Ancient pyramids are wonderful keepers of time. How the greatest of the Egyptian pyramids was built. History of the Pyramids of Giza

Pyramids

Mysterious pyramids of Egypt

The Egyptian Pyramid of Djoser, better known as the step pyramid, is located in Saqqara, 30 km from Cairo. A visit to the pyramid is part of the Dashur-Sakkara excursion. It’s worth visiting this pyramid at least out of curiosity, because this is the very first pyramid built in honor of the ruler Djoser. The peculiarity of the pyramid is that it is made in a stepped form. Six steps are the path along which the pharaoh goes to the afterlife, according to historians. Inside the pyramid there are 11 burial chambers for the pharaoh and his family members. During the archaeological excavations, Djoser himself was not discovered, only the mummies of his relatives. This is explained by the fact that by the time the excavations began, the tomb had already been plundered.

An excursion to Saqqara with a visit to the Pyramid of Djoser will cost about $80 per person.

Pyramid of Mikerin

The pyramid is located on the Giza plateau next to others famous pyramids- Cheops and Khafre. Compared to them, the pyramid of Mikerinus is considered the smallest and youngest pyramid of the famous triad. The peculiarity of this pyramid is its color - up to the middle it was made of red granite, and above it was made of white limestone. But in the 16th century, the cladding was destroyed by Mamluk warriors. Scientists explain the fact that the Mikerin pyramid is relatively small in size by the fact that the Egyptians stopped making grandiose tombs. But despite this, the pyramid never ceases to amaze scientists and travelers. For example, the largest block of stone weighs about 200 tons! What technical means helped the ancient Egyptians so much? An excursion to the pyramid is included in the Cairo travel program and costs approximately $60 per person.

Pyramid of Mikerin

The Pyramid of Cheops

There is hardly a person. who would not know the main attraction of Egypt - the Pyramid of Cheops. The height of this one of the Seven Wonders of the World today is 140 meters, and the area is about 5 hectares. The pyramid consists of 2.5 million stone blocks. The construction of the pyramid took 20 years. Several thousand years have passed since the construction of the Cheops pyramid, but the Egyptians still strongly revere the pyramid, and every year in August they celebrate the day its construction began. Despite the research and excavation of the pyramid, it still holds many secrets. For example, in the funeral room of the pharaoh’s wife, secret doors were discovered, which, according to scientists, symbolize the path to the afterlife. But archaeologists were never able to open the last door. The cost of an excursion to the Giza plateau with a visit to the pyramids is $50-60. For children, the ticket will cost half as much.

Pyramid of Khafre

Although the Pyramid of Khafre is 4 meters smaller than the Pyramid of Cheops, visually it seems higher. The secret is that the pyramid stands on a ten-meter plateau and is very well preserved to this day. The pyramid has two entrances - one at a height of 15 m, and the other on the same side at the base level. The inside of the Khafre pyramid is quite modest - two rooms and a couple of corridors, but the real sarcophagus of the pharaoh is kept here. The tomb is made at the highest level and does not leave any tourists indifferent. The tomb itself is empty.

Archaeologists found a grand discovery in a pyramid in the 19th century - a sculpture of a pharaoh made from mountain diorite.

The cost of an excursion to the Pyramid of Khafre is about $60.

Pyramid of Khafre

Dashur

This place is not as popular as the Giza plateau with its pyramids. Dashur is famous for its pyramids, which were built during the reign of Pharaoh Snofu. These structures are considered the first tombs in history built using new types of structures.

The Southern Pyramid, which is better known as Broken Pyramid, got its name due to its correct form. During its construction, the angles of the edges were changed for an unknown reason. This may have been a mistake, but scientists explain this as a construction move with concern for the strength and durability of the pyramid. The main difference between the Bent Pyramid is this. that it has two entrances - the “traditional” northern one and the almost never encountered southern one.

Another attraction of Dashur is the Northern Pyramid, better known by its name as the Red Pyramid. The pyramid got its name because of its red facing color. This is the first tomb with a regular pyramidal shape. The pyramid is very dark, so it is worth taking a flashlight with you. In the lowest burial chamber one can observe a high stepped ceiling, the same as in the gallery of the Cheops pyramid.

The cost of an excursion to Cairo, which includes a trip to Dashur, will cost an average of $85.

Probably every person wants to look at the pyramids. And if this is your dream since childhood, then a tour to Egypt is what you need. It’s very easy to order such a tour today - just contact travel companies in your city through a special form on our website, or contact us with any questions you may have at 8-800-100-30-24.

general information

Among the Egyptian pyramids there are huge and smaller ones, with a smooth surface and stepped ones, very well preserved and reminiscent of a pile of ruins. They can be observed in Saqqara and Memphis, Hawar and Upper Egypt, Medum and Abusir, El Lahun and Abu Rawash. However, the main tourist sites Only a few are considered, namely the pyramids in Giza, a suburb of the Egyptian capital, erected, as is commonly believed, during the reign of the IV-VI dynasties of the pharaohs, which occurred in the XXVI-XXIII centuries BC. e.

Looking at these grandiose creations human hands, you can’t help but wonder: how much effort and time was spent on the construction of such structures that seem - at least in their scale - absolutely useless. Either the pharaohs who ruled 45 centuries ago thereby wanted to emphasize their own divinity and the greatness of their era, or these buildings contain a certain hidden meaning, is still inaccessible to our understanding. But it is difficult to comprehend it, because the secrets are securely hidden under a layer of millennia, and we have no choice but to make guesses and versions, hoping that sooner or later everything secret will definitely become clear...

Secrets of the Egyptian pyramids

Egyptian pyramids shrouded in an aura of myths and secrets, and with the passage of time and the development of science, there are still more questions than answers. As the proverb says: “Everything in the world is afraid of time, but time itself is afraid of the pyramids.” Interest is also fueled by various theories about the appearance of these majestic monuments. Lovers of the mystical consider pyramids to be powerful sources of energy and believe that the pharaohs spent time in them not only after death, but also during life, in order to draw strength. There are also completely incredible ideas: for example, some believe that the Egyptian pyramids were built by aliens, and others that the blocks were moved by people who owned a magic crystal. Let's look at the generally accepted and most likely scenario.

