Pyramids of Giza Attractions
The Pyramids of Giza, the major tourist sight in the immediate surroundings of Cairo, are commandingly situated on the northeast margin of the Plateau of the Western (Libyan) Desert. They are the largest and most imposing of the six groups of pyramids set along the edge of the desert over a distance of some 25mi/40km. They are approached by the Road to the Pyramids (Shari el-Haram), which runs southwest from the Cairo suburb of Giza, increasingly flanked in recent years by high-rise buildings and blocks of flats.
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History
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 inclination, 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, originally 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) leading up to it from a valley temple on the edge of the Nile Depression.
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 inclination, 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, originally 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) leading up to it from a valley temple on the edge of the Nile Depression.
Related Attractions
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Giza - Pyramid of Cheops
The Pyramid of Cheops, also called the Great Pyramid, is the largest pyramid at Giza. The interior consists of narrow passages, the Grand Gallery, and the tomb chamber, containing an empty sarcophagus.
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Giza - Sphinx
The Sphinx, one of Egypt's most iconic figures, is made of granite and represents a lion with the head of a Pharaoh. It measures 73.5m in length and stands 20m high.
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Giza - Pyramid of Chephren
The highest of the pyramids in Giza is the Pyramid of Chephren. It can be differentiated from the others by the amount of remaining casing at the top.
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Lisht
North of Lisht lie the pyrmaids of Amenemhet I and his son Sesostris I, from the 12th Dynasty.
Pyramid of Mycerinus
Some 220yd/200m southwest of the Pyramid of Chephren is the smaller Pyramid of Mycerinus (Menkaure), which has a vertical height of 203ft/62m (originally 218ft/66.5m), a base measurement of 354ft/108m and an angle of 51°. The limestone blocks of which it is built are of unusually large size. On the south side of the pyramid are three smaller pyramids, left unfinished, for relatives of the Pharaoh.
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Valley Temple
(Lisht)
An old causeway lined with Osiris statues of the King links the valley temple to the mortuary temple.
Giza - Cheops Papyrus Exhibition
A short distance east of the Sphinx is the Cheops Papyrus Exhibition, where the making of papyrus by hand is demonstrated and sheets of papyrus, with and without painting, are sold as souvenirs.
Giza - Royal Cemetery
To the west of the Pyramid of Cheops is the extensive royal cemetery for members of the Royal House and high State officials, established during the fourth Dynasty and used until the sixth. As on the east side of the pyramid, the mastabas here are arranged in straight lines.
Giza - Smaller Pyramids
On the east side of the Pyramid of Cheops are three smaller pyramids for queens and a daughter of the Pharaoh and a large cemetery for other relatives. On the south side is a row of large mastabas belonging to high dignitaries.
Giza - Solar Boat Museum
Excavations on the south and east sides of the Pyramid of Cheops in 1954 brought to light five long cavities for boats, with a solar barque broken into more than a thousand pieces as a votive offering (now displayed in the new museum on the site).
The 43ft long boat, which is the centerpiece of the museum is thought to be 4,500 years old and to have carried the Pharaoh Cheops down the Nile from Memphis.
The 43ft long boat, which is the centerpiece of the museum is thought to be 4,500 years old and to have carried the Pharaoh Cheops down the Nile from Memphis.
Giza - Son et lumière
The pyramids and the Sphinx are floodlit at night. Son et lumière performances are given in the area to the southeast of the Sphinx.
Kafr Tarkhan
Kafr Ahmar (west bank). 1.25mi/2km southwest of the station, beyond the Bahr el-Libeni (canal), is Kafr Tarkhan, where Flinders Petrie excavated a large cemetery of the Early Historical period in 1911-12.
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