The area of the base of the pyramid of Cheops. pyramid of cheops egypt
Pyramid of Cheops (Egypt) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
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Probably, there is no person who would not know the main Egyptian attraction - the pyramid of Cheops. Yes, and tourists who have visited Egypt and not visited the only one of the surviving Seven Wonders of the World, except that they can be counted on the fingers.
Despite numerous studies, the Cheops pyramid keeps many secrets. The sarcophagus of the pharaoh has not yet been found.
The height of the great pyramid Egypt today - 140 meters, and the total area of more than 5 hectares. The Pyramid of Cheops is built - attention - from 2.5 million stone blocks! To deliver these blocks to the construction site, the ancient Egyptians had to overcome distances of hundreds of kilometers! It took 20 years to build the pyramid of Cheops.
Millennia have passed, but the pyramid is still highly revered in Egypt. Every year in August, the Egyptians celebrate the day the construction began.
True, historians have not found reliable information confirming this fact.
ascent
The entrance to the pyramid of Cheops, like all ancient Egyptian tombs, is located on the north side at a height of about 17 m. Inside the pyramid there are three burial chambers and a whole network of descending and ascending corridors leading to these rooms. For the convenience of tourists, multi-meter passages are equipped with wooden steps and railings. Lighting in the pyramid has been done, but it is better to take a flashlight with you.
Despite numerous studies and excavations, the pyramid of Cheops keeps many secrets. So, for example, it has not yet been possible to find a corridor leading to the chamber with the pharaoh's sarcophagus.
In the burial room of the ruler's wife, scientists discovered secret doors that supposedly symbolize the way to the afterlife. But the archaeologists could not open the last door...
Near the pyramid of Cheops, several disassembled boats were found. Now everyone can admire the assembled ships (by the way, it took the researchers almost 14 years to do this).
Practical information
How to get there: by bus or taxi from Tahrir Square in Cairo (about 20 minutes on the way), from Hurghada (5-6 hours), from Sharm El Sheikh (7-8 hours).
Working hours: daily from 8:00 to 17:00, at winter time- until 16:30.
Entrance: on the territory - 80 EGP (for adults), 40 EGP (for children); to the pyramid - 200 EGP (for adults), 100 EGP (for children).
For several centuries, the mysteries of Ancient Egypt have been in the center of attention of historians and archaeologists. When it comes to this ancient civilization, first of all, the grandiose pyramids are remembered, many of whose secrets have not yet been disclosed. Among such mysteries, which are still far from being solved, is the construction of a great structure - the largest pyramid of Cheops that has come down to our time.
Known and mysterious civilization
Of all the oldest civilizations, the culture of ancient Egypt is perhaps the most well studied. And the point here is not only in the many historical artifacts that have survived to this day and architectural monuments but also in an abundance of written sources. Even historians and geographers of Antiquity paid attention to this country and, describing the culture and religion of the Egyptians, did not ignore the construction of the great pyramids in Ancient Egypt.
And when in the XIX century the Frenchman Champollion was able to decipher the hieroglyphic letter of this ancient people, scientists gained access to a huge amount of information in the form of papyri, stone stelae with hieroglyphs and numerous inscriptions on the walls of tombs and temples.
The history of the ancient Egyptian civilization spans almost 40 centuries, and there are many interesting, bright and often mysterious pages in it. But the most attention is drawn to the Old Kingdom, the great pharaohs, the construction of the pyramids and the mysteries associated with them.
When were the pyramids built
The era that Egyptologists call the Old Kingdom lasted from 3000 to 2100 BC. e., just at this time, the Egyptian rulers were fond of building pyramids. All tombs erected earlier or later are much smaller in size, and their quality is worse, which affected their safety. It seems that the heirs of the architects of the great pharaohs lost the knowledge of their ancestors at once. Or were they completely different people who replaced the disappeared race, it is not clear where?
Pyramids were built in the period and even later, in the era of the Ptolemies. But not all pharaohs “ordered” similar tombs for themselves. So, at present, more than a hundred pyramids are known, built over 3 thousand years - from 2630, when the first pyramid was erected, until the 4th century AD. e.