Religion in life Ancient Egypt occupied a dominant position. It shaped both the worldview of the people and their entire culture. Death was perceived only as a transition to another world, so preparation for it had to take place in advance, even during earthly life. However, the privilege of remaining “immortal” was, as it was believed, only with the pharaoh and his family members. And he, at his discretion, could bestow it on those around him. Commoners were deprived of the right to afterlife, with the exception of servants and slaves, whom the powerful ruler “took” with him. Nothing should have interfered with the comfortable “existence” of a high-ranking deceased, so he was supplied with everything necessary - food supplies, household utensils, weapons, servants.

At first, rulers were buried in special “afterlife houses”, and in order for the pharaoh’s body to be preserved for centuries, it was embalmed. These early funerary buildings - mastabas - appeared during the period of the first dynasties. They consisted of an underground burial chamber and an above-ground part in the form stone structure, where chapels were equipped and burial goods were located. In cross-section, these tombs resembled a trapezoid. They were built in Abydos, Nagadea, and Upper Egypt. The main necropolis of the then capital of the first dynasties - the city of Memphis - was located in Saqqara.

Actually, pyramid-shaped tombs began to be built about 5 thousand years ago. The initiator of their construction was Pharaoh Djoser (or Necherikhet), the first in the III dynasty of the Old Kingdom. The construction of the necropolis named after this ruler was led by the supreme dignitary and famous architect of his time, Imhotep, who was almost equated to a deity. If we discard all the fantastic versions about the contacts of the then rulers with aliens and proceed from the fact that these structures were built by people on their own, then the scale of the work and their labor intensity cannot but impress. Experts tried to establish their chronology and nature, and this is the results they came to. Since the pyramids are made of stone blocks, the question immediately arose: where and how were they mined? It turned out to be in the rocks...

Having marked out a shape in the rock and hollowed out grooves, they inserted dry trees into them and watered them with water. They expanded from moisture and created cracks in the rock, facilitating the process of extracting blocks. Then they were immediately processed on the spot with tools and, having been given the desired shape, were sent by river to the construction site. But how did the Egyptians lift these heavy masses to the top? First, they were loaded onto wooden sleds and pulled along gentle embankments. By modern standards, such technologies look backward. However, the quality of work is at the highest level! The megaliths are so closely adjacent to each other that there are practically no discrepancies.

The Pyramid of Djoser, located in Saqqara, is considered the very first pyramid in Egypt and the oldest surviving such large stone structure in the world (its size is 125 by 115 meters with a height of 62 meters). It was built in 2670 BC. e. and has the appearance of a structure with six huge tiled steps. Because of such an unusual shape, in those distant times it was called a “false pyramid.” The Pyramid of Djoser began to attract the attention of travelers since the Middle Ages, and this interest has not dried up to this day.

The architect did not initially plan to build such a pyramid. The tomb became stepped during construction. The presence of steps clearly reveals a symbolic meaning: it was along them that the deceased pharaoh had to ascend to heaven. This structure also differed from previous necropolises in that it was built of stone rather than brick. And one more feature: the presence of a very wide and deep vertical shaft, covered with a dome on top. There is nothing like this in the pyramids built later. Of no less interest to archaeologists and Egyptologists are the marble fragments under the sarcophagus, on which carved images resembling stars can be seen. These are clearly fragments of some unknown structure, but no one knows which one.

The pyramid of Djoser was not intended only for himself, and this also differs from other similar structures. The ruler and members of his family were buried in the burial chambers, 12 in total. Archaeologists have discovered the mummy of an 8-9-year-old boy, apparently a son. But the body of the pharaoh himself could not be found. Perhaps the mummified heel found here belonged to him. Even in ancient times, it is believed that robbers entered the tomb, probably kidnapping its dead “owner.”

However, the version of the robbery does not seem so clear. When examining the internal galleries, gold jewelry, porphyry bowls, clay and stone jugs and other valuables were discovered. Why didn't the thieves take away all this wealth? Historians were also interested in the seals affixed to small clay vessels. The name “Sekemhet” was inscribed on them, translated as “mighty in body.” It clearly belonged to an unknown pharaoh of one of the powerful dynasties. Everything indicated that in ancient times the construction of another pyramid had begun here, but for some reason it was not completed. They even discovered an empty sarcophagus, the internal state of which led to the conclusion that no one was buried here...

As for the Pyramid of Djoser itself, the attraction has been well preserved to this day and is open to tourists. The entrance to it, like to other buildings on the territory, is located on the north side. A tunnel equipped with columns leads inside. The northern temple, the location of which is clear from the name itself, forms a single structure with the pyramid. architectural ensemble. Funeral services were held there and sacrifices were made in the name of the pharaoh.

Egyptian pyramids in Giza

The most famous among all the Egyptian pyramids are the so-called great pyramids located in Giza - the third largest city in the modern Arab Republic of Egypt, with a population of almost 3 million people. The metropolis is located on the western bank of the Nile, about 20 km from Cairo and is a virtual suburb of the capital.

The Great Pyramids of Giza are today the most popular ancient monuments in the country. Over the years, visiting them has become almost a ritual for tourists. Fly to Egypt and not see these majestic buildings with your own eyes? This is impossible to imagine! Many travelers even consider this place to be spiritual, connected to space, and visiting here becomes akin to some kind of healing. Recent studies have shown that the builders of the necropolises surprisingly accurately directed them to the belt of the constellation Orion, which has an as yet unsolved meaning. It is also interesting that their edges are oriented to the sides of the sun, and this is done with the same precision.

The Egyptian pyramids at Giza are undoubtedly an extremely impressive sight. Their sandstone facades reflect sunlight: They are pink in the morning, golden during the day and turn dark purple at dusk. It is impossible not to admire the feat of engineering and organization that resulted in millions of stone blocks being transported from one location to another and precisely stacked on top of each other without power plants or lifting equipment.

The complex of the great pyramids consists of the tombs of three ancient rulers - Cheops, Khafre and Mikerin. Unlike the previous “houses after life” (macabs), these necropolises have a strict pyramidal shape. Moreover, the first of them is the only one of the seven wonders of the world that has survived to this day.

Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)

You can talk about the pyramid of Cheops (or Khufu) for a long time and a lot, but the story in any case will be incomplete, because it continues to keep many unsolved secrets. One of them is the orientation towards the North Pole exactly along the meridian: with its top, the monumental structure “looks” at the North Star. It is amazing how ancient architects could make such accurate calculations without having modern astronomical instruments in their hands. This accuracy has even less error than the famous Paris Observatory.

Cheops, the second pharaoh of the fourth dynasty of Ancient Egypt, who reigned for 27 years, has the reputation of a cruel and despotic ruler. He literally exhausted the resources of his kingdom, directing them to the construction of the pyramid. He was also merciless to his people, forcing them to do back-breaking work to build their posthumous “dwelling.” The Great Pyramid was built in three stages, as evidenced by the corresponding number of chambers. The first, its area is 8 by 14 meters, was carved deep into the rock, the second (5.7 x 5.2 m) - under the top of the pyramid. The third chamber - it is the only one of them completed - became the tomb of the pharaoh. Special mention should be made about her. It stretches 10.4 m from west to east, and 5.2 m from south to north. The granite slabs that line the room fit together flawlessly. Nine monolithic blocks form the ceiling, their total weight is 400 tons.

Each cell has its own “hallway”, connected to neighboring corridors-shafts. At first, the entrance to the tomb was on the north side and was located above the base at a height of 25 meters. Currently, you can enter the pyramid from another place, and this entrance is not so high. The builders could hardly have imagined that after several thousand years their creation would become a tourist attraction, so the 40-meter corridor was made not only narrow, but also low. Numerous tourists have to cross it crouching down. The corridor ends with a wooden staircase. It leads to the same low room, which is the center of the entire necropolis.

The height of the Cheops pyramid is more than 146 meters - this is the “height” of a 50-story skyscraper. After the Great Chinese wall it is precisely this that is the largest structure ever erected in the entire human history. The attraction is not “alone”; there are several other buildings around it. Of these, only three companion pyramids and the ruins of a mortuary temple have survived to this day. It is obvious that no less effort was put into their construction. According to the most common version, the companion pyramids were intended for the wives of the ruler.

Pyramid of Khafre (Khafre)

A pharaoh named Khafre was either the son or brother of Cheops and reigned after him. His pyramid, located nearby, is somewhat smaller, however, at first glance, it is perceived as more significant. And all because it stands on some elevation. The Pyramid of Khafre was found during archaeological excavations in 1860. The tomb of this ancient Egyptian ruler is “guarded” by the famous Sphinx, which looks like a lion lying on the sand, whose face may have been given the features of Khafre himself. Being the oldest monumental sculpture preserved on our planet (its length is 72 m, height is 20 m), it is interesting in itself. Egyptologists are inclined to think that the tombs of the two pharaohs, together with the sphinx, constitute a single burial complex. Slaves, it is believed, were not involved in the construction of this pyramid: free workers were hired for this purpose...

Pyramid of Mikerin (Menkaure)

And finally, the Pyramid of Mikerin is the third in the complex of great monuments of Giza. It is also known as the Pyramid of Menkaure, named after the fifth pharaoh of the fourth ancient Egyptian dynasty. Little is known about this ruler - only that he was the son of Cheops (at least, this is what the ancient Greek historian Herodotus claimed). This necropolis is called " younger brother» of the two above-mentioned tombs: it was built later than the others and the lowest of them, its height is slightly more than 65 meters. Such modest sizes indicate the decline of the ancient kingdom and the lack of resources necessary for construction.

However, the monumentality of the structure as such did not suffer from this. For example, the weight of one of the blocks used in the construction of the mortuary temple exceeds 200 tons, making it the heaviest on the Giza plateau. Just imagine what superhuman efforts had to be made to hoist this colossus into place. And the majestic statue of the pharaoh himself, seated inside the temple! It is one of the largest sculptures that personify that mysterious era... The pyramid of Mykerinus, as the smallest one, could have begun the destruction of the entire historical and architectural complex in Giza, conceived by Sultan al-Malik al-Aziza, who ruled at the end of the 12th century. Work to dismantle the necropolis lasted about a year, but the practical result was minimal. The Sultan was ultimately forced to curtail them, since his, frankly speaking, stupid and unjustified undertaking entailed exorbitant expenses.

Sphinx

At the base of the sacred causeway that once connected the pyramid of Khafre with the Nile, there is the Sphinx - mysterious sculpture with the head of Khafre attached to a lion's body. IN Egyptian mythology sphinxes were guardian deities, and this sculpture is a protective monument 73 m long and 20 m high. After the death of the pharaoh, the body of the Sphinx was gradually covered by the desert sands. Thutmose IV believed that the statue spoke to him and told him that he would become pharaoh if he cleared the sand, which he hastened to do. Since then, the ancient Egyptians believed that the monument had prophetic powers.

Solar Boat Museum

Behind the Pyramid of Cheops is the Museum of the Solar Boat, which houses a beautifully restored cedar boat on which the body of the dead pharaoh was transported from the east to the west bank of the Nile.

Useful information for tourists

The Great Pyramid complex of Giza is open to the public from 8:00 to 17:00 daily. The exceptions are the winter months (opening hours until 16:30) and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when access closes at 15:00.

Some travelers believe that if the pyramids are located under open air and are not a museum in the literal sense of the word, then here you can feel free to climb and climb onto these structures. Remember: doing this is strictly prohibited - in the interests of your own safety!

Before you agree to enter the pyramids, objectively evaluate your psychological condition and physical health. People who have a fear of closed spaces (claustrophobia) should skip this part of the tour. Due to the fact that the inside of the tombs is usually dry, hot and a little dusty, it is not recommended for asthmatics, hypertensive patients and those suffering from other diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous system to enter here.

How much will an excursion to the area of ​​the Egyptian pyramids cost a tourist? Cost has several components. The entrance ticket will cost you 60 Egyptian pounds, which is equivalent to about 8 euros. Do you want to go to the Cheops pyramid? For this you will have to pay 100 pounds or 13 euros. A tour from the inside of the Pyramid of Khafre is much cheaper - £20 or €2.60.

A visit to the Solar Boat Museum, which is located south of the Cheops Pyramid, is also paid separately (40 pounds or 5 euros). Photography is allowed in the pyramid area, but you will have to pay 1 euro for the right to take pictures. Visiting other pyramids in Giza - for example, the mother and wife of Pharaoh Khafre - is not paid.

