The Giza Necropolis
stands on the Giza Plateau, on the
outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex
of ancient monuments is located some
eight kilometers (5 miles) inland
into the desert from the old town
of Giza on the Nile, some 25 kilometres
(12.5 miles) southwest of Cairo city
center.
The complex contains
three large pyramids, the most famous
of which, the Great Pyramid was built
for the pharaoh Khufu and is possibly
the largest building ever erected
on the planet, and the last member
of the ancient Seven Wonders of the
World. The other two pyramids, each
impressive in their own right, were
built for the kings Khafre and Menkaure.
The site also contains the Sphinx,
a monstrous statue of a part-lion,
part-human, mysterious both in appearance
and in its origin and purpose, and
the Khufu Ship, the relic of a boat
built to transport Khufu to the afterlife.
This necropolis, an
amazing collection of buildings that
were constructed to house the dead,
reveals much about the civilization
of ancient Egypt. Scientists continue
to research and theorize about how
and why they were constructed, and
their true meaning to those who initiated
them. For the general public, though,
the sense of wonder and respect that
they command may be sufficient.
This Ancient Egyptian
necropolis consists of the Pyramid of
Khufu (known as the Great Pyramid and
the Pyramid of Cheops), the somewhat
smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Chephren),
and the relatively modest-size Pyramid
of Menkaure (or Mykerinus), along with
a number of smaller satellite edifices,
known as "queens" pyramids,
causeways and valley pyramids, and most
noticeably the Great Sphinx. Current
consensus among Egyptologists is that
the head of the Great Sphinx is that
of Khafre. Associated with these royal
monuments are the tombs of high officials
and much later burials and monuments
(from the New Kingdom onwards), signifying
reverence to those buried in the necropolis.
Of the three, only Menkaure's
Pyramid is seen today sans any of its
original polished limestone casing,
with Khafre's Pyramid retaining a prominent
display of casing stones at its apex,
while Khufu's Pyramid maintains a more
limited collection at its base. It is
interesting to note that this pyramid
appears larger than the adjacent Khufu
Pyramid by virtue of its more elevated
location, and the steeper angle of inclination
of its construction – it is, in
fact, smaller in both height and volume.
The most active phase
of construction was in the twenty-fifth
century B.C.E.. The ancient remains
of the Giza necropolis have attracted
visitors and tourists since classical
antiquity, when these Old Kingdom monuments
were already over 2,000 years old. It
was popularized in Hellenistic times
when the Great Pyramid was listed by
Antipater of Sidon as one of the Seven
Wonders of the World. Today it is the
only one of the ancient Wonders still
in existence.
Pyramid
of Khufu
The Great Pyramid is the oldest and
the largest of the three pyramids in
the Giza Necropolis bordering what is
now Cairo, Egypt in Africa. The only
remaining member of the ancient Seven
Wonders of the World, it is believed
to have been constructed over a 20-year
period concluding around 2560 B.C.E.
The Great Pyramid was built as a tomb
for Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh
Khufu (Cheops), and is sometimes called
Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu.
The structure is estimated to contain
some 2.4 million stone blocks each weighing
2.5 tons, with others used for special
functions deep within the pyramid weighing
considerably more.