The forerunners of the great pyramids
Before the great history of the construction of these grandiose buildings was erected, there were more than one hundred years.
According to the generally accepted version, the pyramids served as tombs in which the pharaohs were buried. Long before the construction of these structures, the rulers of Egypt were buried in mastabas - relatively small buildings. But in the 26th century BC. e. the first real pyramids were built, the construction of which began with the era of Pharaoh Djoser. The tomb, named after him, is located 20 km from Cairo and is very different in appearance from those that are called great.
It has a stepped shape and gives the impression of several mastabas stacked one on top of the other. True, its dimensions are rather big - more than 120 meters along the perimeter and 62 meters in height. This is a grandiose building for its time, but it cannot be compared with the pyramid of Cheops.
By the way, a lot is known about the construction of the tomb of Djoser, even written sources have survived that mention the name of the architect - Imhotep. One and a half thousand years later, he became the patron saint of scribes and doctors.
The first of the pyramids of the classical type is the tomb of Pharaoh Snofu, the construction of which was completed in 2589. The limestone blocks of this tomb have a reddish tint, which is why Egyptologists call it "red" or "pink".
great pyramids
This is the name of the three cyclopean tetrahedra located in Giza, on the left bank of the Nile.
The oldest and largest of them is the pyramid of Khufu, or, as the ancient Greeks called it, Cheops. It is she who is most often called the Great, which is not surprising, because the length of each of its sides is 230 meters, and the height is 146 meters. Now, however, it is slightly lower due to destruction and weathering.
The second largest is the tomb of Khafre, the son of Cheops. Its height is 136 meters, although visually it looks higher than the pyramid of Khufu, because it was built on a hill. Not far from it you can see the famous Sphinx, whose face, according to legend, is a sculptural portrait of Khafre.
The third - the pyramid of Pharaoh Mikerin - is only 66 meters high, and it was built much later. Nevertheless, this pyramid looks very harmonious and is considered the most beautiful of the great ones.
Modern man is accustomed to grandiose structures, but his imagination is also shaken by the great pyramids of Egypt, the history and secrets of construction.
Secrets and mysteries
Monumental buildings in Giza even in the era of Antiquity were included in the list of the main wonders of the world, of which the ancient Greeks numbered only seven. Today it is very difficult to comprehend the intention of the ancient rulers, who spent enormous amounts of money and human resources on the construction of such gigantic tombs. Thousands of people were cut off from the economy for 20-30 years and were engaged in the construction of a tomb for their ruler. Such irrational use of labor is questionable.
Since the time when the great pyramids were erected, the secrets of construction have not ceased to attract the attention of scientists.
Perhaps the construction of the great pyramid pursued a completely different goal? In the pyramid of Cheops, three chambers were found, which Egyptologists called burial chambers, but none of them contained mummies of the dead and objects that necessarily accompanied a person to the kingdom of Osiris. There are no decorations or drawings on the walls of the burial chambers either, more precisely, there is only one small portrait in the corridor on the wall.
The sarcophagus discovered in the pyramid of Khafre is also empty, although many statues were found inside this tomb, but there are no things that, according to Egyptian customs, were placed in the tombs.
Egyptologists believe that the pyramids were looted. Perhaps, but it is not entirely clear why the robbers also needed the mummies of the buried pharaohs.
There are many mysteries associated with these cyclopean structures in Giza, but the very first question that arises in a person who saw them with his own eyes: how did the construction of the great pyramids of Ancient Egypt take place?
Amazing Facts
Cyclopean structures demonstrate the phenomenal knowledge of the ancient Egyptians in astronomy and geodesy. The faces of the Pyramid of Cheops, for example, are precisely oriented to the south, north, west and east, and the diagonal coincides with the direction of the meridian. Moreover, this accuracy is higher than that of the observatory in Paris.
And such an ideal figure from the point of view of geometry has a huge size, and even made up of separate blocks!