Many tourists admit that, after getting to know the main attractions, they leave it amazing place, literally imbued with the spirit of antiquity, I don’t want it at all. In such cases, you can rent camels for leisurely walks. Their owners wait for clients right at the foot of the pyramids. They may charge an inflated price for their services. Don’t agree to it right away, bargain and you’ll get a discount.

• The Pyramid of Cheops is the only surviving wonder of the world.
• The pyramids took two centuries to build and were erected several at a time. Now, according to research by various scientists, their age ranges from 4 to 10 thousand years.
• In addition to precise mathematical proportions, pyramids have another feature in this area. The stone blocks are arranged in such a way that there are no gaps between them; even the thinnest blade will not fit through there.
• Each side of the pyramid is located in the direction of one side of the world.
• The Cheops Pyramid, the largest in the world, reaches a height of 146 meters and weighs more than six million tons.
• If you want to know how the Egyptian pyramids were created, Interesting Facts You can learn about construction from the pyramids themselves. Construction scenes are depicted on the walls of the passages. The edges of the pyramids are curved by one meter so that they can accumulate solar energy. Thanks to this, the pyramids could reach thousands of degrees and emit an incomprehensible hum from such heat.
• A perfectly straight foundation was made for the Cheops pyramid, so the edges differ from each other by only five centimeters.
• The first pyramid built dates back to 2670 BC. e. In appearance, it resembles several pyramids located next to each other. The architect created the type of masonry that helped achieve this effect.
• The Cheops Pyramid is made of 2.3 million blocks, perfectly aligned and matching each other.
• Structures similar to the Egyptian pyramids are also found in Sudan, where the tradition was later picked up.
• Archaeologists managed to find the village where the pyramid builders lived. A brewery and bakery were discovered there.

How to get there

Tourists from Russia and the CIS countries usually prefer to spend their holidays in Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada and often want to combine a holiday on the magnificent beaches with a visit to the pyramid complex in Giza. Since the resorts are located quite far from the named city, you can only get there as part of an excursion group. If you go by bus, you will have to spend 6 to 8 hours on the road. It's faster by plane: you'll get there in just 60 minutes. You can also get there by car with a driver. This is much more comfortable, but it will take a significant hit on your wallet.

Those who are on vacation in Cairo or are in the Egyptian capital on a business trip are in a more advantageous position. They can take the bus (routes no. 900 and 997) or the metro (yellow line no. 2, exit at Giza station). Alternatively, you can call a taxi or catch one in Tahrir Square. The trip will cost more than public transport, but you’ll get there faster, in just half an hour. You can go back and forth with the same car, but you will have to pay a little more.

You can get to Giza from the capital by taking a bus in the New Cairo area (aka Heliopolis) that follows one of two routes: No. 355 or No. 357. These comfortable vehicles, running every 20 minutes, are marked with STA letters, along which they are easy to recognize. The final stop is located just before the entrance to the pyramid zone, at the intersection.

The magic of mysterious countries still exists. Palm trees sway in the warm wind, the Nile floats through the desert, surrounded by a green valley, the sun illuminates the Karnak temple and mysterious pyramids Egypt, and bright schools of fish flash in the Red Sea.

Funerary culture of Ancient Egypt

Pyramids are grandiose structures in the form of a regular geometric polyhedron. In the construction of funerary buildings or mastabas, this form, according to Egyptologists, began to be used because of its resemblance to a funeral pie. If you ask about how many pyramids there are in Egypt, you can hear the answer that to date about 120 buildings have been found and described, which are located in different areas along the banks of the Nile.

The first mastabas can be seen in Saqqara, Upper Egypt, Memphis, Abusir, El Lahun, Giza, Hawar, Abu Rawash, Meidum. They were built from clay bricks with river silt - adobe, in a traditional architectural form. The pyramid housed a prayer room and a funeral “dowry” for traveling in the afterlife. The underground part stored the remains. The pyramids had different appearances. They evolved from a stepped form to a true, geometrically correct form.

Evolution of the shape of the pyramids

Tourists are often interested in how to see all the pyramids of Egypt and in which city they are located. There are many such places. For example, Meiduma is the most mysterious point, where the oldest of all the great funerary buildings are located. When Sneferu came to the throne (c. 2575 BC), Saqqara had the only large, fully completed royal pyramid of Djoser.

Ancients local residents They called it "el-haram-el-kaddab", which means "false pyramid". Because of its shape, it attracted the attention of travelers back in the Middle Ages.

The step pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara is known as the earliest form of funerary building in Egypt. Its appearance dates back to the period of the third dynasty. Narrowing passages from the north lead to the burial chamber. Underground galleries surround the pyramid on all sides except the south. This is the only completed building with huge steps that were lined with stone. But her form was different from the ideal. First regular pyramids appeared at the beginning of the reign of the 4th dynasty of the pharaohs. The true form arose as a result of the natural development and improvement of the architectural design of the stepped building. The structure of a real pyramid is almost the same. The building blocks were laid to the required shapes and sizes of the object, and then they were finished with limestone or stone.

Pyramids of Dahshur

Dahshur forms the southern area of ​​the Memphis necropolis and contains a number of pyramidal complexes and monuments. Dahshur has only recently been opened to the public. In the Nile Valley, south of Cairo, alone on the edge of the Western Desert, above the lush green fields of Meidum, lies a remarkable area where the transition from a stepped to a regular pyramid shape can be seen. The transformation occurred during the change from the third dynasty of pharaohs to the fourth. During the reign of the 3rd Dynasty, Pharaoh Huni organized the construction of the first regular pyramid in Egypt, using the stepped structures from Meidum as a base for construction. The funerary structure was intended for the son of Huni, the first pharaoh of the fourth dynasty, Snofru (2613-2589 BC). The heir completed work on his father's pyramids, then built his own - a stepped one. But the pharaoh's construction plans were scrapped because construction did not go according to plan. Reducing the angle of the side plane resulted in a diamond-shaped curved silhouette. This structure is called the Bent Pyramid, but it still has its outer shell intact.

