Giza Pyramids

The Pyramids

The Pyramids of Giza

Egypt is the land of the pyramids; there are 97 of them spread across 70 kilometres of desert from the outskirts of Cairo to Fayoum. Of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World“ only the pyramids remain, the most familiar, imposing, and best preserved are the pyramids at Giza.  Why, they were  built and how,  they were built are questions that have been around for as long as they have, and the pyramids have been around for a long, long time, so long in fact that in 450 B.C. the Ancient Greeks considered them old. To this day, the eternal pyramids remain objects of fascination and mystery, and continue to surprise the Supreme Council of Antiquities, in charge of the renovation of the site, and the world at large.   

The “why” they came about was to mark in a more permanent fashion the burial grounds of the rich who felt they deserved  something better than what the poor  folks had, which was to be buried  directly into the sand.

The elite wanted some sort of a structure that would last to mark their passing on this earth. They had a point, if a body is buried under a pile of sand and a good breeze comes up, in an hour all that remains of the departed is a vague memory and no sign at all of where his bones are resting . So around 3100 B.C, the mound of sand piled over the body was replaced by a structure made of bricks looking a lot like a bench, hence the name mastaba meaning exactly that in Arabic.

The “Pyramid Age” began at Saqqara during the third dynasty when the royal architect Imhotep enlarged the mastaba tombs to create the first step pyramid for King Zoser. The Step Pyramid is often referred to as” the wedding cake” because it’s stacked appearance resembling the layers of a cake. The first smooth-sided” true” pyramids were the Red pyramid at Dahshur and then the Great Pyramid of Cheops at Giza.

As for the “how” they were built, the answer is now available in books written by eminent Egyptologists, on websites such as Doctor Zahi Hawass’s and on science television channels. Through the years, the pyramids have inspired more crackpot theories than any other monuments on earth. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, many people could not accept that the Ancient Egyptians were capable of such extraordinary feats.  For a while, it was believed that angels or demons were the builders of the monuments, more recently the Martians have been held responsible. Today these beliefs are laughable, although the Martian theory may still have a few adepts.          

The ancient Greeks vaguely understood the function of the pyramid. The Romans were not sure. The medieval Arabs used to think they were built to hide treasures. The early Europeans believed that in biblical times, Joseph used them to store grain. In the nineteenth century, the heyday of royal tomb discovery, every amateur Egyptologist had a different opinion, none of those based on facts. It is only with the technology available in the twentieth century that scientists have been able to decipher the mysteries of the pyramids.

According to modern Egyptologists, the Pharaoh was considered the son of the Gods, the direct link between his subjects and heaven. The ancient Egyptians honoured the Pharaoh in life and worshiped him in death, so they erected pyramids whose true function was to house and preserve his ka (his double). When a pharaoh died his body was ferried across the Nile to a Valley Temple where priests embalmed it, then the funeral rituals were held in a Funereal Temple, and the mummy was laid in its final resting chamber in the pyramid. The chamber was fully equipped with shabi figures (model servants) chariots, furniture, jewellery, weapons in short everything was provided to make sure the Pharaoh would enjoy in the after-life, everything he did during his mortal days.

Pyramids were built out of limestone found in the Western Desert at Tura or brought in from Aswan. From July to November, during the yearly flooding of the Nile, the water level made it possible for the huge blocks to be loaded on rafts and floated down right to the building sites. According to a long-standing myth, slaves did all the work. Not true!  Archaeologist now have proof that during the flood season, when the Egyptian peasants were free from their agricultural tasks, they would report to the sites and donate three months of their labour. Whether they volunteered willingly, out of religious obligation, or they were strongly convinced to do so may never be known.  Whatever the reason, they were paid in food and either allowed to return to their villages at night, if they lived close by, or given adequate accommodation on site. The few thousand skilled workers, employed all year round, were paid wages and lived in well-organised settlements. The discovery of these settlements complete with food production areas, medical centers and traces of bookkeeping documents led to this conclusion therefore proving the “slave labour” stories false.

By the time, the New Kingdom came to be, a breakdown in society and serious money shortages could not permit construction on such a large scale. Theft also became a problem. Soon after the termination of the first pyramid, it was looted. In the false hope of deterring the thieves, a new necropolis was started in the far off Valley of the Kings. Sadly as we all know, thieves do not give up so easily.         