Therefore, the knowledge of the ancients in the field of building art is even more impressive. The pyramids are built from giant stone monoliths up to 15 tons in weight. The granite blocks lining the walls of the main burial chamber of Khufu's pyramid weighed 60 tons each. How did such colossus rise if this chamber is at a height of 43 meters? And some stone blocks of Khafre's tomb generally reach 150 tons in weight.
The construction of the great pyramid of Cheops required the ancient architects to process, drag and raise to a very significant height more than 2 million such blocks. Even modern technology does not make this task easy.
There is a completely natural surprise: why did the Egyptians need to drag such colossus to a height of several tens of meters? Wouldn't it have been easier to build a pyramid of smaller stones? After all, they were able to somehow “cut out” these blocks from a solid mass of rock, why didn’t they make it easier for themselves by sawing them into pieces?
In addition, there is another mystery. The blocks were not just laid in rows, but they were so carefully processed and tightly fitted to each other that in some places the gap between the plates was less than 0.5 millimeters.
After the erection, the pyramid was still lined with stone slabs, which, however, had long been stolen by enterprising local residents for the construction of houses.
How were the ancient architects able to solve this incredibly difficult task? There are many theories, but they all have their drawbacks and weaknesses.
Herodotus version
The famous historian of Antiquity Herodotus visited Egypt and saw Egyptian pyramids. The construction, the description of which was left by the ancient Greek scientist, looked as follows.
Hundreds of people dragged a stone block to the pyramid under construction on drags, and then, using a wooden gate and a system of levers, they lifted it to the first platform equipped on lower level structures. Then the next lifting mechanism came into play. And so, moving from one platform to another, the blocks were raised to the desired height.
It is hard to even imagine how much effort the great Egyptian pyramids required. Construction (photo, according to Herodotus, see below) was indeed an extremely difficult task.
For a long time, most Egyptologists adhered to this version, although it raised doubts. It is difficult to imagine such wooden lifts that could withstand the weight of tens of tons. Yes, and dragging millions of multi-ton blocks on drags seems difficult.
Can Herodotus be trusted? Firstly, he did not witness the construction of the great pyramids, since he lived much later, although he may have been able to observe how smaller tombs were erected.
Secondly, the famous scientist of Antiquity in his writings often sinned against the truth, trusting the stories of travelers or ancient manuscripts.
The "ramp" theory
In the 20th century, a version proposed by the French researcher Jacques Philippe Luer became popular among Egyptologists. He suggested that the stone blocks were moved not on drags, but on skating rinks along a special ramp, which gradually became higher and, accordingly, longer.
The construction of the great pyramid (photo image below), thus, also required great ingenuity.
But this version also has its drawbacks. Firstly, it is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that the work of thousands of workers in dragging stone blocks was not at all facilitated by this method, because the blocks had to be dragged uphill, into which the embankment gradually turned. And it's extremely hard.
Secondly, the slope of the ramp should be no more than 10˚, therefore, its length will be more than a kilometer. To build such an embankment, labor is needed no less than the construction of the tomb itself.
Even if it was not one ramp, but several, built from one tier of the pyramid to another, it is still a colossal work with a dubious result. Especially when you consider that several hundred people are needed to move each block, and there is practically nowhere to place them on narrow platforms and embankments.
In 1978, admirers from Japan tried to build a pyramid only 11 meters high using drags and mounds. They could not complete the construction, inviting modern technology to help.
It seems that people with the technology that was in antiquity are beyond their powers. Or were they not people? Who built the great pyramids at Giza?
Aliens or Atlanteans?
The version that the great pyramids were built by representatives of a different race, despite its fantastic nature, has quite rational grounds.
Firstly, it is doubtful that people who lived in the Bronze Age possessed the tools and technologies that allowed them to process such an array of wild stone and put together a geometrically perfect structure weighing more than one million tons.
Secondly, the assertion that the great pyramids were built in the middle of the III millennium BC. er, debatable. It was expressed by the same Herodotus, who visited Egypt in the 5th century BC. BC. and described the Egyptian pyramids, the construction of which was completed almost 2 thousand years before his visit. In his writings, he simply recounted what the priests had told him.