Oldest pyramids at Saqqara

Saqqara is one of the huge necropolises of the ancient city, which is known today as Memphis. The ancient Egyptians called this place "White Walls". The pyramids of Egypt at Saqqara are represented by the first oldest step pyramid, Djosera. It was here that the history of the construction of these burial structures began. The first writing on the walls, known as the Pyramid Texts, was found in Saqqara. The architect of these projects is called Imhotep, who invented hewn stone masonry. Thanks to construction developments, the ancient architect was considered a deity. Imhotep is considered the son of the patron of crafts, Ptah. Saqqara is home to many tombs belonging to important ancient Egyptian officials.

A true gem represents the great pyramids of Egypt in the Sneferu complex. Dissatisfied with the Bent Pyramid, which did not allow him to go to heaven with dignity, he began construction about two kilometers to the north. This was the famous Pink Pyramid, so named because of the red limestone used in its construction. This is one of the oldest buildings in Egypt, which is created in the correct form. It has an inclination angle of 43 degrees and is the second largest, second only to the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was built by Sneferu's son in Khufu. In fact, the Great Pyramid is only 10 meters from the Pink Pyramid. Other major monuments at Dahshur date from the 12th and 13th dynasties and are not comparable in scale to the work of Huni and Sneferu.

Late pyramids in the Sneferu complex

There are later pyramids at Meidum. In Egypt, where are White pyramid Amenemhet II, Black Amenemhet III and the building of Senwosret III, are dominated by smaller monuments for funerary purposes for minor rulers, nobles and officials.

They talk about a fairly stable and peaceful period in Egyptian history. Interestingly, the Black Pyramid and the structure of Senwosret III were built not of stone, but of brick. Why this material was used is unknown, but in those days new methods of construction penetrated into Egypt from other countries, thanks to trade and international relations. Unfortunately, although brick was much easier to work with, compared to granite blocks, which weighed many tons, this material did not stand the test of time. Although the Black Pyramid is quite well preserved, the White Pyramid is very damaged. Tourists, who are little aware of the huge number of pyramidal burials, have a misunderstanding. They ask: "Where are the pyramids in Egypt?" While everyone knows about the great funerary structures of Egypt, there are many lesser examples of similar structures. Scattered along the Nile from Selium on the edge of the oasis to the island of Elephantine in Aswan, in the village of Naga el-Khalifa, about five miles south of Abydos, in the city of Minya and many other unexplored places.

Pyramids of Giza and necropolis

For all tourists who come to Egypt, an excursion to the pyramids becomes almost a ritual. The buildings of Giza are the only surviving of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and are the most famous landmarks. This sacred place impresses with its antiquity, the scale of the necropolis, the unreality of the structures and the Great Sphinx. The mysteries of the construction and supposed symbolism of the Giza pyramids only add to the appeal of these ancient wonders. Many modern people Giza is still considered a spiritual place. A number of fascinating theories have been proposed to explain the "mystery of the pyramids." The author of the project of the Great Pyramid in Egypt is called the adviser of Cheops and his relative - Hemiun. Giza is the most important place on earth for many researchers who are trying to unravel the geometric perfection of funerary structures in ancient sources. But even great skeptics are in awe of the great antiquity, scale and absolute harmony of the Giza pyramids.

History of the Pyramids of Giza

Situated on the west bank of the Nile River, approximately 12 miles southwest of downtown Cairo, Giza (el-Gizah in Arabic) is the third largest city in Egypt with a population of nearly 3 million. It is a famous necropolis on the Giza plateau and contains the most popular monuments in Egypt. The Great Pyramids of Giza were built in 2500 BC as burial grounds for the pharaohs. Together they constitute the only ancient wonder of the world still in existence today. Many tourists are attracted by Egypt (Hurghada). They can see the Pyramids of Giza in half an hour, which it takes to travel. You can admire this wonderful ancient sacred place to your heart's content.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu, or Cheops as the Greeks called it (it is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids at Giza), and the necropolis bordering Cairo have remained virtually untouched by time. It is believed that the pyramid was built as a tomb for the fourth dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs Khufu. The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years. It was originally covered with casing stones, which created a smooth outer surface. Some of them can be seen around the base and at the very top. There are various scientific and alternative theories about how the pyramids of Ancient Egypt were built, and about the construction methods of the Great Pyramid itself. Most accepted theories of construction are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stones from a quarry and lifting them into place. It covers an area of ​​just over 5 hectares. The original height was 146 m in height, but the pyramid is still an impressive 137 m high. The main losses are due to the destruction of the smooth limestone surface.

Herodotus on Egypt

When the Greek historian Herodotus visited Giza, around 450 BC, he described the pyramids in Egypt. He learned from Egyptian priests that the Great Pyramid was built for Pharaoh Khufu, who was the second king of the Fourth Dynasty (c. 2575-2465 BC). The priests told Herodotus that it was built by 400,000 people over 20 years. During construction, 100,000 people were employed at a time to move the blocks. But archaeologists consider this implausible and tend to think that the labor force was more limited. Perhaps 20,000 workers with accompanying support staff of bakers, doctors, priests and others would be sufficient to complete this task.

The most famous pyramid was carefully laid out using 2.3 million processed stone blocks. These blocks had an impressive weight from two to fifteen tons. After completion of construction, the burial structure was amazing in weight, which was approximately 6 million tons. All the famous cathedrals in Europe combined have this weight! The Pyramid of Cheops has been recorded for thousands of years as the tallest structure in the world.

Only graceful spiers are extraordinary majestic cathedral in Lincoln, built in England, 160 m high, managed to break the record, but collapsed in 1549.

Pyramid of Khafre

Among the pyramids of Giza, the second largest is the structure built for the afterlife journey of Khafre (Khefre), the son of Pharaoh Khufu. He inherited power after the death of his elder brother and was the fourth ruler in the fourth dynasty. Of his high-born relatives and predecessors on the throne, many were buried in penny tombs. But the grandeur of the pyramid of Khafre amazes almost the same as " last house"his father.

The Pyramid of Khafre visually reaches to the sky and seems higher than the first pyramid of Giza - the funerary building of Cheops, because it stands on a higher part of the plateau. It is characterized by a steeper slope with a preserved smooth limestone surface. The second pyramid had each side measuring 216 m and was originally 143 m high. Its limestone and granite blocks weigh about 2.5 tons each.