Giza

Situated in Giza City, the oldest pyramids are the closest and the easiest to reach.  The Traveller can get there by taking the Sharia Al-Ahram (Pyramid Road) from Cairo. Khedive Ismail built the 11km road when Empress Eugenie, Napoleon’s second wife, visited Egypt. Although congested with traffic the road goes straight through from Cairo to the site. The complex consists of three pyramids, The Great Pyramid of Khufu (better known as Cheops), the Pyramid of Khafre (Chephren) and the Pyramid of Menkaure. On the eastern side of Khufu’s pyramid are three small pyramids, those were built for Khufu’s wives and sisters. In one case, according to pharaonic tradition his sister was also his wife. Giza is also the site of the Solar Boat Museum and the home of the Sphinx.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu

The pyramid of Khufu or Cheops is the oldest and the largest of the three pyramids. When first built it stood approximately 146m high. During the course of 46 centuries it lost 9m, it now stands at 137m; its weight is estimated at six million tons. The building of the pyramid began in 2570BC and was completed in 2589BC. The dates and measurement of the pyramids vary with every source of information, but let’s face it, what difference does a few years or meters make? The pyramids are still standing after all those centuries and that is awesome enough as it is.

Before entering the Great Pyramid a word of warning, for those who have even a touch of claustrophobia (fear of tight, close places) STAY AWAY. Some of the corridors are so low one has to walk bent in two, they are also very narrow, barely able to accommodate the flow of people going up meeting that of those coming down. As you will find out, if you keep reading this article, there is a lot more to see on the site. So admire the pyramid from the outside and move on to visit the other monuments. For those who are fit and fearless, the experience of climbing inside the ancient structure is well worth it.   

Nothing much is known about Pharaoh Khufu, outside of the fact that he must have been very rich and powerful to be able to have such a monument erected for himself.   The reason for this lack of information about Khufu is; that by the time the archaeologists got to his tomb the looters had already been there centuries before, they took everything except the sarcophagus, too heavy no doubt. The robberies removed any clues that would have revealed the history of Khufus reign.  The Great Gallery is the highlight of the pyramid, built of limestone blocks so perfectly cut that a knifepoint cannot get in between them; it is a marvel of architecture, reflecting the superb workmanship of the Old Kingdom at its peak. There is a Queens’ Chamber but no evidence that a queen was ever buried there. However, we presume that the Pharaoh was buried in the Kings’ Chamber, because his empty sarcophagus is there. The chamber’s measures 5.2x10.8x5x8m high and the walls are lined with polished red granite. A room truly fit for a king.

It is also interesting to know that when the pyramids were completed they were capped with a limestone casing that made them gleam like crystals in the sun. Again, it did not take long for the thieves to work their magic, the casing soon was stripped and the limestone found its way to the walls of private palaces. 

Queens' Pyramid

East of the Great Pyramid stand three ruined Queen’ Pyramids, one of them belongs to Hensutsen or Merite (depending on the source of info) who was both Khufu’s principal wife and his sister and presumably Chephren’s mother. A little further east are the best preserved of all the tombs on the Giza plateau, the tomb of one of Cheops’ son and that of one of Chephrens’, wife complete with statues and intact paintings. To visit go the nearby keepers’ hut, slip him a little baksheesh (tip) and he will open it for you.

West of Cheops’ Pyramid is the Royal cemetery in which 15 mastabas have recently been opened to the public. This is where they found the 4,600-year-old mummy of a princess, mummified in the most unusual manner; her body was emptied out and filled with a thin layer of plaster. Obviously the method of mummification was not too popular with the embalmers or the future mummies because she was the only one ever found done in such a way

The Solar Barque

South of the Great Pyramid is what is considered by many as the highlight of the site, the Solar Barque (boat) Museum.  The air-conditioned building, offering great relief to the visitor who has been standing in the hot sun waiting to visit the pyramids, contains, encased in a gigantic glass case, a boat considered the oldest in existence. During one of the excavations, the diggers detected the odour of cedar wood, which led them to the discovery of one of five boats buried in pits surrounding the Great Pyramid. The 43-meter long boat made out of 1200 pieces of cedar wood held together by rope took fourteen years to reassemble; it stands in the middle of the room as if suspended in mid-air. The Egyptologists have come up with a few hypotheses regarding the existence of the boats. Reason one, the boat was used to bring the Pharaoh’s mummy across the Nile to the burial ground. Reason two, is to provide the Pharaoh with transport to the next world. Reason three, as shown on the wall of a 19th dynasty tomb in Thebes, to accompany the Sun God on his daily journey across the sky. Another boat located by x-ray and video camera remains unexcavated, no traces have been found, so far, of the other three.  

