original casing has been preserved on the apex of
the pyramid. The layout of the mortuary temple on the east side of the pyramid
can be clearly illustrious.
Giza – Sphinx
 Immediately
northwest of the Valley Temple of Chephren, a simple but finely built granite
structure, is the Sphinx, perhaps the most celebrated monument in Egypt after
the Pyramid of Cheops: the figure of a recumbent lion hewn from the natural
rock with the head of a Pharaoh (Chephren?) wearing the royal headcloth and
cobra. The divine image on the breast and other royal insignia are missing.
Weathering and deliberate defacement have wrought much damage over the course
of the centuries but in spite of this the Sphinx still conveys a powerful
impression of majesty and artistic achievement. The total length of the figure
is 241ft/73.5m, its height some 65ft/20m. Restoration work is in progress.
Lisht
The pyramids and mastabas of Lisht lie to the north of the village of that name, some 19mi/30km south of Dahshur. Amenemhet I, founder of the 12th Dynasty, moved his capital from Thebes to Lisht in order to establish firmer control over Lower Egypt, and near here, on the edge of the desert, he and his son Sesostris I, who for a time ruled jointly with him, built their pyramids. The pyramids, now visible only as sand covered mounds, were bordered by smaller pyramids for female members of the royal family and hundreds of mastabas belonging to high State officials. A few irregularities in the ground on the edge of the cultivated land no doubt markthe site of the erstwhile capital of ltj-towy.
Mastaba of Senwosret-ankh
The most interesting of the tombs of high officials which surround the pyramid of Sesostris is the Mastaba of Senwosret-ankh, High Priest of Ptah in Memphis as well as the Royal Sculptor and Architect and thus the highest dignitary in the realm. The size and appointments of the tomb match the importance of its owner. It was surrounded by a double enclosure wall, an outer block wall enclosing an area 305ft/93m long by 165ft/50m wide and an inner wall built of massive blocks of Tura limestone. On the east side of the mastaba was a chapel, on the north side the entrance, from which a narrow passage descended steeply to the rockcut tomb chamber. The walls of the chamber are covered with hieroglyphic texts, in the manner of the rock tombs and pyramids of the Old Kingdom. On the east side is a cavity in the floor for the sarcophagus, originally covered by four stone slabs with somewhat rounded upper surfaces; on the south side is a smaller cavity for the canopic chest.
Valley Temple
 From
the valley temple, of which there are only scanty remains, a masonry causeway
flanked by Osiris figures of the King led up to the mortuary temple. The line
of this causeway can be traced at some points.During excavations carried out by the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York ten seated figures of Sesostris I, finely carved from Tura limestone, were found in one of the subsidiary chambers of the mortuary temple. The excavators also found two painted wooden figures of the King, one of which, with the White Crown of Upper Egypt, is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, while the other, with the Red Crown of Lower Egypt, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo Gallery | Hotels | View Map |
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