The ancient pyramids of Egypt, for example Cheops, like the building of Khafre, each include five burial pits connected by passages. Together with the mortuary, the Valley of the Temples and the connecting causeway, it is 430 meters long, carved into the rock. The burial chamber, which is located underground, contained a red granite sarcophagus with a lid. Nearby is a square cavity where there was a chest with the entrails of the pharaoh. The Great Sphinx near Khafre's pyramid is considered to be his royal portrait.

Pyramid of Mikerin

The last of the pyramids of Giza is the pyramid of Mikerin, located to the south. It was intended for the son of Khafre, the fifth king of the fourth dynasty. Each side measures 109 m, and the height of the structure is 66 m. In addition to these three monuments, small pyramids were built for Khufu's three wives and a series of flat-topped pyramids for the remains of his beloved children. At the end of the long causeway, small tombs of the courtiers were lined up, the temple and morgue were built only for the mummification of the pharaoh's body.

Like all the pyramids of Egypt, created for the pharaohs, the burial chambers of these buildings were filled with everything necessary for the next life: furniture, statues of slaves, niches for canopic jars.

Theories about the construction of the Egyptian giants

The centuries-old history of Egypt conceals many mysteries. The pyramids, built without modern devices, only increase curiosity about these places. Herodotus assumed that the foundation was laid from huge blocks weighing about seven tons. And then, like children’s cubes, all 203 layers were lifted up step by step. But this cannot be done, as evidenced by the Japanese attempt in the 1980s to duplicate the actions of Egyptian builders. The most plausible explanation is that the Egyptians used ramps to tow stone blocks down a ramp using sleds, rollers, and levers. And the base was a natural plateau. The majestic structures withstood not only the crushing work of time, but also numerous attacks by grave robbers. They robbed the pyramids in ancient times. The burial chamber of Khafre, discovered by the Italians in 1818, was empty; there was no longer any gold or other treasures there.

There is a possibility that there are still undiscovered pyramids of Egypt or are now completely destroyed. Many people express fantastic theories about the extraterrestrial intervention of another civilization, for which such construction is child's play. The Egyptians are only proud of the perfect knowledge of their ancestors in the field of mechanics and dynamics, thanks to which the construction business developed.

Egyptian pyramids are the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs. The largest of them - the pyramids of Cheops, Khafre and Mikerin in El Giza in ancient times were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The construction of the pyramid, in which the Greeks and Romans already saw a monument to the unprecedented pride of kings and cruelty that doomed the entire Egyptian people to meaningless construction, was the most important cult act and was supposed to express, apparently, the mystical identity of the country and its ruler.

The people worked on the construction of the pyramids during the part of the year free from agricultural work. Texts have been preserved that testify to the attention and care that the kings themselves (though of later times) paid to the construction of their tomb and its builders. It is also known about the special cult honors that were given to the pyramid itself.

Description of the most famous pyramids (briefly)

The Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu), the Great Pyramid, is the face of the Egyptian pyramids and the largest building of antiquity, giving rise to many secrets and legends around itself. It took two decades to build the pyramid. Construction time IV Dynasty 2600 BC. e. Located in Giza. The original height is 146.60 m, today it is 138.75 m. The dimensions of the base are 230 m. It was the largest building in the world for more than 4,000 years.

The pyramid has not one, but three burial chambers. One of them is located below ground level, and two are located above the base line. Intertwining corridors lead to the burial chambers. Along them it is possible to go to the pharaoh's chamber, to the chamber of his wife and to the lower hall. The Pharaoh's Chamber is a chamber made of pink granite, measuring 10 x 5 m. It contains a granite sarcophagus without a lid. Not a single report from researchers mentioned the mummies found, so it is unknown whether Cheops was buried here. It should be noted that the mummy of Cheops was not found in other tombs.

After the Great Wall of China, it is the largest structure that has ever been erected in the history of mankind.

The second most important is the pyramid of Khafre, the son of Cheops. It was found during archaeological excavations in 1860. The tomb of this ancient Egyptian king is “guarded” by the famous Sphinx, which looks like a lion lying on the sand, whose face may have been given the features of Khafre himself. Near Khafre's pyramid there is a separate pyramid for his wife, a temple, a port and an enclosure wall.

The estimated time of construction of the pyramid is the middle of the 26th century BC. e. It was built on a 10-meter plateau, so it seems higher than the Cheops pyramid, but this is not entirely true. The original height was 143.9 m, today it is 136.4 m. The dimensions of the base are 210.5 m. The pyramid was decorated with a pink granite pyramidion, which is now lost. We have no information as to whether the granite was decorated with limestone, plaster or gold.

The third great pyramid is the Pyramid of Mikerin (also known as the “Pyramid of Menkaure”). It is the smallest of them, and was built later than the others. Construction time IV dynasty (approximately 2540-2520 BC) Initial height - 65.55 m, today - 62 m. Dimensions of the base - 102.2 × 104.6 m. According to eyewitnesses, the pyramid Menkaure was the most beautiful of all the pyramids. The works of sculpture from the reign of Menkaure were characterized by the highest quality of artistic execution. In addition, the pyramid of Mikerinus marked the end of the era of large pyramids. All subsequent buildings were small in size.

The Step Pyramid of Djoser is considered one of the largest in Egypt. Construction time: III Dynasty (approximately 2650 BC). It is located in the village of Saqqara, and was erected for Pharaoh Djoser by Imhotep himself. The original height is 62.5 m, today it is 62 m. The size of the pyramid is 125 m × 115 m. This is the first pyramid of Egypt, and it is very well preserved.

Initially, Imhotep intended to create an ordinary stone mastaba (rectangular tomb). Only during the construction process did it turn into the first step pyramid. The meaning of the steps is believed to be symbolic - along them the deceased pharaoh was supposed to ascend to heaven.

The funerary complex included chapels, courtyards, and storage facilities. The six-step pyramid itself has a rectangular base, not a square one. Inside the structure there are 12 burial chambers, where Djoser himself and members of his family could probably have been buried. The pharaoh's mummy was not discovered during excavations. The entire territory of the complex of 15 hectares was surrounded by a 10-meter stone wall. Now part of the wall and other buildings have been restored.

