Giza’s Great Pyramid of Cheops
The Great Pyramid of Cheops: Egypt was “the cradle of ancient civilization and the land of the Pharaohs.” The Pharaohs thought that gods chose kings, so they built pyramids as tombs for kings to keep their bodies, treasures, food, furniture, golden vessels, and everything else they would need in the afterlife.
Egypt has more than 100 pyramids, and many of them are very important. However, the three Pyramids of Giza (Cheops, Kefren, and Mycerinos) are the most important and well-known because of their size and the fame of their Kings.
This Complex of Giza is a tourist spot in Cairo, but it is also an interesting place. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the most well-known. It is thought to be one of the ancient world’s seven wonders because it has many mysteries and secrets.
The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called the Pyramid of King Cheops or Jufu, is the biggest pyramid in Egypt and the only one of the seven ancient wonders that is still standing.
It is northeast of the complex at Giza. It is right in the middle of Planet. It was built in 2560 B.C. by King Cheops, who was the king of the IV dynasty. “Akhet Khufu,” which means “the Horizon of Cheops,” was its name.
Who Built the Great Pyramid of Cheops?
Hemiunu was the man who built the Great Pyramid of Giza. He was the son of Nefermaat, who built the Pyramid of King Seneferu (the father of King Cheops). Hemiunu was a great architect and vizier. Near the Great Pyramid of Giza is where his tomb is. It was written in his tomb’s stones on some dates that refer to Cheops’s rule. In the Roemer-Pelizaeus Museum in Hildesheim, Germany, there is a statue of Hemiunu made out of limestone.
History of the Great Pyramid and a Description
When Cheops was king, the pyramid of his father “King Seneferu” made him think about building his own tomb. Hemiunu was his builder. From 2540 B.C. to 2560 B.C., it took 20 years to build the Great Pyramid. It was 146.5 m tall when it was first built, but time and wear on the top have made it 138.5 m tall.
It was the tallest for 3800 years, until the Lincoln Cathedral was built in England with a height of 160 m in the 14th century (1300 A.D.). Each big block of Tura limestone and Aswan granite that went into building the Great Pyramid weighed between 2 and 60 tonnes.
The Great Pyramid is almost 6 million and half a million tonnes heavy. The upper parts were made of blocks that weighed 1 tonne, and the lower parts were made of blocks that weighed 1.5 or 2 tonnes and stood 1 or 1.5 m tall. The blocks in the King’s chamber, on the other hand, were made of red granite and weighed 50 or 70 tonnes and stood 70 m tall.
The face of the pyramid was smooth and made of 27,000 polished white limestone stones that shined. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 1600s, and the stones that made up its face were later used to build many places in Cairo. Its sides were 230 m long, but one was lost and was replaced by some stones. The new sides are 227 m long and point to the original cardinal points at an angle of 51.
People say that almost 100,000 people worked on building it. The building of the King’s chamber was done with red granite. The King’s chamber, the Queen’s chamber, and the subway chamber are the three main rooms inside the pyramid. There is also the great gallery, stellar or ventilation channels, and descending and ascending passages.
The Great Pyramid of Cheops from the inside
It is not clear what the chambers and passages in the Great Pyramid were meant to do. During this time, there were no writings on the chambers and tombs. It took another 250 years, during the V dynasty, for people to start writing about their religions, thoughts, and ideas about life after death.
1-The First Front Door
It is 17 metres high and in the middle of the north side of the Great Pyramid. Right now, it is blocked. Its roof is made of two layers of large, gable-shaped stones that reach into the passageway inside the Pyramid. It’s hard to walk when there are only narrow paths.
2-The Present Doorway
Tourists go in through this door. In the year 823, Caliph Al-Mamun gave the order to build it. Since no one knew where the original entrance was, a new one was built 16 metres above the ground using levers close to the original entrance. The original one was lower and not as comfortable as this one.
3- The Passage Going Down
It is 1.20 m tall, slopes down at a 26-degree angle, and goes 28 m towards the ascending passage, 70 m towards the inside of the Pyramid, and then goes horizontally towards the subway chamber from this point.
4- The Chamber Below Ground
It was dug out underground and had an uneven floor, a flat roof, and flat walls. A narrow passage leads from it to the big gallery.
5- The Big Picture
There is a big passage with stones to walk on. It’s 47 metres long and 8 metres tall. It goes all the way into the King’s room.
6- Antecamera
It is a horizontal passage that connects the end of the great gallery to the King’s chamber. It has a small room with three big granite blocks that are used to close the King’s room.
7- The King’s Room
It had a square base, smooth walls and a smooth ceiling made of red granite. The ceiling is flat and made of 9 pieces of red granite (each one is 45 tons). Its sides are 10 m and 5 m, and it is 5 m tall. There are five unloading chambers above the King’s chamber so that the weight of the top of the Pyramid doesn’t fall all at once on the ceiling of the King’s chamber. There is a red granite sarcophagus in the King’s chamber. It was put there when the chamber was being built. The sarcophagus is split into three parts that are 0.98 m, 2.27 m, and 1.05 m high.
8- The Room for the Queen
It’s right in the middle of the Pyramid. The heights of the demissions are 5.23 m, 5.76 m, and 4.6 m. It has a square floor plan, smooth walls, and a white limestone ceiling that hides the ceiling. It has a gable-shaped roof (sloping). Its path goes through the great gallery. This room is not where a wife is buried.
9- Star or Ventilation Channels
On the north and south sides of the King’s and Queen’s rooms, there are two narrow channels that slope down. No one knows what these channels are used for. They are said to be for ventilation, but the channels in the Queen’s chamber are covered with granite blocks. Egyptologists think that their purpose is religious. They believe that the channels lead to a famous star in ancient Egypt and send the King’s soul to heaven.
Were Slaves Used to Build the Pyramids?
When you think about how amazing it is that the pyramids were built, especially the Great Pyramid, you can’t figure out how it was done. Logically, it couldn’t have been done by slaves, but by skilled people and peasants (when they weren’t working in the fields). In ancient Egypt, many peasants made their living by building things.
Egypt via travel can take you to more places.
There are many historical sites in the Giza Complex that draw tourists, and there are many more to see in Cairo. There are both old cities like Luxor and Aswan and new cities like the Red Sea in the land of the Pharaohs. You can look at our Egypt Packages and Nile Cruise Packages to find the best trip for you.
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