There are suggestions that these cyclopean structures were built much earlier, perhaps 8-12 thousand years ago, or maybe all 80. These assumptions are based on the fact that, apparently, the pyramids, the sphinx and the temples around them survived the era of floods. This is evidenced by traces of erosion that were found on the lower part of the Sphinx statue and the lower tiers of the pyramids.
Thirdly, the great pyramids are clearly objects connected in one way or another with astronomy and space. Moreover, this purpose is more important than the function of the tombs. Suffice it to recall that there are no burials in them, although there is what Egyptologists call sarcophagi.
The theory of the alien origin of the pyramids in the 60s was popularized by the Swiss Erich von Daniken. However, all of his evidence is more of a figment of the writer's imagination than the result of serious research.
Assuming that aliens organized the construction of the great pyramid, the photo should look something like the picture below.
The Atlantean version has no less fans. According to this theory, long before the rise of the ancient Egyptian civilization, the pyramids were built by representatives of some other race, who possessed either super-advanced technology or the ability to force colossal blocks of stone through the air by force of will. Just like Master Yoda from the famous Star Wars movie.
To prove, as well as to disprove these theories, by scientific methods is almost impossible. But perhaps there is a less fantastic answer to the question of who built the great pyramids? Why could not the ancient Egyptians, who had a variety of knowledge in other areas, do this? There is one that lifts the veil of mystery surrounding the construction of the great pyramid.
concrete version
If the movement and processing of multi-ton stone blocks is so laborious, could not the ancient builders have used an easier method of pouring concrete?
This point of view is actively defended and proved by several well-known scientists, and different specialties.
The French chemist Joseph Davidovich, having made a chemical analysis of the material of the blocks from which the pyramid of Cheops was built, suggested that this was not a natural stone, but concrete of a complex composition. It was made on the basis of ground rock, and is the so-called Davidovich's conclusions were confirmed by a number of American researchers.
Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences A. G. Fomenko, having examined the blocks from which the pyramid of Cheops was built, believes that the “concrete version” is the most plausible. The builders simply ground the stone in excess, added binding impurities, such as lime, lifted the concrete base in baskets to the construction site, and then loaded it into the formwork and diluted it with water. When the mixture hardened, the formwork was dismantled and transferred to another place.
Decades later, the concrete was so compressed that it became indistinguishable from natural stone.
It turns out that during the construction of the great pyramid, not stone, but concrete blocks? It would seem that this version is quite logical and explains many of the mysteries of the construction of ancient pyramids, including the difficulties of transportation and the quality of block processing. But it has its weaknesses, and it raises no fewer questions than other theories.
Firstly, it is very difficult to imagine how the ancient builders were able to grind more than 6 million tons of rock without the use of technology. After all, this is the weight of the pyramid of Cheops.
Secondly, the possibility of using wooden formwork in Egypt, where wood has always been highly valued, is questionable. Even the boats of the pharaohs were made of papyrus.
Thirdly, the ancient architects, of course, could think of making concrete. But the question arises: where then did this knowledge go? Within a few centuries after the construction of the great pyramid, not a trace remained of them. There were still tombs of this kind erected, but they were all but a pitiful imitation of those that stand on the plateau at Giza. And until now, most often shapeless piles of stones have remained from the pyramids of a later period.
Therefore, it is impossible to say with certainty how the great pyramids were built, the secrets of which have not yet been revealed.
Not only Ancient Egypt, but also other civilizations of the past keep many mysteries, which makes getting to know their history incredible. exciting journey into the past.
The Pyramid of Cheops is one of the seven wonders of the world and the only one that has survived to this day. Cheops is an ancient Greek name Egyptian pharaoh for whom the pyramid was erected as a tomb in 2580 BC. The ancient Egyptian name for this pharaoh was Chufu. The pyramid is called Akhet-Khufu" which means "Horizon of Khufu". Became an architect Hemiun who was the nephew of Cheops. Construction took twenty years.