The most unusual pyramid in shape is in Medum. Construction time III Dynasty (approximately 2680 BC) Located 100 km south of the capital of Egypt, it was built for Pharaoh Huni, the last ruler of the III Dynasty, but it was completed by his son Sneferu. It originally had eight steps, but today only the last three are visible. The original height is 93.5 m, today it is 65 m. The base is 144 m.

About her unusual forms first reported by Al-Maqrizi in the 15th century. The pyramid had a stepped shape. In his essays, Al-Makrizi described a pyramid consisting of 5 steps, and that it had serious damage from erosion and from the removal of stonework by local residents.

Pink Pyramid or Northern Pyramid. Construction time IV dynasty (from approximately 2640 to 2620 BC) Initial height - 109.5 m, today - 104 m. Base - 220 m. Northern pyramid of Pharaoh Snefru in Dahshur, at the time of its construction in the 26th century BC. e. was the tallest building in the world. It is now the third tallest pyramid in Egypt, after Khufu and Khafre at Giza.

It is unusual in that it has a pink tint due to the special stone that was used during construction. Researchers believe that this pyramid was also built by the above-mentioned Pharaoh Snofru. The “Pink” Pyramid did not always have pink color. Previously, its walls were covered with white limestone. However, in our time, white limestone is almost completely absent, since in the Middle Ages a significant part of it was removed for the construction of houses in Cairo, as a result of which pinkish limestone was exposed.

Not far from the Pink one is the Broken (“cut” or “diamond-shaped”) pyramid. Construction time IV Dynasty (XXVI century BC) Initial height - 104.7 m, today - 101.1 m. Base - 189.4 m. It got its name because of its irregular shape. It was built in three stages, at each of which it was given different angles of inclination. It differs from other Egyptian pyramids in that the pyramid not only has an entrance on the north side, which was the standard, but also a second entrance, which is open higher, on the west side.

Explaining non-standard shape pyramids, German Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt (1863-1938) put forward his “accretion theory”. According to it, the king died suddenly and the angle of inclination of the pyramid's faces was sharply changed from 54° 31 minutes. up to 43° 21 min., for quick completion of work.

What is known about the Egyptian pyramids

Building the pyramids

Slabs weighing at least 2.5 tons, from which the pyramids were built, were cut out of stone in a nearby quarry and transported to the construction site using ramps, blocks and levers. There is an opinion, considered marginal by the scientific community, that concrete was used in the construction of the pyramid, that is, the slabs were made directly at the construction site. At the tops of the pyramids, traces of wooden forms have been preserved to this day, erased at the base by numerous sandstorms. To prevent the walls of the pyramids from cracking as a result of the compression-expansion process, individual blocks were separated by thin layers of mortar. The slope of the external walls is exactly 45°. The surface was covered with blocks of polished white limestone. After the fall, the limestone was stretched out by local residents for their needs.

What is encrypted in the pyramids

What is the secret of the Egyptian pyramids? Why, for almost 5 millennia, have they never ceased to excite the imagination of everyone who has seen them? All sorts of assumptions have been made about this: they were built by aliens, they contain encrypted astronomical and magical knowledge of the ancient priests, they contain a prediction of the future. Digital magic was so popular that by measuring it in all directions and adding up the results, amateurs could predict anything.

Why were the pyramids built?

Even the debate about whether the pyramids are actually the tombs of the pharaohs continues today. Some researchers believe that these are temples where the sun god Amun-Ra was initiated into the cult of the sun god, others - that the pyramid is a huge scientific laboratory of the ancients. Some argue that the pyramids are huge natural generators of earthly energy, in which the pharaohs were “charged” with this energy for a long time, even rejuvenated and prepared for government activities. And then they were buried near the pyramids, in small rooms, perhaps near funeral temples.

The pyramids delighted many of the greats of this world: , Cleopatra, . The latter, in order to inspire his grenadiers during the Egyptian campaign, first exclaimed: “The pyramids are looking at you,” and then instantly calculated in his mind that from the two and a half million stone blocks of the Cheops pyramid it would be possible to build a wall around France three meters high.

Interesting facts about Egyptian pyramids

All Egyptian pyramids were built on the west bank of the Nile River, which is the place of sunset and was associated with kingdom of the dead in Egyptian mythology.

The edges of the pyramids are curved by one meter so that they can accumulate solar energy. Due to this, the pyramids could reach thousands of degrees and emit an incomprehensible hum from such heat.

Despite the intense heat that reigns around the pyramids, the temperature inside them actually remains relatively constant, hovering around 20°C.

Egyptian pyramids also have this feature. The stone blocks are arranged in such a way that there are no gaps between them; even the thinnest blade will not fit through there.

The Great Pyramid consists of 2.3 million blocks that are perfectly aligned and fit together. The blocks weigh from 2 to 30 tons, and some of them even reach a weight of more than 50 tons.

Although many people associate pyramids with hieroglyphs, no inscriptions or hieroglyphs have been found in the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Estimates of the number of workers involved in the construction of the pyramids vary greatly, however, it is quite possible that at least 100 thousand people built them.

The three large pyramids on the Giza plateau replicate on Earth the "Belt of Orion" from the constellation Orion. The Pyramid of Cheops and the similar-sized Pyramid of Khafre occupy the places of the two most bright stars Orion's belts, Al-Nitak and Al-Nilam, and the smaller pyramid of Menkaure is offset from the axis of the two neighboring ones, just like the third and smallest star of the belt - Mintaka.

Structures similar to the Egyptian pyramids can also be found in Sudan, where the tradition was later picked up.

Each side of the pyramid is located in the direction of one side of the world.

It was calculated that large necropolises with that level of technology should have been built in no less than a century. How, for example, was the Cheops pyramid built in just 20 years?

In the 12th century, an attempt was made to destroy the pyramids of Giza. Al-Aziz, the Kurdish ruler and second sultan of the Ayyubid dynasty, tried to demolish them, but he was forced to retreat as the task was too large-scale. And yet, he was able to damage the Pyramid of Mykerinus, where his attempts left a vertical gaping hole in its northern slope.

The pyramids are one of the many evidences in favor of the existence of those old times some advanced civilization. Meanwhile, that era fits into the time frame of the existence of the legendary Atlantis, although no one undertakes to claim that the civilization that built the early pyramids was in fact the civilization of the Atlanteans.

