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Pyramids
Other Egypt Pages:
Egypt Home Page
Egypt History
Egyptian
Dynasties
Egypt Photos:
Abu Simbel
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Northern Nile
Southern Nile
The Great Pyramids of
Giza
"From atop these pyramids, forty
centuries look down upon you."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte to his soldiers before the Battle of Giza, 1798 --
Though the three Great Pyramids are the most famous and prominent
monuments at Giza, the site has actually been a necropolis almost since
the beginning of the pharaonic era. But it was the Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh
Khufu (Cheops -- 2589 - 2566 BC) who placed Giza forever at the heart of
Egyptian (and global) wonders. His pyramid is the largest of all the
pyramids in the world. To the southwest is the pyramid of his son Khephren
(Chephren or Khafre). Although it is smaller, a steeper angle results in
the illusion that they are nearly same size. As the Khephren pyramid
occupies the central point, it is frequently misreferred to as the Great
Pyramid. Also, unlike the other Giza Pyramids, it still has some smooth
intact casing stone at its apex. Still further southwest is the smallest
of the three, the pyramid of Khephren's son Menkaure. It is also the most
unusual, because it is not entirely limestone like the others. The
uppermost portions are brick. All three pyramids stand empty and were
probably plundered by thieves and/or political dissidents. However, large
funerary barges have been excavated nearby.
Giza can be subdivided into two groupings of monuments, clearly defined
and separated by a wadi. The larger grouping consists of the three "Great"
pyramids of Khufu, Khephren, and Menkaure; the Sphinx, the pyramids of the
queens, attendant temples and outbuildings, and the private mastabas of
the nobility. The second grouping, located on the ridge to the southeast,
contains a number of private tombs of citizens of various classes. While
the majority of the monuments of the larger grouping are made from
limestone that was quarried and transported to the site, the tombs of the
smaller grouping are simply carved out of the native living rock.
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