Location of the pyramid of Cheops
The first of the seven wonders of the world located southwest of Cairo, the capital of Egypt. The Pyramid of Cheops is one of the pyramids of the Giza Necropolis. Giza is a rocky plateau on which a large necropolis was built during the 4th Dynasty. The structure of the necropolis included several cemeteries, rock tombs, temples, a village of builders and Sphinx. The three great pyramids of Giza are worn names of pharaohsCheops, Khafre and Menkaure.
Description and dimensions
The pyramid has a square base. The sides of the pyramid were originally 230 meters and the height 150 meters. Currently, due to erosion, the size of the pyramid has slightly decreased. This pyramid is the largest of all the pyramids ever built on Earth, regardless of civilization and time. The total weight of the Cheops pyramid is estimated at about 6.25 million tons. The burial chamber is located below ground level and a 105-meter inclined corridor leads to it. Chamber size 14*8.1 meters, height 3.5 meters.
Construction work and materials
The stones of the Cheops pyramid are composed of basalt, limestone or granite. They were originally covered with a top layer of polished Tura limestone, which, however, for the most part has not survived to this day. The pyramid is built from cuboid stone blocks of various sizes, each of which weighs an average of 2.5 tons. In total, to create such an impressive structure, it took near2.3 million stone blocks. The work was carried out without any complicated mechanisms.
Inside, the pyramid is very different from its sister pyramids at Giza, as well as from other pyramids in Egypt. P Iramid of Cheops is the only pyramid with three burial chambers. In addition, this Egyptian pyramid has ventilation duct around which many myths have formed.
Side concavity
The pyramid has four sides that look perfectly straight, but in fact each of them is divided from top to bottom into two equal parts. Therefore, the pyramid of Cheops has eight sides. But this feature is very weakly expressed and is visible only at a time when the sun's rays illuminate both sides from the north and south. At these moments it can be seen that these one half of the side of the pyramid is in the shade, and the other in the sun.
Today the pyramid of Cheops is included in UNESCO heritage list and attracts the attention of tourists and archaeologists from all over the world. It is still fraught with a lot of secrets and mysteries. There are narrow tunnels inside the pyramid, the purpose of which is still unknown..
Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)
The Pyramid of Cheops is part of the complex of the largest Egyptian pyramids located on the Giza plateau. This grand structure, together with the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, as well as the majestic Sphinx, makes up the so-called Giza pyramid complex. As many scientists believe, the location of the pyramids and the Sphinx within this complex is by no means accidental, and is due not only to the desire of the ancient builders to create an integral composition of these grandiose structures.
One of the earliest hypotheses considered the Egyptian (and other) pyramids as tombs, hence the names: the king's (pharaoh's) chamber and the queen's chamber. However, according to many modern Egyptologists, The pyramid of Cheops was never used as a tomb, but had a completely different purpose.
Some Egyptologists believe that the pyramid is a repository of ancient weights and measures, as well as a model of known linear and temporal measurements that are characteristic of the Earth and are based on the principle of rotation of the polar axis. It is considered confirmed that the one (or those) who led the construction of the pyramid had absolutely accurate knowledge of such things that were discovered by mankind much later. These include: the circumference of the globe, the longitude of the year, the average value of the Earth's orbit as it rotates around the Sun, the specific density of the globe, the acceleration of gravity, the speed of light, and much more. And all this knowledge, one way or another, is allegedly laid down in a pyramid.
It is believed that the pyramid is a kind of calendar. It is almost proved that it serves as both a theodolite and a compass, and of such accuracy that the most modern compasses can be compared with it.
Another hypothesis believes that not only the parameters of the pyramid itself, but also its individual structures contain many important mathematical quantities and relationships, for example, the number “pi”, and the parameters of the king’s chamber combine “sacred” triangles with sides 3-4-5. It is believed that the angles and slopes of the pyramid reflect the most modern ideas about trigonometric values, and the contours of the pyramid with practical accuracy include the proportions of the "golden section".
