Egypt trip, Dec 2008 - The Giza Pyramids

The Giza Pyramid complex is located some 8 km inland into the desert from the old town of Giza on the Nile, approximately 25 km southwest of Cairo city centre.

The complex consists of 3 key pyramids: (1: ON THE LEFT) the Pyramid of Khufu (known as the Great Pyramid and the Pyramid of Cheops), which is the sole survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. ; (2: IN THE MIDDLE) The somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Chephren) a few hundred meters to the south-west ; and (3: ON THE RIGHT) the relatively modest-size Pyramid of Menkaure a few hundred meters further south-west. There are also a number of smaller satellite edifices, known as "queens" pyramids, causeways and valley pyramids.

At first, the Pyramid of Khafre appears to be larger than that of Khufu's. However, as you approach the site, you will find that the Pyramid of Khafre seems taller because it stands on higher ground (10m higher) and its peak still retained part of the original limestone casing that once covered the entire structure.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest pyramid in the Giza area and it is also the largest in Egypt. It stood 164.5m high when it was completed in around 2600 BCE.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu in the background. The Pyramid consists of more than 2.3 million limestone blocks. The Egyptians shipped the limestone blocks from quarries all along the Nile River. The stone was cut by hammering wedges into the stone. Then the wedges were soaked with water. The wedges expanded, causing the rock to crack. Once they were cut, they were carried by boat either up or down the Nile River to the pyramid. It is believed that this pyramid was constructed over a 20 year period.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu in the background. SP is sitting on the blocks of the Pyramid of Khafre. You can actually enter both pyramids. At the time of our visit, entry to the Great Pyramid costs LE 150 and entry to Khafre costs LE 30. SP and I went for the cheaper option! :-P

Camels in front of the pyramid

During the 18th dynasty, the "minister from the department of temple construction" robbed casing stone from Khafre to build a temple in Heliopolis on Rameses II’s orders. This photo shows what remains of it (at its apex).

Another famous sight at Giza is the Great Sphinx of Giza, which is a statue of a reclining lion with a human head. The Great Sphinx faces due east and houses a small temple between its paws. It is one of the largest monolith (carved from the bedrock) statue in the world, standing 73.5 m (241 ft) long, 6 m (20 ft) wide, and 20 m (65 ft) high. Most Egyptologists believe that the Great Sphinx was created by the Pharaoh Khafra and that the Sphinx therefore dates to his reign (2520-2494 BCE).

Recently, the Sphinx has undergone a major restoration effort. The top of the paw was purposely left unfinished, which demonstrates the difference between the original rock and the quality of the restoration.

The one-metre-wide nose on the face is missing and there are many stories about how it lost its nose, including one about how the nose was shot off by Napoleon's men. This story is unlikely to be true as 18th Century drawings already showed the nose as missing

If you got spare time on your hand, you might want to join other tourists in the sound-and-light show. These shows run at many ancient sites in Egypt and they seem to be quite popular. They ran in a variety of languages (though there is no Chinese version yet!) and they are about an hour long.

The best thing about these shows is that the lighting provides a good opportunity for night shots. Here are some examples: