The Great Pyramid of Giza “The Pyramid of Khufu”
The Great Pyramid it is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World and the largest of the three other ancient pyramids. It took about 20 years to be built. It belongs to the fourth dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh “Khufu” or “Cheops“, which was built as a tomb for the king. This Pyramid is part of a complex of 3 large pyramids in the Giza Necropolis in Egypt, that you can explore during your trips in Egypt It is the tallest man structure that has ever been built for more than 3800 years and the defining symbol of Egypt. It was covered by limestone casing stones that formed a smooth surface. It has three burial chambers inside. There are a lot of theories about the construction techniques of the Great Pyramid. Most of these construction hypotheses are based on the idea that huge stones were being moved from a quarry and then being dragged and left.
The Great Pyramid of Khufu contains three chambers. The King’s and the queen’s chamber are in a higher position from the pyramid. There is another chamber in a lower position that is unfinished. The main part of the pyramid consists of two temples that were built to honor King Khufu, three small pyramids for Khufu’s wife, a smaller “satellite” pyramid, and small mastaba tombs for the nobles.
The Construction of the Great Pyramid of Khufu
The most important thing in the construction of this pyramid was the crew of workers. Khufu chose his nephew Hemiunu to be his vizier who is credited for the design and the construction of the great pyramid. He was responsible for the materials, labor, transport, and official reports. The technological skill witnessed in the construction of the Great Pyramid is still a mystery for scholars and Egyptologists.
Egyptologists Bob Brier and Hoyt Hobbs Comment on this
Because of their immense size, building pyramids posed special problems of both organization and engineering. Constructing the Great Pyramid of the pharaoh Khufu, for example, required that more than two million blocks weighing from two to more than sixty tons be formed into a structure covering two football fields and rising in a perfect pyramidal shape 480 feet into the sky. Its construction involved vast numbers of workers which, in turn, presented complex logistical problems concerning food, shelter, and organization. Millions of heavy stone blocks needed not only to be quarried and raised to great heights but also set together with precision in order to create the desired shape.
This quote hasn’t been changed as it was mentioned in the website “ancient.eu”
Materials Used in the Construction
The Great Pyramid consists of about 2.3 million blocks which makes it the greatest pyramid that has ever been built, if you are located in Cairo, so don’t hesitate to explore this information through our Cairo tours. The King’s chamber was built by the largest granite stones that weigh 25 to 80 tonnes and were transported from Aswan.
The Great Pyramid was covered by white casing stones. The Greek believed that slaves were the ones who built the Pyramid but modern discoveries reveal that it was built by tens of thousands of skilled workers.
The Great Pyramid from Inside
The entrance of the Pyramid is on the north. There is an ascending passage that is 39.9 meters and a descending passage that has the same width. At the end you reach The Grand Gallery which is 1.04 wide, 8.6 meters high, and 46.68 long. Its floor consists of a shelf on each side. There are 54 slots on the shelves. There is a horizontal passage leading to The Queen’s chamber which is exactly halfway between the north and south faces of the pyramid. There are shafts in the north and south walls of it, which were explored by the German engineer Rudolf Gantenbrink in 1993. There is also The Big Void which may have been a gap used in the construction of the Grand Gallery. The King’s chamber is 10.47 meters from east to west and 5.234 meters north to south. It is totally faced with granite.
There is a modern entrance that was built by Caliph Al-Ma’mun’s workers through which tourists enter the Great Pyramid nowadays.
Interesting Facts About the Great Pyramid
- The ancient name of the Great Giza Pyramid was Khufu’s Horizon.
- It is the only pyramid that has passages inside to go up and down.
- No writing or Hieroglyphics found inside the Pyramid.
- It is the only pyramid with concave sides.
- We don’t have such the technology of the Ancient Egyptians to build such a pyramid.
- King Khufu didn’t intend to use the Queen’s chamber for any of his wives but to place his own statue.
- It is the last remaining Wonder of the Ancient World.
There is no wonder why this pyramid is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is the best example of the human dignity, strength, civilization, and determination. It’s will be amazing to witness this wonderful architecture, so check our Egypt tour packages and choose your trip.
