The Necropolis of Giza has nine pyramids for the funeral of the Kings of the 4th Dynasty and the Queens. These pyramids draw many visitors from all over the world who are intrigued by the grandeur of these pyramids:
1. Cheops Grand Pyramid (Pyramid of Hufu)
King Khufu‘s Greek name is Cheops. In the fourth dynasty, he was the second ruler, the old kingdom. He was the son of Hethepheres I the Queen and of Snefru the King.
Why is King Kheops’ pyramid well-known?
This pyramid did not serve its function of shielding the corpse of the King. Still, it immortalised its name through all its history and, because of its engineering and its nature, it was also one of the seven ancient miracles.
It was constructed with 2,3 million blocks of calcareous soil. Each block weighs approximately two and a half tonnes. Its height was 146 metres, but its height was 137 metres after the removal of its outer housing. It took twenty years to build this pyramid.
It consists of three rooms, but in the middle of the pyramid, the funeral chamber is supplemented with relief rooms. These chambers are five empty rooms designed to alleviate the burial chamber‘s weight. The pyramid seeks a new chamber, but experiments and studies are still ongoing.
2. Museum of Solar Boat
The boat was found in this museum. In 1954 Kamal el-Malakh found this sail, oars, and cords in a hole covered with almost four decades of calcareous stones, devoted to showing what was discovered to the south of the Cheops Pyramid.
The boat was built from cedar which was shipped from Lebanon. For 1224 individual parts, it was disassembled.
Why was the ship known as the solar boat?
This boat is believed to be one of the significant funeral items that were put in the tomb of the King for sailing with the god Ra (Sun God) during his day and night tour.
However, recent studies discovered that the real intention was only to move the King’s corpse from Memphis, the capital of Egypt, to his Pyramid on the western bank on the east bank of the Nile at that time.
3. Chephren Pyramid (Chafre Pyramid)
King Khafre ‘s name is Greek Chephren. In the 4th dynasty, he was the fourth ruler, ancient kingdom. He was King Cheops‘s uncle.
What’s the Chephren Pyramid description?
It was constructed on a high hummock which shows it to be larger than the Cheops pyramid. It has 133 m High.
In Giza Necropolis it is known to be the complete structure, consisting of the temple of the valley, the pyramid, the path and the mortuary temple.
Its external housing at the top characterises the pyramid of Chephren!
King Chephren’s Valley Mosque.
The key objective of the Temple of the Valley was the mummification and preparation of the king before the tomb.
Several statuaries have been found in the temple in the valley belonging to Chephren, such as King Chephren‘s famed statue and Horus, which is considered proof of the genius of sculptural ancient Egyptians.
4. The Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx of Giza belongs to king Chephren. It consisted of one piece of rock-cut sandstone.
Sphinx is a mythical creature taking the form of the human head and body of the lion. A stela is found, which was named the Tutmosis IV dream stela from the eighteenth dynasty, New Kingdom, in front of the Great Sphinx.
Where did the name come from?
The word, "Sphinx", was derived from the Greek word “Ssp Ankh,” which means the living image, which comes from an Egyptian word. Thus, one may assume that the Sphinx statues are a symbol for the king’s physical and mental powers; physical strength can be seen within the lion‘s body; the king’s human head itself is noted to be mental. Therefore, we assume that a Great Sphinx is a sign of royal security.