There is a hypothesis that considers the pyramid of Cheops as an astronomical observatory, and according to another hypothesis, the Great Pyramid was used for initiation into the highest levels of secret knowledge, as well as for storing this knowledge. At the same time, a person initiated into secret knowledge was located in a sarcophagus.
The official theory says that the architect of the Great Pyramid is Hemiun, the vizier and nephew of Cheops. He also bore the title "Manager of all construction sites of the pharaoh." Construction under his leadership lasted twenty years and ended around 2540 BC. e. In Egypt, the date of the start of the construction of the Cheops pyramid is officially established and celebrated - August 23, 2470 BC. e.
However, there are other assumptions. Thus, the Arab historian Ibrahim ben ibn Wassuff Shah believed that the pyramids of Giza were built by an antediluvian king named Saurid. Abu Zeid el Bahi writes about an inscription which says that Great Pyramid Cheops was built about 73,000 years ago. Ibn Batuta claimed (and not only him) that the pyramids were built by Hermes Trismegistus, etc. The hypothesis of the Russian scientist Sergei Proskuryakov is very interesting, who believes that the pyramids were built by Aliens from Sirius and that the architect Hemiun himself was from Sirius. Vladimir Babanin also believes that the pyramids were built by Aliens from Sirius, and possibly from Dessa of the Cygnus constellation in ancient times, but during the time of Cheops, the pyramids were restored.
It seems logical that in any case the Pyramids were erected after the pole shift occurred on Earth, otherwise it would not be possible to orient the Pyramids with such incredible accuracy as they are located today.
Initially, the height of the Cheops pyramid was 146.6 meters. But time mercilessly dissolved 7 meters and 85 centimeters of this majestic structure. Simple calculations will show that now the pyramid has a height of 138 meters and 75 centimeters.
The perimeter of the pyramid is 922 meters, the base area is 53,000 square meters (comparable to the area of 10 football fields). Scientists considered total weight pyramids, which amounted to more than 5 million tons.
The pyramid is made up of over 2.2 million large stone blocks of limestone, granite and basalt, each weighing an average of 2.5 tons. There are 210 rows of blocks in the pyramid. Most heavy block weighs about 15 tons. The base is a rocky elevation, the height of which is 9 meters. Initially, the surface of the pyramid was a smooth surface, because. covered with a special material.
The entrance to the pyramid is at a height of 15.63 meters. north side. The entrance is formed by stone slabs laid in the form of an arch. This entrance to the pyramid was sealed with a granite plug.
Today, tourists enter the pyramid through the 17th gap, which was made in 820 by Caliph Abu Jafar al-Ma'mun. He hoped to find the pharaoh's untold treasures there, but found only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.
Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are three burial chambers located one above the other.
When the sun moves around the pyramid, you can notice the unevenness of the walls - the concavity of the central part of the walls. Perhaps the reason for this is erosion or damage resulting from the fall of the stone cladding. It is also possible that this was deliberately done during construction.
The first wonder of the world of all time, one of the main structures of our planet, a place full of secrets and mysteries, a point of constant pilgrimage for tourists - the Egyptian pyramids and in particular the pyramid of Cheops.
The construction of giant pyramids, of course, was far from an easy task. Huge effort a large number people were attached to deliver stone blocks to the Giza or Saqqara plateau, and later to the Valley of the Kings, which became the new necropolis of the pharaohs.
At the moment, there are about a hundred found pyramids in Egypt, but the finds continue, and their number is constantly increasing. IN different times one of the 7 wonders of the world meant different pyramids. Someone meant all the pyramids of Egypt as a whole, someone pyramids near Memphis, someone three large pyramids Giza, and the most critics recognized exclusively the largest pyramid of Cheops.
The afterlife of ancient Egypt
One of the central moments in the life of the ancient Egyptians was religion, which formed the whole culture as a whole. Special attention was given to the afterlife, perceived as a clear continuation of earthly life. That is why the preparation for life after death began long before it, it was set as one of the main life tasks.
