Saqqara and Giza, pt. 2

Giza

The pyramids of Giza have reached the full pyramidal shape. The three pyramids are named Cheops, Khafre and Menkaure, and are known as “father, son, and grandson”. No one knows for certain how the Great Pyramid (Cheops) was built. The Great Pyramid is 149.9 meters high. Apparently if you multiply that distance by 10,000 you get the distance from the earth to the sun. 

Cheops

The second pyramid, Khafre, is 136 meters in height. The bedrock for the pyramid  is limestone bedrock , and the burial chamber is cut into the bedrock to be able to hold the weight of the pyramid. The third pyramid , Menkaure, is 66 m in height. The pyramids are constructed of stones that weigh more than two tons each. No one knows where the limestone originated from. The pyramids used to be covered in soft limestone and had a smooth exterior. You can still see this on the top part of the second pyramid. Muhammad Ali, the ottoman king, removed the soft limestone on the outside of the pyramids to help reconstruct his citadel when it was destroyed. 

One stone is taller than I am. 

The Pyramids of Giza Plateau

There is only one burial chamber inside the second pyramid. The great Pyramid has three burial chambers connected to each other with corridors, and two ventilation shafts.  The construction of the pyramid features air tight construction without the use of cement of any type. And no one knows exactly how the ancient Egyptians did it. That knowledge was all lost with the destruction of the library of Alexandria. There are no hieroglyphics inside the Great Pyramid because they were constructed before the invention of the pyramid text.  We took at short drive so we could get a panoramic view of the plateau, then some of use opted to do the camel ride from there down to the base of the second pyramid. 

                                    

We went next into the valley to see the Sphinx. I was so struck by the majesty of the statue that I forgot to take notes here. But I remember Adham told us that the Sphinx is cut from one singular piece of bedrock. The Nile River used to flow directly in front of the Sphinx, which would be covered every time the river flooded. This is one of the reasons the government dammed the river decades ago. The entryway, where the king and his family would enter into the valley, is still intact. The nose of the Sphinx was NOT cut off by napoleon, as we have been told before, but was apparently damaged by a Muslim man who lived close by and was disturbed by the worship of the Egyptian gods. He was discovered damaging the statue and was run off from the area.  

                                    

We had lunch at Sphinx Sun 2 restaurant, where the walls were covered in photographs that showed the Sphinx when the Nile River ran through the area. Then we finished up the day at the 3 Pyramids Papyrus Institute where we received a papyrus making demonstration.