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Ancient Egyptians - Pyramid of Khafre |
The Pyramid of Khafre
Giza Plateau - The Pyramids and the Sphinx Ancient Egypt - Pyramid of Khafre of Giza Fact Sheet Fact 1 Pyramid of Khafre: It was the second, and second largest, of the ancient Egyptian pyramids that were built on the Giza Plateau. It was built for Pharaoh Khafre whose name is Chephren in Greek. It was constructed during the reign of the king 2520–2494 BC. He is also credited as the builder of the Great Sphinx of Giza, although this is disputed by many.
Statue of Khafre Fact 2 Pyramid of Khafre: It forms part of the Giza Necropolis, an archaeological site that includes the famous pyramids, the Great Sphinx, several cemeteries and a workers' village. The names of the other pyramids are the Great Pyramid of Khufu and Menkaure's Pyramid.
Fact 3 Pyramid of Khafre: Location: It was built on the Giza plateau which is located 25km (15 miles) south west of Cairo on the west bank of the River Nile. Fact 4 Pyramid of Khafre: The pharaoh chose the highest spot on the Giza plateau to build his monument. This gave the second pyramid the illusion of being taller, whereas the Great Pyramid is in fact the taller of the Giza pyramids. Fact 5 Pyramid of Khafre: Architect: The name of the architect of this amazing monument has not been specifically mentioned. The architect of the Great Pyramid was Hemiunu, who was also the Vizier (Chief Chancellor) of Khufu. A man called Ankhhaf was the first of Khafre's viziers and therefore there is a high probability that he was an architect of the Second Pyramid. Fact 6 Pyramid of Khafre: It was built on a different plan inside to that of the Great Pyramid. The Great pyramid of Khufu had one entrance. Khafra's monument had two entrances, both to the north, one from the platform before the pyramid, the other entrance was nearly 40 feet above the ground. Both entrances lead to passageways to the burial chamber. Fact 7 Pyramid of Khafre: The magnificent monument to Khafre was made of stone and built to last for eternity. Ordinary homes, even the royal palaces, in ancient Egypt were usually constructed using mud bricks, that easily perished in time. Fact 8 Pyramid of Khafre: It was first explored in modern times by the great Giovanni Belzoni in 1818 but the burial chamber had been robbed of all of its treasures and was empty except for an open red granite sarcophagus and its broken lid on the floor. Fact 9 Pyramid of Khafre: Nearly all the pyramids in ancient Egypt were robbed of their treasures by 1000 B.C. The valuable outer casing of gleaming white limestone and the capstone was also stripped by stone robbers.
Fact 10 Pyramid of Khafre: The outer casing was highly polished that was visible for miles and a constant reminder of the wealth and dominance of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. The pyramids of Giza inspired awe and wonder from all that beheld the colossal structures. Fact 11 Pyramid of Khafre: It was not built by slaves. It was built by Egyptians who were conscripted by the pharaoh for a few weeks in every year and by skilled Egyptians who worked full time on construction and lived in near-by worker's village. Fact 12 Pyramid of Khafre: Capstone: The top of the structure was originally crowned with a shining, pyramidion, also referred to as a capstone. The capstone was believed to have been gilded gold. When the capstone was struck by the sun's rays, would have projected a gorgeous, mystical, magical light. Its meaning relates to the ancient Egyptian creation myth and the legend of the Benben Stone - refer to the Meanings of the Egyptian Pyramids. continued... Ancient Egypt - Pyramid of Khafre of Giza Fact Sheet
All of the Giza Pyramids Pyramid of Khafre of Giza Dimensions of the Pyramid of Khafre Exterior Dimensions of the Original Height: 143.5 metres (471 feet) Current height (the capstone is missing): 136.4 metres (448 feet)Base Length: 215.5 metres (706 feet) - 11 acres Ancient Egypt - Pyramid of Khafre of Giza Fact Sheet Fact 13 Pyramid of Khafre: Construction: It was built on solid bedrock and the base and interior was constructed using limestone from a local quarry. Balsalt and granite was sourced from other Ancient Egyptian quarries, together with the superior white limestone that was sourced from the Tura Quarry and used for the gleaming white exterior casing. Fact 14 Pyramid of Khafre: Construction: The monument soared to over 143 meters (471 feet) which is equivalent to the height of a modern day 40 storey building. Fact 15 Pyramid of Khafre: The estimated total weight of the structure is 4,880,000 tons. To put this figure into perspective, a small car weighs about one ton.