Pyramid of Khafre (Cephren)

The pyramid of Khafre, Khufu’s son who reigned from 2558-2533b.C, lies southwest of the Great pyramid. It stands 136m high, smaller than his father’s, although it looks taller because it was built on higher ground.

Nearly as claustrophobic as Khufu’s tomb it is more elaborate and better preserved with a burial chamber containing Khafre’s large granite sarcophagus. The funerary temple with pillared halls, sanctuary and courtyard is still in good condition. Near the temple, you can still see remains of the road that linked the mortuary temple to the Valley Temple situated near the Sphinx. When the Valley Temple was discovered in 1852, standing at the front of the two entrances, facing east, 23 statues of Khafre were found, only one was intact and is now at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Going against the general opinion of other scholars, certain Egyptologists believe that the mummification of Khafre’s body was done in Memphis and the Valley Temple is where the “Opening of the Mouth Ceremony”, when the Ka enters the body, was held.

Menkaure Pyramid

The smallest of the three pyramids, Menkaure shows signs of the decline and weakening of pharaonic power.  The standards and workmanship are nowhere near those to be found in the other two pyramids.  Saladin’s son Malek Abdel Aziz tried to dismantle Menkaure, in AD1186, by removing the casing stones at the base of the pyramid, reducing the original measurements considerably, it now stands at 62m.  After trying his best for eight months and achieving very little, he gave up.

Menkaure is seldom visited and may be closed by the time this article is published. If open, there is not much to see inside but a small chamber and a group of rooms. Outside, the Mortuary Temple is relatively well preserved but the Valley Temple is still under the sand.

For picture taking opportunity, the best view of the pyramids, as a group, is the ridge to the south of Menkaure.

The Sphinx

The legendary monument of a lion’s body with a human head is believed to have been Chephren’s idea. The head, wearing the pharaonic beard and wig –covering cloth (nemes) is supposed to bear his likeness. Another theory is that it was modeled after a Greek guardian deity. The Greek Sphinx had a lion’s body and a woman’s head, she would ask passers- by to solve riddles, if they could not, she would kill them. What a shame the Egyptian sphinx did no have those powers, he could have gotten even with the Mamelukes and with the adventurers who ripped off its beard and took it to the British Museum. Still the Sphinx has survived, possibly because he was covered with sand for most of his existence. About a thousand years after Chephren, he was dug up by the future Tuthmosis IV who had a dream that, if he freed the Sphinx he would become pharaoh. He did and the Sphinx kept his promise, in gratitude, Tuthmosis erected a stele, telling the story, and placed it between its paws. Since he has been uncovered, the poor thing has suffered a lot. Time and the elements have taken their toll on his body.  In the 1990’s limestone blocks were added to repair his legs, paws and haunches; luckily, the work seems to be of better quality then the botched up jobs done previously. Tunnels were found, behind his head and in his tail, since they do not seem to be going anywhere they probably are the work of our tireless friends, the thieves, still looking for treasures. With the protection of Doctor Hawass and the Supreme Counsel of Antiquities, the Sphinx must feel a little safer these days. He also has a new job now, as the narrator of the Sound and Light Show. The narration is done in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian and Arabic, the ticket booth will tell you what night the different languages are used.

What to Know Before Going

Plan to spend a half a day at the pyramids, the best time is early in the morning before 10:30 avoiding the heat and the tourist busses.

Tickets go on sale at 8am; there will be extra entry charges at the three pyramids and at the solar barque museum. Only Egyptian pounds are accepted at the ticket office. A limit of 150 visitors is allowed to enter in the morning, and 150 in the afternoon, so purchase your tickets early. Cameras are not permitted inside the pyramids. Climbing the outside of the pyramids is strictly forbidden for it is extremely dangerous for the climber and damaging to the pyramids. Visits on camel or horseback are permitted from 6am to sundown. Make sure that the rental of the animal is done from a reputable stable and the price is set in advance. Ladies do not let employees of the stable climb on behind you. Ignore hustlers with a firm NO. If you are not with a group, buy your tickets only at the ticket office. If in need of a guide hire one from Cairo, from a reputable firm, many of them will provide transportation to the site.

As with any other excursion in the desert bring sun protection, head covering and water, there is water for sale on the site but at much inflated price.

Surrounding spots