According to the ancient Egyptian belief, a person had several souls. The soul of Ka acted as a double of the Egyptian, whom he was to meet in the afterlife. The soul of Ba contacted the person himself, and left his body after death.
The religious life of the Egyptians and the god Anubis
At first, it was believed that only the pharaoh had the right to life after death, but he could bestow this "immortality" on his entourage, who were usually buried next to the tomb of the lord. Ordinary people were not destined to get into the world of the dead, the only exception was slaves and servants, whom the pharaoh “took” with him, and who were depicted on the walls of the great tomb.
But for a comfortable life after the death of the deceased, it was necessary to provide everything necessary: food, household utensils, servants, slaves, and much more needed for the average pharaoh. They also tried to preserve the body of a person so that the soul of Ba could later unite with him again. Therefore, in matters of body preservation, embalming and the creation of complex pyramid tombs were born.
The first pyramid in Egypt. Pyramid of Djoser
Speaking about the construction of the pyramids in Ancient Egypt in general, it is worth mentioning the beginning of their history. The very first pyramid in Egypt was built about five thousand years ago at the initiative of Pharaoh Djoser. It is in these 5 millennia that the age of the pyramids in Egypt is estimated. The erection of the pyramid of Djoser was led by the famous and legendary Imhotep, who was even deified in later centuries.
Pyramid of Djoser
The entire complex of the building under construction occupied an area of 545 by 278 meters. Along the perimeter, it was surrounded by a 10-meter wall with 14 gates, only one of which was real. In the center of the complex was the pyramid of Djoser with sides 118 by 140 meters. The height of the pyramid of Djoser is 60 meters. Almost at a depth of 30 meters there was a burial chamber, to which corridors with many branches led. Utensils and sacrifices were kept in the branch rooms. Here, archaeologists found three bas-reliefs of Pharaoh Djoser himself. Near the eastern wall of the Djoser pyramid, 11 small burial chambers intended for the royal family were discovered.
Unlike the famous great pyramids of Giza, the pyramid of Djoser had a stepped shape, as if intended for the ascension of the pharaoh to heaven. Of course, this pyramid is inferior in popularity and size to the pyramid of Cheops, but still the contribution of the very first stone pyramid to the culture of Egypt is difficult to overestimate.
The Pyramid of Cheops. History and brief description
But still, the most famous for the ordinary population of our planet are the three pyramids of Egypt located nearby - Khafre, Mekerin and the largest and highest pyramid in Egypt - Cheops (Khufu)
Pyramids of Giza
The Pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops was built near the city of Giza, currently a suburb of Cairo. When the pyramid of Cheops was built, it is currently impossible to say for sure, and research gives a strong scatter. In Egypt, for example, the date of the beginning of the construction of this pyramid is officially celebrated - August 23, 2480 BC.
Pyramid of Cheops and Sphinx
About 100,000 people were simultaneously involved in the construction of the wonder of the world pyramid of Cheops. During the first ten years of work, a road was built, along which huge stone blocks were delivered to the river and underground structures of the pyramid. Work on the construction of the monument itself continued for about 20 years.
The size of the pyramid of Cheops at Giza is amazing. The height of the pyramid of Cheops initially reached 147 meters. Over time, due to falling asleep with sand and the loss of lining, it decreased to 137 meters. But even this figure allowed her to remain the tallest human structure in the world for a long time. The pyramid has a square base with a side of 147 meters. The construction of this giant is estimated to have required 2,300,000 limestone blocks weighing an average of 2.5 tons.
How were the pyramids built in Egypt?
The technology of building the pyramids is controversial in our time. Versions vary from the invention of concrete in ancient Egypt to the construction of pyramids by aliens. But still it is believed that the pyramids were built by man solely by his strength. So for the extraction of stone blocks, first a shape was outlined in the rock, grooves were hollowed out and a dry tree was inserted into them. Later, the tree was doused with water, it expanded, a crack formed in the rock, and the block was separated. Then it was processed to the desired shape with tools and sent along the river to the construction site.
