Visiting the Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the most memorable experiences you'll ever have. Not only will you have the chance to see one of the wonders of the world, but you'll also have the chance to get a closer look at some of the other amazing ancient monuments on display.
Grand gallery
During his time as Pharaoh, Khufu built the Great Pyramid of Giza. It is the tallest structure in the world at the time of its construction and is the only one of the original seven wonders of the ancient world still standing.
The pyramid has three main chambers. The upper chamber is a Burial Chamber. The middle chamber is a Subterranean Chamber. The lowest chamber is a Descending passageway.
There are many oddities in the pyramid, such as the V-shape of the Grand Gallery. It is located in the center of the N-S axis of the pyramid. It also has a very unique ascending passageway.
The pyramid is missing about a thousand tonnes of material. This has led some scholars to suggest that it may have been destroyed soon after it was sealed.
A movie clip has shown the upper surface of the pyramid in its construction phase. A small inscription carved into the granite slab above the ceiling resembles the hieroglyphic symbol for the name of Khufu.
The ceiling of the Grand Gallery is almost nine metres high. It is a corbelled vault with a slightly steeper angle. It holds the stones in place. It also carries out a few other functions, such as holding up a tiara.
It also has a ventilation system. This helps to keep the pyramid dry and prevent stagnant air from accumulating. The descending passageway, which leads to the Grand Gallery, is 129 feet long. It rises at a gradient of 26 deg2'30".
The most important part of the grand gallery is its V-shape. The V-shape was probably used to aid the sliding of ropes. It may also have had some other purpose, such as serving as a sky map.
King's Chamber
Originally, the King's Chamber at the Great Pyramid of Giza was a burial chamber. Several scholars believe it was meant to be the final resting place of the pharaoh. However, it remains unclear if this was the case.
The floor of the King's Chamber is constructed of 21 granite slabs. Each slab is 0.98 m high and weighs between 45 and 70 tons. The slabs have five demissions on the top and 10 on the bottom. The ceiling is made of nine massive beams. The walls are smooth and free from carved reliefs.
There are two shafts leading from the upper chamber. The southern shaft ascends at a 45 degree angle. The northern shaft ascends at an angle of 31 degrees.
The slabs in the King's Chamber were the heaviest blocks used to build the pyramid. These blocks were made of red granite and weighed 50 to 80 tons.
A large lidless coffer is located in the western end of the chamber. The coffer is made of dark black granite and weighs three tons. However, no evidence suggests that a corpse ever occupied the coffer.
In the second phase of construction, the chamber was roofed. In the third phase, a service shaft was constructed. The shaft was used for ventilation. During the early nineteenth century, several casing stones were removed. This caused the structure to appear more clearly.
There are narrow channels on the north and south sides of the chamber. These channels are said to have religious or ventilation functions. The slabs in the upper chamber have small rectangular apertures that lead to shafts. These shafts pierce through the outer surface of the pyramid.
Subterranean Chamber
Located 27 meters below the surface of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Subterranean Chamber is also known as the Pit. The chamber, which is cut out of bedrock beneath the pyramid, was thought to be the king's burial chamber. It was built using more than two million blocks of stone, which weigh more than six million pounds.
There are two distinct tunnel systems at the Great Pyramid of Giza. The lower system begins at a concealed entrance 56 feet above the ground in the north face. It leads to a series of funerary vaults. The upper system continues to a series of galleries.
The Grand Gallery is a corbelled passage that reaches a height of 8.74 meters. It leads to three burial chambers. There is also a small opening in the west wall above the door.
The King's Chamber contains a sarcophagus, which was believed to contain the remains of the pharaoh. It is made of red granite. It is located halfway between the north and south faces of the pyramid.
The Subterranean Chamber is closed to the public. The chamber has been dug out of bedrock, and is believed to be the original burial chamber for King Khufu. It is thought to be filled with 2.3 million blocks of stone.
The chamber's original entrance was in the 19th layer of masonry. Early Egyptologists thought that it led to an upper chamber. However, the entrance was blocked with granite plugs.
The king's burial chamber is unlikely to have been accessed. The tomb is surrounded by a pent roof that distributes the weight of the masonry. There are also faint quarry marks that indicate stone from the core of the pyramid.
Tomb of Queen Hetepheres I
During the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, Queen Hetepheres I was the mother of Pharaoh Khufu and the grandmother of two more kings. Her tomb at the Great Pyramid of Giza is one of several that tell fascinating stories of women's role in the Old Kingdom. It is located on the eastern side of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza.
When the pyramids were first built, the tombs of the royal court were stone tombs called mastaba. Some tombs have been excavated, and several items were later carefully reconstructed.
The tomb of Queen Hetepheres I is located about 360 feet east of the Great Pyramid of the East cemetery. The tomb is well-preserved with paintings of hunters catching water birds, bakers making triangular loaves of bread, and servants holding offerings.
Some of the carved objects in the tomb are still gilded. These objects include boxes with mud sealings bearing the name of Khufu. The tomb was found by accident.
It is believed that Hetepheres died during the first half of Khufu's reign. According to some historians, she was buried in a small pyramid named G1-a.
The Giza plateau includes several smaller pyramids. Some of these pyramids have been destroyed. Others have been lost. In 1902, a major archaeological survey was conducted in the Nubia region. The results of this survey were compiled and awarded to several excavators.
A small mortuary temple stood before the east wall of the pyramid. It was believed that priests connected to the cult of Khufu may have moved Hetepheres's burial equipment.
It is possible that Hetepheres' tomb was damaged during the First Intermediate Period. The tomb had a false door, which has caused some to doubt the presence of Meritites' burial. The tomb also features a sixteen-foot-deep burial shaft. Some pottery shards have been discovered in the limestone plaster. These shards confirmed the date of the tomb's construction.
Pyramid of Mycerinus
Despite the sexisms, you'd be hard pressed to find a female in this male dominated group. That's a problem, at least for the lady of the hour. She's not a slacker. She's smart enough to know that she's got to go out in style. She may be the only woman in the group who hasn't resorted to a powerball. I'm sure she'll find a way to make it work for her. She's also the one who got herself into trouble, so it's no wonder she's not too hot to handle. She's certainly not the only one. The only thing standing in her way is the fact that she has to share her ride with one of her friends. She's not a bad woman, she's just not the type you want to share a bottle of wine with.
She's also not the only one in her group who has to contend with a group of yentas. The fact that they are all in the same hemisphere is another matter. Despite the gender loppers, there's still a lot of bang for your buck in this part of town. The one thing that the locals dislike is the fact that they're often left out of the loop. There's a reason for this, but it's all good.
It's a matter of pride of ownership. She's still looking for her princess after all. Hopefully her luck lasts long enough to allow her to make it to her wedding in Vegas, if not, she'll be a lucky lady.