Tourist Information

The Great Pyramid complex of Giza is open to the public from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm every day except winter months(opening hours until 16:30) and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when access is closed at 15:00.

Some travelers believe that if the pyramids are in the open air and are not a museum in the literal sense of the word, then here you can behave freely and climb these structures. It should be remembered: doing this is strictly prohibited - in the interests of your own safety!

Before entering the pyramids, you need to objectively assess your psychological state and physical health. For those who are afraid of closed spaces (claustrophobia), it is better to skip this part of the tour. Due to the fact that the inside of the tombs is usually dry, hot and a little dusty, asthmatics, hypertensive patients and those suffering from other diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous system are not recommended to enter here.

How much can an excursion to the area of ​​the Egyptian pyramids cost a tourist? Cost has several components. The entrance ticket will cost you 60 Egyptian pounds, which is approximately 8 euros. Would you like to visit the Pyramid of Cheops? For this you will have to pay 100 pounds or 13 euros. Seeing the inside of Khafre's Pyramid is largely cheaper at £20 or €2.60.

You will have to pay separately for visiting the Solar Boat Museum, which is located south of the Cheops Pyramid (40 pounds or 5 euros). Photography is allowed in the pyramid area, but you will have to pay 1 euro for the right to take photographs. Visiting other pyramids on the territory of Giza - for example, the mother and wife of Pharaoh Khafre - is not paid.

Pyramids of Ancient Egypt: secrets, riddles, structure, architecture and internal structure of the pyramids of Ancient Egypt

• Tours for May Worldwide
• Last minute tours Worldwide

Any UNESCO

The most unesco

Pyramid of Djoser

It’s definitely worth deciding on this trip, if only out of curiosity. After all, the Pyramid of Djoser is recognized as the oldest surviving Egyptian pyramid. Yes, yes, this is the first pyramid of Egypt, and it was built in honor of the ruler Djoser by the architect and close associate of the pharaoh Imhotep.

The pyramids of Egypt are a unique architectural monument that has remained for centuries thanks to mysterious builders who managed to create structures so strong that no natural disasters or destructive wars could completely destroy these ancient Egyptian necropolises. The mystery of the pyramids has not yet been solved: it is impossible to speak with certainty either about the method of their construction, or about who acted as the main labor force. There are now about 118 pyramids in Egypt, the largest of which were built during reign III and the IV dynasties of the pharaohs, that is, during the period of the so-called Old Kingdom. There are two types of pyramids: stepped and regular. The most ancient structures are considered to be of the first type. For example, the pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser, dating back to 2650 BC. e.

Necropolis translated from Greek means “city of the dead” and is a cemetery, usually located on the outskirts of the city. Egyptian pyramids - one of the varieties of this type of burial - served as monumental tombs for the pharaohs.

What do we know about the pyramids of Egypt?

They first learned about the pyramids thanks to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BC. Traveling around Egypt, he was amazed by the famous pyramids of Giza and immediately ranked one of them, dedicated to Cheops, among the seven wonders of the world. Moreover, it was Herodotus who created the legend about how these structures were built. As soon as the pyramids became the object of study by scientists, and this happened only two hundred years ago, this legend immediately became a historical truth, the authenticity of which was refuted not so long ago.

How the ancient pyramids were built

Not as much has reached our time intact as we would like. Numerous vandals who robbed the pyramids for the treasures hidden inside, and local residents who broke out stone blocks to build palaces and mosques, destroyed part of the external and internal appearance. Thus, the Pink or Northern Pyramid from Dahshur (26 km south of Cairo) got its name because of the color of the stone, turning pink in the rays of the setting Sun. However, she wasn't always like this. Previously, the structure was covered with white limestone, which was entirely used for the construction of houses in Cairo.

For a long time it was believed that people who disturbed the peace of the pharaohs were condemned to death by the ancient gods. This was confirmed by the legend about the curse of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, according to which everyone who participated in the opening of the grave was supposed to die within a few years. And indeed, by 1929 (the tomb was opened in 1922), 22 people, one way or another involved in the autopsy, died. Whether the cause was the magic of Ancient Egypt or the poison placed in the sarcophagus during burial is anyone's guess.

It is believed that the famous Great Sphinx, which lies near the pyramids of Giza, is the guardian of the peace of the buried pharaohs.

Architecture and internal structure of the pyramids

The pyramids were only part of the ritual and funerary complex. Next to each of them there were two temples, one nearby and the other much lower, so that its foot was washed by the waters of the Nile. The pyramids and temples were connected by alleys. An analogue of an alley of a similar plan can be seen in Luxor. The famous Luxor and Karnak temples were united by an avenue of sphinxes that has partially survived to this day. The pyramids of Giza practically did not preserve their temples and alleys: only the lower temple of Khafre, the pharaoh of the 4th dynasty, remained, for a long time considered the temple of the Great Sphinx.

The internal structure of the pyramids implied the obligatory presence of a chamber where the sarcophagus with the mummy was located, and cut passages to this chamber. Sometimes religious texts were placed there. Thus, the interior of the pyramids in Saqqara, an Egyptian village 30 km from Cairo, contained the oldest works of funeral literature that have come down to us.

It is believed that the famous Great Sphinx, which lies near the pyramids of Giza, is the guardian of the peace of the buried pharaohs. The ancient Egyptian name of this first monumental sculpture in the world has not reached our time. Only the Greek version of the designation remains in history. Medieval Arabs called the Sphinx "the father of horror."

Modern Egyptologists suggest that the construction of the pyramids was carried out in several stages. Moreover, sometimes the size of the tomb during the creation process increased several times in comparison with the original project. The pharaohs built their tomb for many years. Only ground work and leveling the site for the future structure required at least ten. It took Pharaoh Cheops twenty years to build the largest pyramid to date. The workers who built the tombs were not slaves tortured to death. Moreover, archaeological excavations have shown that they were kept in fairly decent conditions, treated and fed normally. However, it is still unknown exactly how the huge stone blocks got to the very top. What is clear is that construction techniques have changed over time, and later structures are built differently from the first.

At the end of the 20th century, architects established that the pyramids are perfect structures, with mathematically correct proportions.

Previous photo 1/ 1 Next photo