The Giza Pyramids complex is the world’s most famous and well-known tourist destination. For thousands of years, the Great Pyramid was the world’s tallest structure. The plateau is home to nine pyramids from the 4th dynasty, all of which were erected to serve as royal burials and as the kings’ final resting places. Among all Egyptian pyramids, 132 in total, the Giza pyramids complex stands out because the Great Pyramid is the only one of the ancient seven wonders of the world that is still standing. It is the tomb of King Khufu, the fourth dynasty’s second king. His son’s pyramid, King Khafra, is the world’s second-biggest pyramid, whereas King Mycarinus’ pyramid is the smallest of the three Giza Pyramids. The other six pyramids in Giza pyramids complex are dedicated to the wives and sisters of the Kings. Three smaller pyramids placed to the east of the great pyramid belong to Queen Henutsen (wife of Khufu), Hetephereth, his daughter, and the third tiny pyramid belongs to an unknown royal female. The last three pyramids of the six tiny pyramids belong to King Mykarinus’ wives.
Great Pyramid of King Khufu Facts
The Great Pyramid of King Khufu – Egypt Tours World
Among all the pyramids in Egypt, including the Giza Pyramids complex, King Khufu’s Great Pyramid is the biggest of all time. Its initial height was 146 meters, however, it has since lost a few meters owing to the loss of the exterior casing of limestone. It is 230 meters long on each side and sits on a 13-acre plot of land. The slope angle is 50.50 degrees, and the pyramid’s four sides correspond to the four original orientations of north, south, east, and west.
The Pyramid was formerly part of a massive complex that stretched from the modern town of Nazlet El-Seman, where King Cheops’ valley temple stood, to the western side of the Pyramid itself, where tourists can today view the workers and Noble tombs. This complex was made up of the main tomb (the pyramid itself), the funeral temple on the eastern side of the pyramid, and the valley temple. The funeral temple and the valley temple are linked by a causeway. There was an enclosure wall surrounding the complex.
Except for three rooms and a few passageways, the pyramid’s interior is massive. The original entrance to the Great Pyramid is on the northern side of the pyramid, which has been shut since the king’s reign. Another entrance was hewn into the rock in the 11th century by El-Khalife Ma’moon’s workers as he was hunting for King Khufu’s wealth. From the original entry, a 100-meter descending vestibule leads to the so-called blind chamber, which was dug with the intention of becoming the king’s resting place but was left unfinished, thus the term “blind.” After 35 meters, an ascending vestibule of 36 meters begins, followed by another horizontal vestibule that leads to the second room, known as “the Queen chamber,” which was assumed to be created for Khufu’s wife, but this was not the case, since this chamber was also intended to house the king’s mummies!
The vestibule continues up from the Queen’s room to this great gallery, which is 48 meters long and connects to the third chamber, which is King Khufu’s real burial chamber. The stone sarcophagus of the monarch was discovered within this third room, however, it was empty and damaged with no lid, indicating that the mummy, valuables, and even the lid were all stolen. The sarcophagus’ breadth and height are greater than the width and height of the room’s entrance, indicating that the sarcophagus was placed within the chamber before it was finished and the ceiling was built!
There are five little vacant chambers above the third chamber that were kept empty to relieve the pressure of stones above the chamber. “Construction work of the everlasting home of king “Khunum-Kha-F-Wi” has been accomplished in the 23rd year of his reign,” a phrase inscribed in Hieroglyphic was discovered in the middle chamber of the 5 rooms. This statement is crucial since it is the sole proof that the big pyramid belonged to Khufu and was erected by ancient Egyptians during his reign! It also includes a crucial piece of information, namely that the Great Pyramid took 23 years to construct.
Except for the above-mentioned sentence found within the room above the burial chamber, the huge pyramid was never adorned from the exterior, and we found no inscriptions or writings! The slope angle for the big pyramid is 51.52 degrees.
The Pyramid of King Chephren
The Pyramid of King Chephren: Egypt Tours World
It is yet another huge pyramid, the second biggest in Egypt. It was opened in 1818 by Giovani Batista Belzoni, an Italian tomb thief who was one of the most well-known robbers of the nineteenth century! Unfortunately, some Italian moron inscribed his name on the southern wall of the king’s burial chamber as ” Belzoni March 2, 1818.” The Pyramid stands 137 meters tall with a 210-meter base. Except for the burial chamber, it is entirely made of limestone.
The Pyramid of King Mycarinus
The Pyramid of King Mycarinus – Egypt Tours World
It is the smallest of the Giza 3 Kings pyramids, with a height of 66.5 meters. The monarch died before finishing his pyramid, and his son, King Shepseskaf, finished it. The Pyramid is encased in granite, and it was constructed using limestone quarried from the plateau itself.
In addition, the same Italian thief, Belzoni, stole this Pyramid. Belzoni, the thief of the Giza Pyramids complex, gathered all of the kings’ wealth, as well as the mummies, and planned to bring it all back to Europe, but his ship broke down in the middle of the Mediterranean, and he perished, along with all of the treasures!
The Queens’ Pyramids
The Queens’ Pyramids – Giza Pyramids Complex – Egypt Tours World
Three little pyramids on the eastern side of the Great Pyramid belonged to his females: one belonged to his wife Queen HenotSen, another to his daughter HetebHereth, and the third to an unnamed female. The smaller minor pyramids are in poor condition on the outside due to poor limestone quality, but the inside is still in fair condition.
To the south of the Mycarinus Pyramid are three tiny pyramids, which are said to be for three ladies who were his wives and sisters.
The Great Sphinx
The Great Sphinx – Egypt Tours World
The Giza Pyramids Complex’s biggest Sphinx, which depicts King Khafrae and is constructed of a single block of limestone measuring 22 meters in height and 72 meters in length, is part of the Giza Complex.