Fact 16 Pyramid of Khafre: The average weight of individual blocks of stone was 2. 5tons, some of the outer casing blocks of stone weighed up to 7 tons. Fact 17 Pyramid of Khafre: The slope of the angles is higher at 53 degrees compared to Khufu's of 51 degrees. Ancient Egypt - Pyramid of Khafre of Giza Fact Sheet Inside the Pyramid of Khafre of Giza
Ancient Egypt - Pyramid of Khafre of Giza Fact Sheet Fact 18 Pyramid of Khafre: There are no hieroglyphics or writing inside the Pyramid of Khafre. Fact 19 Pyramid of Khafre: There are two entrances, the upper entrance and the lower entrance. The Lower entrance is located at the base of the pyramid at ground level. The Upper entrance is higher, 11.54 m (38 feet) up the side of the structure and was sealed with a metal door. Fact 20 Pyramid of Khafre: The lower entrance connects to the lower passageway that descends 58 meters (191 feet) to the First subterranean burial chamber which was carved into the bedrock. A stone portcullis was used along this passageway as a deterrent to tomb robbers. Fact 21 Pyramid of Khafre: The subterranean burial chamber measured 34 feet long x 10 feet wide was believed to have been used as a storage chamber and continued on to an ascending passageway that was connected to the main corridor that led to the Second burial chamber.
Fact 22 Pyramid of Khafre: The Upper entrance connected to the upper passage which first descended in to the structure before connecting the main horizontal corridor. Fact 23 Pyramid of Khafre: The main corridor was lined in pink granite and led to the main burial chamber that is 46.5 feet long x 16.5 feet wide (14.15 m x 5 m). A black granite sarcophagus was found in the burial chamber that was designed to be sunken into the floor. Ancient Egypt - Pyramid of Khafre of Giza Fact Sheet The Giza Burial Complex and the Pyramid of Khafre The Pyramid of Khafre The following picture shows part of a reconstruction of the burial complex at Giza.
Picture showing the reconstruction of the pyramid complex at Giza Ancient Egypt - Burial Complex Fact Sheet Fact 24 Pyramid of Khafre: The small, subsidiary pyramid was believed to be the tomb of a queen. Fact 25 Pyramid of Khafre: Five boat pits were built to house the hearse boats of the pharaoh and were used in the funerary procession of the king. Fact 26 Pyramid of Khafre: The mortuary temple adjoined the pyramid and was the place of worship of the deceased king. Priests performed daily funerary rites and presented daily offerings to the dead king’s ka (protective spirit). The mortuary temple consisted of an entrance hall, a columned court, niches (alcoves) for statues of the pharaoh, storage chambers and an inner sanctuary (chapel). Fact 27 Pyramid of Khafre: The causeway, meaning a raised roadway, connected the Mortuary Temple with the Valley Temple. The causeway was 1,600 feet in length, paved with white limestone and had a low wall built on each side. Fact 28 Pyramid of Khafre: The 'Valley Temple' was built on the lowest end of the funerary complex and led to the River Nile. The 'Valley Temple' was a site of worship and the starting point of the funeral ceremonies and rituals. Fact 29 Pyramid of Khafre: The 'Valley Temple' was located next to the Great Sphinx. The building of the Great Sphinx is sometimes attributed to Khafre but this is hotly disputed by many experts. It is possible that the sphinx already existed but the head was replaced as an image of Khafre.
Ancient Egypt - Burial Complex Fact Sheet Pyramid of Khafre of Giza Pyramid of Khafre of Giza |
