Giza, Egypt
I want to share our trip to the pyramids in Cairo. When I first arrived in Cairo, I started my journey right from Giza. The Great Pyramid of Khufu here is 4.5 thousand years old. It remains the only ancient monument that is still one ofthe Wonders of the world. You could say it is more than twice as old as the Colosseum. And naturally there are plenty of rumors surrounding the Great pyramid. As it has been studied over the last few centuries. It is even possible to go inside. But let me disappoint you right away. No aliens were involved in its construction.
The pyramid consists of massive limestone blocks. Its height used to be over 146 meters, though it is lower now. And there are 6.5 million tons of material here. This material was extracted from quarries using the tools available at the time. Recently tools and drawings showing how all the construction work was carried out were discovered. We know for certain that the Nile once reached right up to the pyramid. The Nile flooded every year and thanks to it, this material was transported here. Then with the help of the modern ramps of that era, all of this was lifted to the top. And of course, mistakes were made. First they built one tomb, then a second one and then a third. We do not even know the purpose of some chambers that definitely exist. No one has entered these chambers yet. On the other hand, we know that there are ventilation shafts. Nobody climbed into those either. Robots were sent inside instead. We know where they lead and we know how they were built. And to be honest, what surprises me the most is that this place is nothing more than a tomb. It was looted multiple times, which is why later pharaohs built their tombs underground to ensure their treasures and mummies would definitely be preserved.
The pyramid stands but we noticed that the temple around it is missing. The temple where mummification and all pre-death rituals were performed. 30.000 people worked on the construction of this pyramid. And no, they were not slaves. they were skilled paid workers. Although their lifestyle back then would probably remind us of slaves today. Right here next to the pyramid, the remains of a small city, likely built out of barracks, were even found.
Naturally all of this was looted and now we only see the remains of former glory. Because in the past, the exterior of the pyramid was covered in white limestone that gleamed brilliantly in the sun. Today however, it is a tourist monument.
Two entrances can be seen at the pyramid's entrance. The higher one is the original, but unfortunately in the ninth century, they could not find it and started digging a few meters below it. That spot serves as the official entrance to the Great Pyramid today. When there was nobody around yet and the line was short, early in the morning, we decided to enter the pyramid.
It costs a total of 35 euros and you need to buy the tickets right at the ticket office at the very beginning. And payment is accepted by card only.
The walls feel like a portal sending us back 4 thousand years into the past. Of course, climbing here is not easy but it is intriguing. You can inspect Khufu's burial chamber and his empty sarcophagus. Nobody found either the pharaoh's mummy or his treasure here. At least as far as we know. Looters reached here long before researchers did. However, above this chamber, several spaces and shafts designed to relieve weight were found.
After touring the Great Pyramid of Khufu, we moved on toward the second pyramid. There are numerous tombs belonging to ancient Egyptian aristocrats on the way . They were hardly going to bury them inside the pyramid. That was the pharaohs' privilege.
The Pyramid of Khafre is 3 meters shorter than Khufu's, yet it is still possible to see the remains of the old casing. Part of it was dismantled 3000 years ago, while the rest was stripped and taken during the construction of Cairo in the tenth century.
Our guide organized a camel tour through the desert for half an hour for just 10 euros. And in my opinion, it was worth it. The view opening up from the desert is incredible. I do feel sorry for the camels, but walking here on foot is not comfortable at all, especially with children. My nephews later said that out of all the modes of transport we tried in Egypt, they loved the camel more than anything.
There are exactly three pyramids here. They are arranged in the alignment of the Orion Constellation. The placement of the pyramids is a story in itself and all of them are oriented precise north. However, only one of them the first pyramid Khufu, was aligned according to magnetic north rather than geographical north. Was it a mistake or was it done intentionally? Who knows. We are still trying to figure it out.
Beside the third pyramid here, Menkaure, they are still trying to excavate statues. Underground, there are a few dozen statues depicting Egyptian cities. We had 42 cities in Egypt. A few statues have been found, while the rest are still beneath us. They are made of basalt and perhaps even granite, so they are definitely preserved.
Why did they build all this? Is it really just a tomb? Yes, it is simply a tomb that reinforced the authority of the pharaoh and his family. That means all three pyramids were built within a span of 70 to 80 years. But it is also a symbol of passage to the afterlife. At that time it was believed that pharaohs had the right to eternal life. They became like the God Osiris and this pyramid symbolized that transformation.
Later on only pharaohs enjoyed such a privilege, as pharaohs were believed to be the children of gods. We, of course, have hell and heaven, whereas for the Egyptians, everything was much simpler. Either you are a worthy person and you go to the sky or you reach nowhere and a special deity devours your heart after death. A very, very long ritual took place and after death, the gods weighed the heart. If the heart turned out to be heavier than a feather, the person lost the right to eternal life.
Most people assume Napoleon broke the Sphinx's nose, but that is not true. Visuals from earlier periods have survived to this day showing the Sphinx without a nose already. Local religious fanatics likely tampered with the Sphinx between the tenth and fifteenth centuries and broke its nose. Just imagine, it used to be painted in completely different colors in the past and it is 4500 years old itself.
And we know for certain that the face of the Sphinx belongs to Pharaoh Khafre. Because an archaeologist passing right over these slabs here felt them wobble and beneath one of the slabs, he discovered a magnificent statue of Khafre. Comparing the faces led to the conclusion that the Sphinx's face belongs to Khafre. So there is no mystery here. The mystery lies in where the tunnel recently discovered under the Sphinx leads to. But we do not know that for certain.
The Sphinx is the largest monumental ancient sculpture in the world. Its height is more than 20 meters and its length is more than 70 meters. The Sphinx was dug out of the sand. That is why its upper part has survived to our day in poor condition.
That was all I had to share about my trip to the Giza Plateau. Thanks for reading.
