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Ancient Egyptians - Pyramids at Gizeh |
Pyramids at Gizeh Ancient Egypt - Pyramids at Gizeh Fact Sheet Fact 1 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The Gizeh plateau is the location of the greatest tombs of the pharaohs that are referred to as: Khafre's Pyramid - the Second Pyramid Menkaure's Pyramid - the Third Pyramid Fact 2 on Pyramids at Gizeh: These great monuments are the most famous of the 138 pyramids have so far been discovered in Egypt and the Gizeh plateau is also the site of the Great Sphinx. Fact 3 on Pyramids at Gizeh: Khufu (aka Cheops), Khafre (aka Chephren) and Menkaure (aka Mycerinus) were all Kings of the 4th Dynasty who ruled ancient Egypt in the period of history referred to as the Old Kingdom. Fact 4 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The Gizeh plateau is located about 25km (15 miles) south west of Cairo on the west bank of the River Nile. Fact 5 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The ancient Egyptians believed that the River Nile was the bridge to the afterlife and is why all Egyptian tombs were located on the west side of the Nile. East of the Nile was a place of life and beginnings, west of the Nile was considered to be the land of the dead. Fact 6 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The ancient Egyptians oriented each pyramid to the four cardinal points of the compass so that one side faced exactly east, another south, and so on. They were each precisely aligned with the Constellation of Orion and therefore had a strong astronomical association with the sun and the stars. Click here for the meaning of the pyramids Fact 7 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The ancient Egyptians believed that the pyramid was resurrection vehicle, a type of 'Stargate' for the king, leading to heaven and eternal life. Fact 8 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The royal pyramids at Giza were the central point of the funeral complexes of the kings. The Giza funeral complexes included mortuary temples, causeways, smaller subsidiary pyramids, solar boat pits, Valley Temples, smaller tombs of the royal family, nobility & priests and a worker's village. Fact 9 Pyramids of Gizeh: The magnificent tombs were all made of stone, built to last for eternity. Ordinary homes, even the great royal palaces, were constructed using mudbricks that easily perished in time. Fact 10 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The Design, Development and architecture of these amazing monuments evolved over many years and the First pyramid began as a traditional, flat-roofed Mastaba Tomb but six tiers were added creating the pyramidal shape. Fact 11 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The ancient Egyptian architects devised different methods to deter tomb robbers and increase the security of the burial chambers built deep inside the pyramids. The Giza necropolis was surrounded by a great wall and each pyramid complex was guarded and surrounded by a trench and thick, 12ft wall with only one entrance. Fact 12 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The entrances to each pyramid were difficult to locate and the passageways leading to the burial chambers was booby trapped with portcullis doors, blocked chambers and hidden deadfalls. There were even wires designed to decapitate tomb robbers. Fact 13 on Pyramids at Gizeh: Despite the efforts of the ancient Egyptian architects most of the tombs had been looted of their great treasures by 1000 BC. Tomb robbers were tortured and then impaled or burnt alive. Fact 14 on Pyramids at Gizeh: Giza is the most popular tourist destination in Egypt. Climbing a pyramid is extremely dangerous and is officially banned. Ancient Egypt - Pyramids at Gizeh Fact Sheet Picture showing the reconstruction of the pyramid complex at Giza Pyramids at Gizeh Dimensions of the Pyramids of Gizeh Exterior Dimensions of the Pyramids of Gizeh Great Pyramid of Khufu - Khafre's Second Pyramid - Menkaure's Third Pyramid Original Height: 146.5 metres (480.6 feet) - 143.5 metres (471 feet) - 65.5 metres (215 feet)Current height: 138.8 metres (455.4 feet) - 136.4 metres (448 feet) - 61 m (204 ft) Base: 230.4 metres (755.9 feet) - 215.5 metres (706 feet) - 108.5 meters (355.8 feet)Pyramids at Gizeh Ancient Egypt - Pyramids at Gizeh Fact Sheet Fact 15 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The Great Pyramid of Khufu (aka Cheops) is the largest and the oldest pyramid at Giza. The Great Pyramid is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that is still standing. The Great Pyramid was constructed during the reign of Khufu 2551-2528 B.C. Fact 16 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The second pyramid to be built at Giza was Khafre's Pyramid. It was built during the reign of the Pharaoh Khafre 2520–2494 BC. Khafre is also credited as the builder of the Great Sphinx, but this is disputed by many historians. Fact 17 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The third pyramid to be built at Giza was Menkaure's Pyramid. It was built during the reign of the Pharaoh Menkaure 2490–2472 BC. and is the smallest of the three great monuments. Fact 18 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The Great Pyramid of Khufu soars to over 146 meters (480 feet) which is equivalent to the height of a modern 40-storey building. Fact 19 on Pyramids at Gizeh: It is estimated that the largest pyramids took just over 20 years to build. The workers were not slaves, they were native Egyptians who were conscripted into the service of the pharaoh for several weeks each year. Some workers worked full time on the construction site and lived in nearby villages. Fact 20 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The pyramid workers were organised into groups, that each had their own names and were quite competitive. The name of one of the groups was the "Drunkards of Menkaure". Fact 21 on Pyramids at Gizeh: The estimated total weight of the Great Pyramid is 6.5 million tons - one small car weighs about one ton. Ancient Egypt - Pyramids at Gizeh Fact Sheet |