This place is a haven for 3 pyramids and
a sphinx. The pyramids are- Great Pyramid of Khufu
- One of the seven wonders of world
- Great pyramid of Khafre
- Great Pyramid of Menkaure
If any body plans a vacation
travel to Egypt, they must make sure to
visit all the 3 Pyramids. A journey to
Egypt would be incomplete without
visiting them.
Great Pyramid of Khufu:
This
pyramid was built by
King Khufu
around 2560 BC. Khufu is the second
Pharaoh of the fourth dynasty of rulers
in Egypt. He was also known as "Cheops". Among all the 3
pyramids listed above, the Great Pyramid
of Khufu is the only one pyramid in the list of
seven wonders of the world.
This pyramid is believed to have been
built over 20 years. When it was built
its height was around 146 m. But now it
is only 137 m. This was one of the tallest structures in the
world till 19th century. It was covered
with casings of stones to smoothen its
surface. It probably is considered to be
one among the seven wonders of world
because of its sheer size.
The apex of the pyramid is missing and
looks like it was never installed. The
casings of the pyramids were removed by
the Arabs during 14th century. The sloping angle of the sides is 51
degrees and 51 minutes. Each side is
oriented towards one of the cardinal
points of the compass that is north, south, east and west.
This deserves a place among one of the seven wonders of
world for its precision.
On the north face, is the pyramid's
entrance. The King
Khufu's chamber is
located at the heart of the pyramid. The
king's coffin is made of red granite, as like the interior walls
of his chamber. 5 boat pits surround
Khufu's Pyramid on the south and the
east. Two of these are believed to be
used by the Pharaoh during his life
time. One boat is made into a Boat
Museum.
This is
the only one existing wonder, among all
the seven wonders of world.
Great pyramid of Khafre:
Khafre is the son of
Khufu and is also
known as Rakhaef or chefren
and is the second largest Pyramid on the
Giza site. He ruled
from 2520 - 2494 BC. He built the Khafre
pyramid, the sphinx, the mortuary temple and
the valley temple. This
pyramid is the only one on the top of
which the casing still remains.
The burial chamber underground contains a red granite sarcophagus with
its lid. Next to this, a square cavity
which is believed to have held the canopy
chest containing the Pharaoh's
viscera.
This pyramid was built approximately
during the period 2558 - 2532 BC. Its
base is 702 ft square and the height
originally was around 143.4 m and now is 136.1 m.
This is not one among the seven wonders of
world.
Great Pyramid of Menkaure:
Menkaure, also known as
Mycerinus, ruled
from 2490 - 2472 B.C. He built the smallest of the three pyramids at
Giza, and is believed to be Khufu's grandson.
The height of
this pyramid now is 62 m. To the south of this
Menkaure pyramid,
there are 3 small, minor and incomplete
pyramids/tombs. One of them (the largest
among the three), is supposedly built by Menkaure's
principal wife. A coffin with bones of a
young woman was found in the central
tomb. This also is not part of the seven wonders of
world.
Great Sphinx:
This Sphinx is attached to Khafre's
complex, north of Khafre's valley temple
and with a separate temple of its own.
This is a figure with a lion's body and
a man's face, which is supposed to be
the guardian of the necropolis. This is
believed to be a manifestation of sun
god.
How to reach there:
The best way is to get to
Cairo first.
This could be through air or sea
depending on the visitor's convenience. After
that take a cab to Giza. In about 6-7 miles
the
Sphinx and Great Giza Pyramids
should become visible.